Capitol Square is a

public square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The square includes the

Ohio Statehouse The Ohio Statehouse is the state capitol building and seat of government for the U.S. state of Ohio. The Greek Revival building is located on Capitol Square in Downtown Columbus. The capitol houses the Ohio General Assembly, consisting of the H ...

, its Capitol Grounds, as well as the buildings and features surrounding the square. The Capitol Grounds are surrounded on the north and west by

Broad Broad(s) or The Broad(s) may refer to: People * A slang term for a woman. * Broad (surname), a surname Places * Broad Peak, on the border between Pakistan and China, the 12th highest mountain on Earth * The Broads, a network of mostly na ...

and

High Streets High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift to ...

, the main thoroughfares of the city since its founding, forming the city's

100 percent corner The 100 percent corner is the busiest area in a city. Often it is a crossroads of several major streets, and the place with the highest land value and/or where grid plan numbering is based upon. The term is also used for the place for ideal real ...

. 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.

History

The statehouse grounds were donated by four prominent Franklinton landholders to form the new state capitol. 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.

Attributes

Buildings and structures

* Center:

, Capitol Atrium, and Senate Building ;High Street * Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts * Huntington Center * Huntington National Bank Building ;Broad Street * Broad & High building * 8 on the Square * New Hayden Building * Hayden Building *

Rhodes State Office Tower The James A. Rhodes State Office Tower is a 41-story, skyscraper on Capitol Square in downtown Columbus, Ohio. The Rhodes Tower was completed and occupied in 1974, and is currently the tallest building in Columbus and the fifth tallest in O ...

* 60 E. Broad St. (former COTA office) * 62 E. Broad St. (home to the

Columbus Dispatch ''The Columbus Dispatch'' is a daily newspaper based in Columbus, Ohio. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871, and it has been the only mainstream daily newspaper in the city since ''The Columbus Citizen-Journal'' ceased publication in 19 ...

) * 64-66 E. Broad St. *

Key Bank Building The Key Bank Building is a 253 ft (77 m) tall skyscraper on Capitol Square in downtown Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,7 ...

;Third Street * Trinity Episcopal Church * PNC Bank Building *

Columbus Dispatch Building The Columbus Dispatch Building is a historic building on Capitol Square in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The building was home to the ''Columbus Dispatch'' newspaper offices until January 2016, when it moved to 62 E. Broad St. on Capitol Square. A re ...

* Central Ohio Federal Savings and Loan building ;State Street * Sheraton Columbus Hotel at Capitol Square *

Capitol Square Capitol Square is a public square in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The square includes the Ohio Statehouse, its Capitol Grounds, as well as the buildings and features surrounding the square. The Capitol Grounds are surrounded on the north and west ...

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 Columbus Board of Trade Building was a historic building on Capitol Square in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The building was built in 1889 for the present-day Columbus Chamber of Commerce, and was designed by Elah Terrell and Joseph W. Yost. It ...

, the Hartman Building and Theater, the former Columbus City Hall, a former location of the First Congregational Church, an early

Huntington Bank Huntington Bancshares Incorporated is an American bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The company is ranked 521st on the Fortune 500, and is 26th on the list of largest banks in the United States. The company's banking s ...

, and the

Deshler Hotel The Deshler Hotel, also known as the Deshler-Wallick Hotel, was a hotel building in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The hotel was located at Broad and High Streets, the city's 100 percent corner. Announced in 1912 and opened in 1916, the hotel original ...

Public art

* '' The Doughboy'' (1930) * '' Intersect'' (1992) *

Ohio Holocaust and Liberators Memorial The ''Ohio Holocaust and Liberators Memorial'' is a bronze and steel Holocaust memorial installed on the Ohio Statehouse grounds, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. It was unveiled by Governor John Kasich and architect Daniel Libeskind on June 2 ...

(2014) * Ohio Veterans Plaza * Statue of Christopher Columbus (c. 1890–1892) * '' The Spirit of '98'' (1928) * ''

These Are My Jewels ''These Are My Jewels'' (also known as ''Ohio's Jewels: Grant, Sheridan, Stanton, Garfield, Hayes, Chase, and Sherman'', or simply ''Ohio's Jewels'') is an 1893–1894 monument by Levi Scofield, installed outside the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, O ...

'' (1893) * ''

William McKinley Monument The ''William McKinley Monument'', or ''McKinley Memorial'', is a statue and quotation array honoring the assassinated United States President William McKinley which stands in front of the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. Created by Hermon Atk ...

'' (1907) * ''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.

Events

Protests

Capitol Square is the location of many protests held in the city. Recent protests have included those against Ohio's stay-at-home order in the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

and against the handling of the

murder of George Floyd On , George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered in the U.S. city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's ...

. 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.

Gallery

File:1872 Birds Eye View of Columbus Ohio by Bailey LC (cropped).jpg, 1872 bird's eye view facing northeast File:Ohio Statehouse Grounds from Broad Street and High Street.jpg, The square facing southeast in 1893 File:Ohio - Columbus - NARA - 68147024 (cropped) (cropped).jpg, Capitol Square facing northwest, 1936

References

External links

* {{coord, 39.961384, -82.999096, display=title Downtown Columbus, Ohio Geography of Columbus, Ohio Ohio Statehouse Parks in Columbus, Ohio Squares in Ohio Tourist attractions in Columbus, Ohio Odonyms referring to a building Broad Street (Columbus, Ohio) High Street (Columbus, Ohio)