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Preserving the past, inspiring the future

Piecing Together
the State Library

We wanted to invite you, as special partners of history, to be one of the first to view the reveal of the walnut bookcases and learn about our exciting future projects. Full story coming soon...

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See the Old State Library in the Capitol

State Library, c. (1879), Michigan State Capitol Collection
State Library, c. (1890), Michigan State Capitol Collection

Michigan’s State Library once filled three floors of the Capitol’s west wing. Outfitted with dozens of custom-built walnut bookcases, the library housed numerous state treasures, including rare books, documents, objects, maps, prints, and photographs. The collection eventually outgrew the space, leading to the library’s relocation to the new State Office Building (now the Elliott-Larsen Building) in the 1920s.

The Supreme Court and the Legislature forced the State Librarian to split her collection and leave the law books behind. The legal collection remained in the Capitol’s west wing, on the second floor, into the late 1960s. When the Supreme Court left the Capitol in 1970, they took the Law Library with them. Once the books were gone, the space was gutted out and the last of the walnut bookcases removed.
State Law Library, c. 1955, Archives of Michigan

Help us bring more of the story home

The State Library once filled three floors of the Capitol with exquisite walnut bookcases. Then they were lost. Now, piece by piece, the library bookcases are being found, restored, and rebuilt.

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Two ornate wooden display cabinets with glass doors standing on a patterned red carpeted floor inside a room with beige walls. The cabinet glass shows images of people and architectural elements inside.
Close-up of detailed dark wood carving with floral and flowing patterns on a polished wooden surface, against a blurred beige background.