Flag of Columbus, Ohio
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The flag of Columbus is the official municipal flag of
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 t ...
. Its current design is a yellow, white, red vertical triband with the city seal on a blue
field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...
. Officially, the flag was adopted in 1929, although it is unknown if the flag was ever flown when it was first adopted. The city's first flag was adopted in 1912. The design consisted of the seal on a blue field. The second and current flag replaced this flag in 1929, but an unofficial flag similar to the one officially defined in legislation rose to higher prominence. Instead of a yellow, white, and red tricolor, it had a red, white, and blue tricolor. It remains unknown how this flag came to be, but after this anomaly was discovered, the city began flying the correct flag. A redesign of the flag began in 2020. During the
George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internati ...
, city mayor
Andrew Ginther Andrew James Ginther (born April 27, 1975) is an American Democratic politician, the 53rd mayor of Columbus, Ohio, and the 48th person to serve in that office. He served as President of Columbus City Council from 2011 until 2015. Early life a ...
requested changes to the flag to due to its use of imagery related to
Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
.


Design and symbolism

The
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, white, and
scarlet red Sudan IV (C24H20N4O) is a lysochrome (fat-soluble dye) diazo dye used for the staining of lipids, triglycerides and lipoproteins on frozen paraffin sections. It has the appearance of reddish brown crystals with melting point 199 °C and ma ...
triband (officially a 1:2:1 proportion, but is often made a 1:2.3:1 proportion to fit the seal) is a reference to
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
, who funded Christopher Columbus' expeditions to the Americas. Columbus, the namesake of the city, is also referenced near the center of the seal, where a ship of his fleet is depicted. The ship is completely enclosed in a circular yellow border. Surrounding this is a shield modeled on the design of the
Flag of the United States The national flag of the United States, United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rect ...
, with 13 red and white stripes and 12 white stars (6 on either side of the ship design) on a dark blue background. The city flag's dimensions of 10:19 are also related to the United States flag. Instead of directly stating the proportions, the municipal code of Columbus mandates that the flag be of the same proportions of the United States flag, which was specified to be 20 by 38 (often simplified to 10 by 19) in a 1959
executive order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of th ...
following the admission of Hawaii to the Union. Perched on top of the shield is an
eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
with outstretched wings, yet another example of American symbolism. Behind the eagle is the dome of the Ohio State Capitol building, denoting Columbus' importance as Ohio's
capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, Department (country subdivision), department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city ...
. Just above the dome is the text "Columbus, Ohio" in yellow
old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
font. Encircling all the seal's elements mentioned above are 16 yellow
five-pointed star A five-pointed star (☆), geometrically an equilateral concave decagon, is a common ideogram in modern culture. Comparatively rare in classical heraldry, it was notably introduced for the flag of the United States in the Flag Act of 1777 and ...
s and a half-
wreath A wreath () is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or various materials that is constructed to form a circle . In English-speaking countries, wreaths are used typically as household ornaments, most commonly as an Advent and Chri ...
of buckeye leaves. The eagle is grasping onto a single yellow star, which, with the additional 16 stars, represents Ohio as the seventeenth state to join the Union. The buckeye leaves are another representation of Ohio, as it is the
state tree This is a list of U.S. state, federal district, and territory trees, including official trees of the following of the states, of the federal district, and of the territories. Table See also * List of U.S. state, district, and territorial insign ...
. The seal, adopted in 1912, originally did not contain the blue field. On December 9, 1958, the entire emblem was adopted as the city's seal. Originally, it was only regarded as the coat of arms. The official description of the seal allows for some artistic interpretation, and thus different versions of it have been designed. The flag's design has been criticized for its celebration of Christopher Columbus, a controversial figure due to his violent tendencies towards natives and colonizers and for his involvement in the
Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and i ...
. The city has been removing its references to the explorer; following the 2020 George Floyd protests, the city also announced it was looking into changing the city seal and flag, removing its reference to Christopher Columbus.


History


First flag

The first flag of Columbus simply consisted of the current seal on a blue field. It was adopted on February 12, 1912, after a committee summoned by the
city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
chose it. This date is agreed upon by almost all sources regarding the flag, but one 1962 city publication noted the adoption date was September 12, 1912. The resolution adopting the flag read:


Second flag

Columbus's second and current flag was adopted by the city council on January 28, 1929, writing an ordinance declaring: It is unknown whether this flag saw any use following the resolution. In fact, very little is known about the origin of the flag; even the designer is unknown.


Third flag

It is unknown when and how the third flag came to be. It featured a red, white, and blue triband, as well as different stripe proportions (officially 1:1:1, 1:1.3:1 was often used). The flag was flown at city council chambers at least as early as 1965, despite the flag never being officially adopted. This version of the flag can be seen in a
stained glass window Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...
featuring Columbus landmarks, installed in 1965 in Trinity Episcopal Church on Capitol Square in Columbus.


Rediscovery and use of second flag

Kenneth Huff, a writer from the
North American Vexillological Association The North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) is a membership organization devoted to vexillology, the scientific and scholarly study of flags. It was founded in 1967 by American vexillologist Whitney Smith (1940–2016), and others. Its ...
(NAVA), traveled to Columbus in 1974 to take pictures of the city's flag. Under the impression that the 1929 version of the flag was the one used, he was bewildered to find a red, white, and blue colored flag. He contacted the
city clerk A clerk is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in many others, the clerk is appointed to their post. In the UK, a Tow ...
's office, who conducted an investigation as to how the flag became the
de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
flag of the city. No conclusive reasoning was found. A flag designed by a
Columbus Police Department The Columbus Division of Police (CPD) is the main policing unit for the city of Columbus, Ohio, in the United States. It is the largest police department in the state of Ohio, and among the twenty-five largest in the United States.Based upon the ...
officer that followed the 1929 ordinance was presented to the city council in April 1976, at least 10 years after the incorrect flag was first flown. For the
United States Bicentennial The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States of America as an independent republic. It was a central event ...
in 1976, this design was reinstated with stripe proportions of 1:1.4:1. The current flag proportions of 1:2:1 were adopted around 1985, to fit the seal more comfortably. Also around the time of flag adoption, a new description of the seal gave it a blue field. In a 2004 NAVA survey of 150 American city flags, the Columbus flag ranked 72nd, or 3rd of five Ohio flags (the flags of
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
and
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
are higher). In 2012, the 46th annual NAVA meeting took place in downtown Columbus. As with all annual NAVA meetings, a flag contest was held, which would represent the meeting. These flags usually contain elements that represent the host city. The chosen flag contained a white arc separating blue on the hoist side with red on the fly side. The arc formed the letter "C", standing for Columbus. The color scheme of red, white, and blue is the same scheme for the Flag of Ohio and the Flag of the United States.


Proposed redesign

Efforts have been made to redesign the flag, perhaps the most notable being "The People's Flag of Columbus", designed by
Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
design teacher Paul Nini. It is split into four sections by a white cross in the middle, representing the intersection of Broad and High Street. On the hoist, a light blue semicircle is tucked underneath the white cross, signifying the
Scioto River The Scioto River ( ) is a river in central and southern Ohio more than in length. It rises in Hardin County just north of Roundhead, Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olentangy River, and meets t ...
and Franklinton Peninsula. On the fly side, 4 red stripes and 3 white stripes (including one from the white cross) symbolize the
Flag of Ohio The Ohio Burgee is the official flag of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is a triangular swallowtail flag, the only non-rectangular U.S. state flag. Its red, white, and blue elements symbolize the state's natural features and order of admission into ...
, as well as the seven city council members that make decisions for the city. In the center is a blue star, representing its status as the capital of Ohio. The Columbus Art Commission was tasked with redesigning the city flag and seal, following a request from Andrew Ginther during the George Floyd protests. No set deadline was announced for when the design should be finalized.


Usage

The municipal code mentioned above also mandated that the flag be flown at Columbus City Hall, always below the Flag of the United States.
Columbus Crew SC The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an Soccer in the United States, American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference ( ...
's 2016 away kit (known as "For Columbus") was designed using various elements of the flag. It used a yellow, white, and red color scheme, along with seventeen stars on the collar. A miniature version of the flag was also placed in the bottom left of the front side. The city's seal was placed on the inside of the jersey, behind the club's badge and facing the heart.


References


External links


People's Flag of Columbus official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Columbus, Ohio, of Flag 1929 establishments in Ohio Culture of Columbus, Ohio Flag controversies in the United States Flags introduced in 1929 Flags of cities in Ohio Government of Columbus, Ohio Flags displaying animals Canadian pale flags