The reliefs were designed by artist Léon Hermant and carved by German sculptor Adolph Wolter in 1934.

Located beneath the cornice line on the east side of the building, ten square relief panels depict the founding and growth of the state of Indiana.

The first panel, the Explorer, illustrates La Salle at portage between the St. Joseph and Kankakee Rivers.

Above the ground floor windows, a second set of eight relief panels depict an Indian with a peace pipe, the Trapper, the Priest, the Pioneer, the Plainsman, Invention (a movie camera), Transportation (an airplane), and Arts (an artist with brushes and pencils).

On the south side of the building, individual figures represent: Science, History, Invention, and Religion.