“Michigan’s Capitol is, at its heart, an office building. For many years it was home to numerous state departments, boards, and commissions that worked in offices that were both beautiful and functional. Tall, open rooms allowed for colorful decorative artwork, substantial wood furnishings, good light, and air circulation. Up-to-date technologies like wood box telephones, mechanical typewriters, and sturdy vault doors served as important tools for security and communication. A few of the offices were photographed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, these pictures help us imagine what it was like to work in these busy, elegant spaces.”

This case is what can be considered a “period room” exhibit. The office is dressed with both original and reproduction furniture and office emphemra to resemble, to the best of our ability, how Capitol offices would have appeared in the first few decades of the building. Each year, this office is redressed to recognize a specific state department or agency who had a space in the Capitol during this time. So far, the office has paid homage to the Adjutant General, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Board of Health, and the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society.