The John W. Bricker Federal Building is a federal office building in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The structure was designed in the

Brutalist Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by Minimalism (art), minimalist constructions th ...

architecture style and was built in 1977 to house federal offices. It has seven stories, and is part of a facility, including an eight-story parking garage. The building is named for

John W. Bricker John William Bricker (September 6, 1893March 22, 1986) was an American politician and attorney who served as a United States senator and the 54th governor of Ohio. He was also the Republican Party (United States), Republican nominee for Vice Pres ...

, an Ohio governor and U.S. senator who lived in Columbus.

Attributes

The John W. Bricker Federal Building has offices for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown as well as for the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory ta ...

, the Social Security Administration, and the Departments of Housing & Urban Development and Agriculture. It also has a USPS post office and a cafeteria. The building's exterior features '' Correlation: Two White Line Diagonals and Two Arcs with a Sixteen-Foot Radius'', a work by Robert Mangold, made of porcelain-enamel and steel.

History

Architects

Brubaker/Brandt Brubaker/Brandt was an architecture firm based in Columbus, Ohio. The firm completed some of the tallest buildings affecting the city's skyline including the 42-story Rhodes State Office Tower and the Continental Center, along with other notable b ...

began designing the seven-story building and attached parking garage in 1974. It was designed with walkways on the second floor that were intended to eventually connect to the Greater Columbus Convention Center as part of the city's pedestrian movement plan. The building was completed in 1977. Following its completion, the former federal office (the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse) was vacated. In the 1980s, U.S. Senator

John Glenn John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, engineer, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space, and the first American to orbit the Earth, circling ...

and Representatives John Kasich and

Chalmers P. Wylie Chalmers Pangburn Wylie (November 23, 1920 – August 14, 1998) was an American politician and lawyer from Ohio, who served in various public offices in that state before serving thirteen terms as a member of the United States House of Represen ...

had their offices in the building, along with branch offices of the IRS and Social Security Administration. In 1988, a bill passed naming the building for

, an Ohio governor and U.S. senator from Columbus. A similar bill passed the U.S. House in 1986 but failed to pass the Senate. In 2011, the USPS considered closing its small post office in the building, as part of a nationwide closure for small post offices.

References

External links

* {{official, https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/regions/welcome-to-the-great-lakes-region-5/buildings-and-facilities/ohio/john-w-bricker-federal-building
USPS website

John W. Bricker Federal Building at Emporis
1977 in Ohio Brutalist architecture in Ohio Buildings in downtown Columbus, Ohio Federal buildings in the United States Government buildings completed in 1977 Government buildings in Columbus, Ohio Post office buildings in Ohio