Wednesday, October 30, 2024. Columbus Ohio.
We dropped off our Airstream at the Mothership for some warranty repairs, which I’ll cover in another blog. While they were working on it, we rented a car and took an overnight trip to Columbus so we could get our passport book stamped at the Statehouse. Somewhere around Zanesfield, we saw one of the transport trucks carrying new Airstreams to their destinations. It could be yours!
I grew up in Ohio, but I don’t recall ever spending much time in Columbus. It was fun to visit the city and spend the night in a King-sized bedroom with a walk-in shower that we could stand under as long as we wanted. Fortunately we looked ahead and learned that the Statehouse was not doing any tours on October 31st. We originally planned to go on Halloween, but we changed our plans when we discovered they would be closed, stopping on the way to the hotel rather than going the next day.
It’s always a good idea to check for hours of operation before your visit to any State Capitol. You will see flags flying at half-staff in this picture. We would later learn from our tour guide that Ohio’s first female House speaker, Republican Jo Ann Davidson, died at 97 years of age earlier this week. Among her many other accomplishments, she was largely responsible for the Capitol’s restoration project. She made a commitment to keep the old Statehouse features rather than building a new one. Her portrait is the only one displayed in the entire building. Tomorrow is her funeral so there will be no public or private tours.
Ohio Statehouse. We had a good tour guide. Take away the mustache and he reminded us of one of our pastor friends (you know who you are). He started by having us stand on the map of Ohio that was crafted into the floor. The information was reminiscent of my early school years, learning Ohio History.
Ohio is the 7th largest in population. This building is called a Statehouse because of its architecture, rather than a “Capitol,” although it is the capital of Ohio. The interior and exterior have different architectural designs, built in the Greek Revival style, constructed from 1839-61. The interior is Roman, whereas the exterior is Greek, plain and unadorned. This was intentional to save money.
Private citizens exerted their wealth and will to get the Capitol where they wanted it, and that’s exactly how it was paid for. Because of their economic influence, the capital of Ohio moved cities several times in its early history. Ohio limestone is found on the stairs and the walls. The building was restored in the 1980s, back to its original 1861 style.
After much movement, Ohio finally established a law that says the state Capitol has to be within 40 miles of the center of the state. That’s how it ended up in Columbus, and that’s where it has stayed since 1861. Interestingly enough, the state motto is “With God All Things Are Possible,” which is written in the Passport Book.
This 155-year old historic Thirty-Six Star American Flag is on display. It was flown over Capitol Square in 1865 when the body of Abraham Lincoln lay in repose in the Rotunda of the Ohio Statehouse. You can read more about this flag and where it has been by clicking here.
Our guide also talked about the color on the walls, seen in this picture. Salmon was uncovered on the walls during the renovation, so that’s what it remains today. It was not called salmon back then. At the time the Statehouse was built, this color was considered light red, which is masculine. Also, red is a very Roman color.
I learned (re-learned?) something about architecture during this tour. Domes are Roman. Cupolas are Greek. (The Florence Cathedral provides an example of both, if you want to click on the link or Google it.) The Statehouse has a dome pictured here, but since the outside of the building was meant to be Greek, and the style of the dome did not conform to the Greek architecture of the exterior, they had to cover it with a cupola.
While we were there, they were hosting a reception and making preparations for the big funeral about to take place. Normally the tour would go right through that hallway, but we had to take the long way around to avoid any interruptions.
Corinthian columns are found in the Senate and House chambers, but this was considered too ornate. An architect was fired for going over budget with the details.
Unlike other Capitols we have seen with expensive wood from exotic places, Ohio used pine throughout the building to save money. They painted the pine with a wood grain to look more prestigious.
It was hard to tell the wood on this door and frame was pine at first glance, so it’s always nice to have a tour guide point out those intricate and interesting details. I was raised with this type of frugal mentality, which was common in southern Ohio at that time, possible values passed down from the government.
The Senate and House look very similar, except you can see the Senate has telephones on the desks, and the podiums are different. They didn’t spare the same expense there, as they are made mostly out of marble. This is unique than most of the Capitols we have toured, as the House and Senate are typically very different in their appearance, from the carpet to the chairs, the podium and the chandeliers. Again this speaks to their financial frugality while making a very nice place to hold sessions.
During renovations in the 1980s, they uncovered muse murals and other features that were covered up and “lost” sometime in its history.
I may have shared a bit more in this Statehouse blog, since it’s from my home state. It was an interesting visit, and I do recommend taking the tour. We may go back for a second visit, as there is an entire museum we had to miss in the timeframe we had. I also read online the “World’s Largest Steel Gavel Sculpture” is located in downtown Columbus near the Ohio Supreme Court building. Somehow we missed that.
Back at the hotel, a pumpkin carving contest was in process. Here are the very creative pumpkins the staff came up with, one of them nodding at the famous Jimmy Buffet. It seems “carving” has morphed into “painting” these days. But hey, in the words of C. S. Lewis, “Have fun, even if it’s not the same kind of fun everyone else is having.”
À la prochaine … hasta la próxima vez … Until next time!