Located at the center of the state of Ohio, it is the Capitol and the most populous city in the state. The river Scioto runs through the city. We visited the beautiful capitol building back in 2021.
Capitol Building – Free guided tours are provided on the hour on weekdays. The other option is to take a self-guided tour using the Self-Guided Tour brochure available which gives you a map of each floor and a basic explanation of each of the major rooms as well as the Capitol Gardens and statuary on the exterior of the Capitol building.
The Statehouse is built in the Greek Revival style, a type of design based on the buildings of ancient Greece and very popular in the U.S. during the early and mid 1800s. Construction actively began on July 4, 1839 with the ceremonial laying of the cornerstone. The structure would be completed much later, in 1861.
Rotunda – The grand rotunda inside is designed with thousands of pieces of marble. The height from floor of the rotunda to the eye of the dome is 120 feet.
Map Room – Inside the building, one of the most popular elements is the Map Room. Constructed of five types of marble from around the world, as well as limestone, the large map of Ohio illustrates Ohio’s 88 counties.
Tribute to John Glenn – In 1962, John Glenn, an Ohio native, became the first US Astronaut to orbit the Earth. He also served as a US Senator from 1974 to 1999. In 1998, he flew into space again at the age of 77.
The complex around the statehouse has statues, memorials, and tributes to important dignitaries and historic moments in Ohio. You have The Doughboy, also known as the Ohio World War Memorial, which is a 1930 bronze sculpture, depicting a male soldier. The William McKinley Monument, is a statue honoring the assassinated United States President William McKinley. The bronze and granite Peace Memorial honors both the men and women of the Civil War.
