Capitol Square is a public 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 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and ...

. 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 t ...

, 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 * 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 ;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 The Sheraton Columbus Hotel at Capitol Square is a highrise hotel on Capitol Square in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The building, constructed along with the Capitol Square skyscraper in the 1980s, houses a Sheraton hotel and Starbucks coffee shop. Th ...

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 b ...

skyscraper *

Ohio Theatre Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The ...

* Fifth Third Center ;Street corners * Northwest:

One Columbus Center One Columbus Center is a highrise office building in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The cornerstone for the building was laid on October 21, 1986, and it was completed the next year. NBBJ designed the building after the post-modern architectural style ...

* Northeast: Chase Tower * Southwest:

National Exchange Bank building The National Exchange Bank building is a historic building on Capitol Square in Downtown Columbus, Ohio Downtown Columbus is the central business district of Columbus, Ohio. Downtown is centered on the intersection of Broad and High Streets, a ...

* Southeast: U.S. Post Office and Courthouse Buildings formerly on Capitol Square include the

Neil House The Neil House was a historic hotel on High Street in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The hotel operated on Capitol Square from 1842 to 1980. Attributes The hotel buildings were located on South High Street across from the Ohio Statehouse. First bui ...

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 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 sub ...

, and the Deshler Hotel.

Public art

* '' The Doughboy'' (1930) * '' Intersect'' (1992) * Ohio Holocaust and Liberators Memorial (2014) *

Ohio Veterans Plaza Ohio Veterans Plaza is a memorial on the east side of the Ohio Statehouse grounds, in Columbus, Ohio, United States, commemorating "Ohio men and women who have served our country since World War II, as well as those who will serve in the future". ...

* 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, ...

'' (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 The Dr. Samuel Mitchel Smith and Sons Memorial Fountain is an 1880 sculpture and memorial by William Walcutt, installed at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. The Bronze sculpture, bronze and granite memorial is ded ...

(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 and against the handling of the murder of George Floyd. 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)