Ohio Statehouse photograph   Save
Ohio Guide Photographs
Description: This photograph, taken by employees of the Ohio Federal Writers' Project, shows the northwest corner of the Ohio Statehouse from a slight elevation. The Ohio State Capitol, located at 1 Capitol Square, is a 2-acre building which stands in a 10-acre park bounded by High, Broad, State, and Third Streets, in downtown Columbus. The cornerstone was laid in 1839, and although the building was occupied by some State departments in 1857, it was not completed until 1861, 22 years after it was begun. When Henry Walter of Cincinnati was appointed supervising architect in 1839, numerous plans for the building were considered and the one finally adopted was a composite. Both convict and private labor were used, and limestone was hauled from a quarry northwest of Columbus, purchased by the State to ensure enough material, on a railroad especially constructed for that purpose. Delays in securing state appropriations, a severe cholera epidemic, and labor difficulties retarded construction work, which at one time ceased for six years. Before the building was completed, five architects had served during the administrations of 12 governors. It is considered one of the country's outstanding examples of the Greek Revival style and at the time, it was the second largest building, behind only the United States Capitol building. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F11_041
Subjects: Capitol buildings; Capitol Square District (Columbus, Ohio); Governors--Ohio; Ohio. House of Representatives; Ohio. Senate; Walter, Henry
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)