Capitol Square
Public square
FeaturesLawns, sculptures, state capitol building
Completion1861
Area10 acres (4.0 ha)
LocationBroad and High Streets (Downtown Columbus)

Interactive map of Capitol Square

Capitol Square is a public square in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The square includes the Ohio Statehouse, its 10-acre (4.0 ha) Capitol Grounds, as well as the buildings and features surrounding the square. The Capitol Grounds are surrounded on the north and west by Broad and High Streets, the main thoroughfares of the city since its founding, forming the city's 100 percent corner. The grounds are surrounded by 3rd Street on the east and State Street on the south. The oldest building on Capitol Square, the Ohio Statehouse, is the center of the state government, and in the rough geographic center of Capitol Square, Columbus, and Ohio.[1]

History

The 10-acre (4.0 ha) statehouse grounds were donated by four prominent Franklinton landholders to form the new state capitol.[2] As the city's downtown began to empty in the mid-20th century, several buildings on the square were demolished. A construction boom downtown in the 1970s and 80s led to nearly all spaces being occupied again. The last large empty parcels, on 3rd Street, are aimed to be developed in the 2020s.[3]

Attributes

Buildings and structures

Street corners

Buildings formerly on Capitol Square include the Neil House hotel (three buildings which existed on the square), the Columbus Board of Trade Building, the Hartman Building and Theater, the former Columbus City Hall, former locations of the First Congregational Church and First Presbyterian Church, an early Huntington Bank, the Deshler Hotel, a prior location of the Downtown YMCA, and 5 and 7 South High Street, commercial buildings constructed c. 1840.[6][7]: 80 

Public art

Tourism

As the center of downtown Columbus, the square has high resident and visitor foot traffic. Programs for tourists include the Columbus Art Walk's Capitol Square tour, taking visitors around historical and architectural sites, sculptures, and other landmarks.[8]

Events

Protests

Capitol Square is the location of many protests held in the city.[9] Recent protests have included those against Ohio's stay-at-home order in the COVID-19 pandemic and against the handling of the murder of George Floyd.[10] Riots and protests over George Floyd took place in the city, centered on the square from May 28 into July, with early violent protests leading to damaged storefronts across downtown Columbus, with graffiti, trash, and looting around much of downtown.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Darbee, Jeffrey T. (23 July 2018). "Ohio Statehouse, Senate Building, and Capitol Square". SAH Archipedia. University of Virginia Press. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Statehouse". Ohio Statehouse. Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  3. ↑ Jim Weiker (2019-10-20). "Capitol Square changes seen in last empty parcel's development - Business - The Columbus Dispatch - Columbus, OH". Dispatch.com. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
  4. ↑ "COTA moves its offices to heart of Downtown - News - The Columbus Dispatch - Columbus, OH". Dispatch.com. 2010-06-24. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  5. ↑ Knox, Tom (5 January 2016). "Smaller sign to adorn dispatches new home". Columbus Business First. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  6. ↑ "Reconstructing Downtown - Planners Hope To Revive Thriving Mixture of 1900". The Columbus Dispatch. December 19, 1999. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  7. ↑ Samuelson, Robert E.; et al. (Pasquale C. Grado, Judith L. Kitchen, Jeffrey T. Darbee) (1976). Architecture: Columbus. The Foundation of The Columbus Chapter of The American Institute of Architects. OCLC 2697928.
  8. ↑ "Capitol Square". Columbus.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
  9. ↑ Darbee, Jeffrey T.; Recchie, Nancy A. (September 24, 2008). The AIA Guide to Columbus. Ohio University Press. ISBN 9780821416846 – via Google Books.
  10. ↑ Woods, Jim. "Police deploy pepper spray as protests over death of George Floyd spread to Columbus". The Columbus Dispatch.
  11. ↑ Kovac, Marc. "Columbus downtown business owners clean up after protests". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2020-05-31.

39°57′41″N 82°59′57″W / 39.961384°N 82.999096°W / 39.961384; -82.999096

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