AV 8 Ohio State House Collection

              AV 8
Ohio Statehouse Collection
Page 1
OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Audiovisual Collections
AV 8
Ohio Statehouse Collection
1801 - 2000
OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION
Number:
AV 8
Title:
Ohio Statehouse Collection
Creator:
Collection assembled by the Ohio Historical Society.
Dates:
1801 – 2000
Media:
Photographs, postcards, prints and drawings
Quantity:
2 boxes totaling 1.12cf
Location:
Ohio Historical Center
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE OHIO STATEHOUSE
The original Ohio Statehouse was erected between 1800 and 1803 in Chillicothe, Ohio. It was the first stone public building in Ohio and was constructed in the Georgian Colonial style. Its inspiration was most likely the Governor’s Palace in Williamsburg, Virginia. The first legislature met in this building in 1803 and continued until 1810, when Zanesville became the capital city. In 1812, the capital was again moved to Chillicothe, where it remained until 1816.
The Statehouse in Zanesville held the Ohio legislature from 1810- 1812. The building closely resembled the capitol building at Chillicothe, but was built in the Federal style. In 1812 the capital was temporarily moved back to Chillicothe where it remained until December 1816.
On February 14, 1812, an act was passed which established the permanent seat of government on the east bank of the Scioto River opposite Franklinton. This established Columbus as the capital city until 1840. In 1814 the first Columbus capitol building was constructed and the first session of the Ohio General Assembly in Columbus, Ohio, commenced in December of 1816. The building was 75 feet north to south and 50 feet east to west. It had a hipped roof with a two- stage cupola and spire, extending 106 feet above ground. The first floor consisted of two committee rooms and a gallery for the House of Representatives. The second floor housed the Senate chamber and two committee rooms.
In 1834 Governor Robert Lucas urged for the construction of a new Statehouse. In 1838 the General Assembly passed an act to create a three- member commission to conduct a contest to find the best design for the new Statehouse. The Greek Revival design of Henry Walter of Cincinnati won first prize, second went to Martin E. Thompson