Ohio State Office Building construction photograph   Save
Ohio State Office Building Construction
Description: Four construction workers are visible in this image taken at the site of the future Ohio State Office Building, Columbus, Ohio, ca. 1930-1933. The man on the far left is working at a coke-fueled forge that heats structural steel rivets to a glowing hot temperature. With his left hand he is operating the forge's hand-cranked blower. His right hand grips a pair of long metal tongs that he uses to remove the hot rivet and toss it to the "catcher," who retrieves it with a hand-held container. In this photo, the man sitting astride the beam is the catcher. Groundbreaking for the Ohio State Office Building, 65 South Front Street, took place on November 19, 1929. Construction began in October 1930, and the cornerstone was laid on May 16, 1931. An explosion damaged the structure on April 14, 1932, but the building eventually opened on March 27, 1933. The 14-story building was designed by architect Harry Hake, Frank Bail, and Alfred Hahn. It later became the Ohio Judicial Center. In 2011 the state Supreme Court named the center in honor of the late Chief Justice Thomas Moyer, who was the second-longest-serving chief justice in state history at the time of his death in April 2010. The Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center is considered an excellent example of architecture from the Art Deco period. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06918
Subjects: Construction workers; Columbus (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Design and construction; Ohio History--State and Local Government; Ohio Judicial Center (Columbus, Ohio); Construction industry--Ohio
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)