Description: This photograph shows the exterior northwest corner of the State Office Building (now the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center, Columbus, Ohio, ca. 1935. A car is parked on the street next to the building. The tower-like structure (or pylon) that dominates the photograph is a tribute to the pioneers of the Northwest Territory. A carved bas-relief sculpture above the tall inset window shows a group of figures surrounding what appears to be a table; a caption reads: "Northwest Territory." At the top of the pylon is the citation "Their gift to posterity a rich heritage," which is framed by two bas-relief sculptures, one titled "Campus Martius" and the other called "Fort Washington." Below the window balcony is another citation, "Founders of Liberty." Construction of the building began in 1930 and was completed in 1933. The 14-story, white marble structure, designed by Cincinnati architect Harry Hake is a classic example of the Art Moderne style. The interior of the building includes public spaces decorated with murals, mosaics and bas-reliefs that tell the history of Ohio and its industries. The building underwent a historic renovation that was completed in 2004, when it became the Ohio Judicial Center, permanent home of the Ohio Supreme Court. In 2011 the court renamed 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. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05758
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government; Architecture--Ohio; Ohio. Supreme Court; Ohio Judicial Center (Columbus); Columbus (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.; Bas-reliefs; Art Deco
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)