The Ohio Statehouse

The Ohio Statehouse is located on Capitol Square in downtown Columbus. It took twenty two years, five architects, and the help of prisoners from the Ohio Penitentiary to complete. During that time there were many hardships, including frigid Ohio winters, sizeable funding issues, and the expiration of legislation that held Columbus as the capitol of Ohio, which led to a seven year lapse in building. The Statehouse finally opened to the public on January 7, 1857.

Upon first seeing Ohio's Statehouse, most immediately notice the resemblance to Greek architecture. The most obvious Greek feature, at least at first, is the colonnade of eight Doric columns that guard the entrance. Behind these is a recessed porch that leads into the heart of the building. While the Statehouse is overwhelmingly Greek in style and aesthetic, there are a few differences between it and its Greek architecture counterpart, by which it was heavily inspired: The Parthenon in Athens. One is the fact that our statehouse includes windows in its design. No Greek buildings had windows. During the span of time that the Statehouse was being built, about mid 18th century, a new style was just beginning to be circulated by European architects. It was intended mostly for official public buildings, and was about to emerge as a mainstream trend. It was called the Greek Revival.

The Revival officially began during the late 18th century. Government buildings imitated the architecture of Greek Classicism. The idea of such elaborate buildings may have originated form the Greeks sculptured temple. This was a building set high atop a hill, above the "acropolis". This gave the building an importance, a mystique, and set it apart from the rest of the city. These temples were initially made of wood, and over time were translated into heavier, more lasting materials like limestone and marble. The Ohio Statehouse, with its resemblance to the Parthenon, when compared to other buildings of its time, is decidedly Greek Revival. The Statehouse was finished in the late 18th century, so it is likely that it was one of the first government buildings to be built in this style.