{"nrhp_refnum":"90001908","name":"Ohio State Office Building","other_names":["Ohio Departments of State Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"65 S. Front St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Columbus","county":"Franklin County","state":"OH","lat":39.960378741000056,"lon":-82.99839723099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-12-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A fourteen-story white marble Art Deco government office building at 65 South Front Street in Columbus, Ohio, on the east bank of the Scioto River, built between 1931 and 1933 to house state departments.","why_significant":"The nomination points to the building's Art Deco design and its extensive decorative program of murals, mosaics, bronze work and sculpture by notable artists of a major period of American mural painting. It also stands as a key part of Columbus's civic center along the Scioto River. Its history reflects the long effort to consolidate scattered state offices into one building.","narrative":"Rising fourteen stories above the east bank of the Scioto River in Columbus, this white marble Art Deco building was constructed between 1931 and 1933 to bring Ohio's scattered state departments under one roof. Its exterior massing expresses its functions: a plain central shaft for offices, projecting lower stories for lobbies and hearing rooms, and large windows marking the state library. Bronze doors, inscribed pylons, and sculpted panels honor Ohio's pioneers, veterans, and industries. Inside, mosaics by Rudolph Scheffler, bronze panels by Paul Fjelde, and murals in the hearing rooms and library reading room depict Ohio and Northwest Territory history. The building was authorized in 1929 after years of debate over the idea, first raised in 1913, and funded through a state property levy. Reflecting pools and terraces form its setting, and it anchors the civic center along the river alongside City Hall and other government buildings. It remains in government office use.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Art Deco","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still used as a government office building; some hearing room murals are peeling and a skylight needs repair, with renovation planned.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.901617-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/90001908.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001908/e0a8c48585-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001908/e0a8c48585-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Sixflashphoto","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ohio_State_Office_Building_1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Sixflashphoto</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ohio_State_Office_Building_1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988436","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_Judicial_Center","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q92094802"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/franklin-county/ohio-state-office-building-90001908/"}