Capitol Square

Capitol Square
Capitol Square
Public square
Features	Lawns, sculptures, state capitol building
Completion	1861
Area	10 acres (4.0 ha)
Location	Broad 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[]

Center: Ohio Statehouse, Capitol Atrium, and Senate Building

High Street

Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts
Huntington Center
Huntington National Bank Building

Broad Street

building
8 on the Square
New Hayden Building
Hayden Building
Rhodes State Office Tower
60 E. Broad St. (former COTA office)^[4]
62 E. Broad St. (home to the Columbus Dispatch)^[5]
64-66 E. Broad St.
Key Bank Building

Third Street

Trinity Episcopal Church
PNC Bank Building
Columbus Dispatch Building
Central Ohio Federal Savings and Loan building

State Street

Sheraton Columbus Hotel at Capitol Square
Capitol Square skyscraper
Ohio Theatre
Fifth Third Center

Street corners

Northwest: One Columbus Center
Northeast: Chase Tower
Southwest: National Exchange Bank building
Southeast: U.S. Post Office and Courthouse

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, a former location of the First Congregational Church, an early Huntington Bank, and the Deshler Hotel.

Public art[]

Interactive map of notable buildings and sculptures on the Capitol Grounds of the Ohio Statehouse. Click on points for more details.

The Doughboy (1930)
Ohio Holocaust and Liberators Memorial
Ohio Veterans Plaza
Statue of Christopher Columbus (Pelzer)
The Spirit of '98
These Are My Jewels (1893)
William McKinley Monument
former: Dr. Samuel Mitchel Smith and Sons Memorial Fountain (1880)

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.^[6]

Events[]

Protests[]

Capitol Square is the location of many protests held in the city.^[7] 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.^[8] 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.^[9]