First flag

First flag, used from 1912 to 1929

The first flag of Columbus simply consisted of the current seal on a blue field. It was adopted on February 12, 1912, after a committee summoned by the city council chose it.^[1] This date is agreed upon by almost all sources regarding the flag, but one 1962 city publication noted the adoption date was September 12, 1912. The resolution adopting the flag read:^[9]

On a blue field a half-wreath of buckeye leaves, green, and a half-circle of 16 stars, the whole enclosing a national shield bearing a gilt circle in which appears a galley, or vessel, of the fleet of Christopher Columbus, after whom said city is named, said shield and vessel to be in proper colors, above and clutching the shield to be an eagle, with outspread wings, proper, guarding a gold star, making the seventeenth and representing Ohio. Above and between the wings of the eagle to appear the cupola of the state capitol, surmounted by the lettering "Columbus, Ohio," gilt, in old English letters.

Second flag

Columbus's second and current flag was adopted by the city council on January 28, 1929, writing an ordinance declaring:^[9]

That the official flag of the city of Columbus be as follows:

That the flag be made up of three vertical bars; chrome yellow at the left, scarlet red at the right, and white at the center.

That the seal and coat of arms of the city of Columbus as adopted by resolution of council, February 12, 1912, be placed on the center of the white bar.

That the size of the flag be of the same dimensions as the standard sizes of the flag of the United States.

It is unknown whether this flag saw any use following the resolution. In fact, very little is known about the origin of the flag; even the designer is unknown.^[1]

Third flag

Third flag, used c. 1965–1975

It is unknown when and how the third flag came to be. It featured a red, white, and blue triband, as well as different stripe proportions (officially 1:1:1, 1:1.3:1 was often used). The flag was flown at city council chambers at least as early as 1965, despite the flag never being officially adopted.^[1] This version of the flag can be seen in a stained glass window featuring Columbus landmarks, installed in 1965 in Trinity Episcopal Church on Capitol Square in Columbus.^[10]

Rediscovery and use of second flag

Kenneth Huff, a writer from the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA), traveled to Columbus in 1974 to take pictures of the city's flag. Under the impression that the 1929 version of the flag was the one used, he was bewildered to find a red, white, and blue colored flag. He contacted the city clerk's office, who conducted an investigation as to how the flag became the de facto flag of the city. No conclusive reasoning was found. A flag designed by a Columbus Police Department officer^[11] that followed the 1929 ordinance was presented to the city council in April 1976, at least 10 years after the incorrect flag was first flown.^[9] For the United States Bicentennial in 1976, this design was reinstated with stripe proportions of 1:1.4:1. The current flag proportions of 1:2:1 were adopted around 1985, to fit the seal more comfortably.^[9] Also around the time of flag adoption, a new description of the seal gave it a blue field.^[1] In a 2004 NAVA survey of 150 American city flags, the Columbus flag ranked 72nd, or 3rd of five Ohio flags (the flags of Cleveland and Cincinnati are higher).^[12]

In 2012, the 46th annual NAVA meeting took place in downtown Columbus. As with all annual NAVA meetings, a flag contest was held, which would represent the meeting. These flags usually contain elements that represent the host city. The chosen flag contained a white arc separating blue on the hoist side with red on the fly side. The arc formed the letter "C", standing for Columbus. The color scheme of red, white, and blue is the same scheme for the Flag of Ohio and the Flag of the United States.^[13][14]

Proposed redesign

Efforts have been made to redesign the flag, perhaps the most notable being "The People's Flag of Columbus", designed by Ohio State University design teacher Paul Nini. It is split into four sections by a white cross in the middle, representing the intersection of Broad and High Street. On the hoist, a light blue semicircle is tucked underneath the white cross, signifying the Scioto River and Franklinton Peninsula. On the fly side, 4 red stripes and 3 white stripes (including one from the white cross) symbolize the Flag of Ohio, as well as the seven city council members that make decisions for the city. In the center is a blue star, representing its status as the capital of Ohio.^{[15][16][6][11]}

The Columbus Art Commission was tasked with redesigning the city flag and seal, following a request from Andrew Ginther during the George Floyd protests.^[17] No set deadline was announced for when the design should be finalized.^[17]