Ohio Statehouse facts for kids
West facade of the Ohio Statehouse
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| Location | 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, Ohio |
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| Visitors | 500,000 (in 2012) |
| Public transit access |
 Add→ multiple routes1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 41, 42, 43, 44, 73, 74, 102, AirConnect, CMAX
 CoGo |
| Nearest parking | Underground lot |
| Interactive map | |
| Area | 10 acres (4.0 ha) |
| Built | 1839–1861 |
| Architect | Multiple |
| Architectural style(s) | Greek Revival |
| Designated | December 22, 1977 |
| Reference no. | 72001011 |
| Designated | July 31, 1972 |
| Reference no. | 72001011 |
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Invalid designation
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| Designated | November 15, 1982 |
| Reference no. | CR-13 |
The Ohio Statehouse is the main building where the government of Ohio works. It's like the heart of the state's government! This beautiful building is located in Downtown Columbus. It houses the Ohio General Assembly, which is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The Statehouse also has offices for important state leaders. These include the governor, lieutenant governor, state treasurer, and state auditor. Built between 1839 and 1861, it is one of the oldest state capitol buildings still in use in the United States. The Statehouse grounds also include two other buildings: the Senate Building and the Atrium. All three are known together as the Ohio Statehouse.
This building is famous for its Greek Revival style. It has been named a National Historic Landmark. About 500,000 people visit the Ohio Statehouse every year.
Contents
History of Ohio's Capitol Building
Ohio's first capital city was Chillicothe, starting in 1803. Because state leaders argued a lot, the Ohio General Assembly moved the capital temporarily to Zanesville in 1810. A law passed that year said the new capital should be chosen close to the center of the state. In 1812, Chillicothe became the temporary capital again. It stayed that way until a new capitol building could be built.
Leaders wanted the capital city to be easier to reach for everyone. So, they looked for a new location closer to the middle of Ohio. Four landowners from the Franklinton area offered a large piece of empty land. This land was across the river from Franklinton. They offered to give 10 acres of land to the state. They also promised to spend up to $50,000 to build structures and improve the area.
On February 14, 1812, the General Assembly created a new capital city. It was on the "High Banks opposite Franklinton". About a week later, after much discussion, they named the new town Columbus. In the next few months, the town was measured and laid out in a grid. Two 10-acre plots were set aside. One was for the statehouse, where it stands today. The other became the site of the Ohio Penitentiary. People started buying land in the new city in June 1812. In 1816, the General Assembly met in Columbus for the first time. They met in a brick building on High and State Streets.
The land for the permanent statehouse was planned early on. Jarvis Pike was hired to clear the 10 acres. He also built a fence around it. In return, Pike was allowed to grow crops on the land for several years.
Building the Ohio Statehouse
In 1838, Ohio's government held a contest to pick the design for a new Statehouse. This was a common way to choose designs for important public buildings back then. About fifty designs were submitted. Three winners were chosen. Henry Walter won first prize, Martin Thompson second, and painter Thomas Cole third. However, the group choosing the design couldn't agree on a final plan.
When the first stone was laid on July 4, 1839, there was still no final design. An architect from New York, Alexander Jackson Davis, helped create a design. It combined ideas from the three winning entries. But it was too expensive. Henry Walter, the first-place winner, was then chosen to oversee the building. He started working on a new design. This one was mostly based on Thomas Cole's third-place design.
Work on the building's foundation began. But then, the project faced problems. The law that made Columbus the capital was about to end. While leaders argued about moving the capital again, construction stopped. The holes dug for the foundation were filled back in. Capitol Square became a field where animals grazed.
The Statehouse was left alone until February 1848. Then, William Russell West and J.O. Sawyer were hired as architects. By May, construction started again. A cholera sickness spread in Columbus. Many people left the city. Once the sickness ended, work on the Statehouse continued. It only stopped during the cold Ohio winters. West and Sawyer made a big change to the design. They removed the round dome that all previous designers had planned. Instead, they chose a low, cone-shaped roof.
The old capitol building caught fire in 1852. This made finishing the new Statehouse even more urgent. Government offices had to move to different buildings around Columbus. No one knows for sure what caused the fire. With the outside of the Statehouse almost done by 1854, Nathan Kelley was hired. He was a Columbus architect. His job was to design and build the inside of the building. He also had to create a heating and ventilation system. An advanced steam heating system was built. Warm air moved through the building in "air sewers," which were small brick passages.
The new Statehouse opened to the public on January 7, 1857. Soon after, the Ohio General Assembly met in their new rooms. Most of the building was finished, except for the rotunda. Even though the work was going well, government officials were not happy with Kelley. They had problems with his work and design choices.
Isaiah Rogers, a famous architect from Cincinnati, was brought in. He oversaw the final stages of the Statehouse's construction. Rogers finished the building's interior. He also coordinated work on the unique rotunda and its cupola. One of the building's most special features is the low, cone-shaped roof on top of the cupola. Many people expect to see a dome there. Rogers decided not to use a dome. He went back to an earlier design by West and Sawyer. Some critics called the finished roof "a Chinese hat." The entire Capitol Square, including its buildings and landscaping, was finally finished in 1861.
Changes and Updates Over Time
As the state government grew, the Ohio Statehouse changed too. At first, the building held all parts of the state government. As more offices were needed, large areas were divided into smaller ones. For example, four open courtyards inside the building were turned into offices. These courtyards went from top to bottom and were meant to let in light and fresh air. But with electric lighting and the need for more space, these areas became floors of offices. The building originally had 54 rooms. By 1989, it had 317 rooms!
In 1901, the building was very crowded. Many changes were considered. One idea was to build a completely new statehouse. It would look more like the U.S. Capitol in Washington. But this was too expensive. So, it was decided that the Ohio Supreme Court would move to a separate building. This new building was on the east side of Capitol Square. It was called the Judiciary Annex. It was built from the same Columbus limestone as the Statehouse. The outside looked like ancient Greek buildings. The inside, especially the grand staircase, was in the Beaux Arts style.
The Judiciary Annex was designed by architect Samuel Hannaford. It was finished in two years and cost $375,000. The Statehouse itself took 22 years to build and cost about $1.3 million. This difference shows how buildings changed. The Statehouse was like a castle, with thick stone walls. The Annex was modern, with a metal frame. It was also designed for electric lights. The Annex still has many of its original light fixtures. The Statehouse lights are copies of the gas lights that were removed in the 1890s.
Murals painted by William Mark Young for the 1933 Chicago World's Fair were later moved to the Statehouse.
Bringing the Statehouse Back to Life
Over time, the Statehouse and the Judiciary Annex became crowded. They also showed signs of wear and tear. People even suggested tearing them down or changing them a lot. But in 1989, a huge project began. The goal was to restore the buildings to their original beauty. They also wanted to make them useful for modern government work. Original furniture was found and brought back. New copies of old items, like carpets and light fixtures, were made. The large light fixtures in the House and Senate were based on old ones in the Vermont State House. That building was being restored at the same time.
The restoration project also added a third building to Capitol Square. This was the Atrium. It connects the Statehouse with the Judiciary Annex. The Atrium was finished in 1993. After the renovation, the Judiciary Annex became known as the Senate Building.
Exploring the Ohio Statehouse
The Ohio Statehouse sits on Capitol Square. This is a 10-acre park given by four landowners. The Statehouse has foundations that are 18 feet deep. These were partly built by prisoners doing hard labor.
The Statehouse has a porch in the middle with columns. These columns are in a simple Greek Doric style. They are made of Columbus limestone from the Scioto River. A wide, low triangle shape (called a pediment) sits above the columns. It supports a round, windowed drum called a cupola. This cupola has a round opening (an oculus) that lights the inside rotunda.
Unlike many state capitol buildings in the U.S., the Ohio Statehouse doesn't look much like the United States Capitol. It was designed before the U.S. Capitol got its big white dome. That dome was later copied by many other state capitol buildings.
The Ohio Statehouse is a great example of the Greek Revival style. It doesn't copy just one ancient Greek building. Instead, it combines different Greek ideas with modern needs. The cupola looks like the Tholos of Delphi, an ancient Greek temple. The Parthenon in Athens also influenced the design. Ancient Greek buildings didn't have windows. But windows were very important in Greek Revival buildings. This was because sunlight was the main source of light before electricity.
The offices for the governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, and auditor are on the first floor. The governor's main office moved to the Vern Riffe State Office Tower during a big restoration. After the work was done, some governors preferred the larger, modern space. They only used the Statehouse office for special events. However, Governor Ted Strickland used the Statehouse office regularly. He believed it was important for the governor to be in the same building as the Legislature. Current governor Mike DeWine also uses the Statehouse office often.
The Ohio General Assembly chambers are on the second floor. They look similar to how they did originally. But they have been updated with modern technology for information and communication.
The Atrium connects the Statehouse with the Senate Building. It's a large open space used for government events, ceremonies, and meetings. It's built from the same limestone as the other two buildings.
The Statehouse has many portraits of governors and lieutenant governors. There are also large artworks that remember important people or events in Ohio or U.S. history. Ohio artist Howard Chandler Christy has two paintings there. One shows the signing of the Treaty of Greenville, a key event in state history. Another honors Thomas Edison, who was also from Ohio. President Abraham Lincoln visited the building three times. A large marble statue of him was put up after his death. It also shows the Union victory at Vicksburg.
The floor of the Statehouse rotunda is made of almost 5,000 pieces of marble. Each piece was cut and fitted by hand. The design in the center of the floor tells the story of the United States. The 13 stones in the middle represent the original colonies. The three rings symbolize areas of land that made the nation bigger. Around the rings is a starburst with 32 points. Each point represents one of the states when the floor was laid. A gray band around the whole design stands for the U.S. Constitution.
Ohioans in Space Painting
Ohioans in Space is a painting by William D. Hinsch. It honors astronauts from Ohio. These include John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, Judith Resnik, and Gene Kranz. The painting was created to celebrate Ohioans' achievements in space. It is located in the Statehouse rotunda. It's the first painting added to the rotunda in almost 70 years.
The painting shows four of Ohio's 26 astronauts. They were chosen for their amazing accomplishments. John Glenn was the first American to orbit Earth. Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the Moon during Apollo 11. James Jim Lovell was the first astronaut to fly into space four times. This included Apollo 8, which was the first time humans orbited the Moon, and Apollo 13. Judith Judy Resnik was one of the first women chosen by NASA for space missions. The painting also features Gene Kranz, a NASA flight director from Toledo. Gene Kranz represents all the people who help make space flights possible.
The Statehouse Cupola
The Statehouse has a two-story cupola on top. It is 70 feet tall and 64 feet wide. It acts as a viewing deck where you can see the city around it. This area is the last part of the Statehouse that hasn't been renovated. Today, you can only visit the cupola by special request. Visitors have traditionally signed their names on the cupola's walls. The oldest signature says "J. Cook 1870".
Capitol Square Grounds
The Ohio Statehouse grounds are called Capitol Square. It's a large square park space around the Statehouse. It is bordered by Broad, High, State, and 3rd streets. The grounds have been changed several times. An underground parking garage was built under the front lawn in the 1960s. Today, the northwest and southwest corners have entrances to the garage. The northeast and southeast corners have car drives down into the garage. The east lawn, next to the Senate Building, was used for parking during the 20th century.
The western part of the Statehouse grounds has a 3.5-foot-tall metal fence. This fence was put up in 2012 for extra security. It looks like an older fence that was there from 1873 to 1964. That old fence was removed when the underground parking garage was built. The eastern part, the Veterans Plaza, stays open. The fenced-off part on the west side is only closed for special events.
The Statehouse grounds have many large artworks. A big statue group by Hermon MacNeil, the William McKinley Monument, honors Ohio governor and U.S. president William McKinley. The Great Seal of Ohio and the state motto, "With God, all things are possible", are carved at the bottom of the steps leading to the west entrance.
- Selected works
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The William McKinley Monument (1906)
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These Are My Jewels (1894)
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The Doughboy (1930)
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The Spirit of '98 (1928)
The Statehouse as a Museum
The Ohio Statehouse is both a working government building and a museum. In 2007 and 2008, about 70,000 visitors took guided tours each year. The tours, exhibits, and other public education activities are run by the Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center. This center is funded and staffed by the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board, which manages the building.
Tours are available every day the building is open, and they are free! Tours for visitors or small groups are given every hour, seven days a week. Groups larger than ten people can schedule tours on weekdays between 9:30 am and 3:15 pm.
More than 90 volunteers help the staff of the Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center. Tour content can be changed to fit the age and interests of each group. The largest group of visitors are fourth graders. They learn about Ohio history and how the government works. But tours about politics, Ohio presidents, and art and architecture are also available.
One special tour program was called "The Portals of History." It used the building as a stage. People dressed up as famous historical figures from Ohio's past. As a tour group walked through the building, they would meet these "living history" presenters. The Statehouse also has a special sign on one of its pillars. It shows the exact spot where Abraham Lincoln stood to give a speech before he became president.
See also
In Spanish: Casa del Estado de Ohio para niños
- Capitol Square Review & Advisory Board v. Pinette
- List of state and territorial capitols in the United States
