THE OHIO CAPITOL BUILDINGS. T HE Capitol Buildings of the State of Ohio stand in the principal square in the city of Columbus, in a park containing over ten acres of well cultivated lawns and native forestry, on land which was given to the state by the proprietors of the town site, in 1812. The name "Columbus" was selected for the town and bestowed upon it by the General Assembly at a later date. The illustrations on the frontispece give some idea of the style of building but fall far short, in dignity and point of finish, of doing justice to either the old Capitol Building or the new Department of Justice. The original "State House," erected by the grantors of the public grounds on condition that Columbus--then unsettled-should be chosen for the Captital of Ohio,—was a series or row of brick buildings on High street, beginning at State street and running north along the present property to a point about halfway to the present west entrance to the "State House yard." These structures were burned Sunday morning, February 1, 1852. The old Capitol Building, as it is now called, was begun in April, 1839, and was partially completed and dedicated in January, 1857. The corner stone was laid July 4, 1839. The building was finished in 1861 and was a useful rendezvous for troops gathering for service in the Union Army during the Civil War. The Department of Justice Building was built under an act of the 73rd General Assembly, adjoining the old Capitol at the terrace on the east. It thus occupies the Third street front of the Capitol grounds and, being of similar architecture to its predecessor, adds to, rather than detracts from the simple beauty of the structure. As an illustration of the advance in structural science a comparison of the two methods of building is interesting. The original structure was begun in 1838, and finished in 1861. Deducting for time consumed in numberless interruptions, the time actually spent in the building of it, was fifteen years; the cost $1,360,000; the labor was that of idle convicts from the Penitentiary; the material, dressed limestone from state quarries west of the city. The new building was authorized in 1898; corner stone was laid February 16, 1899, and on the 1st of September, 1901, the several departments assigned to this building are taking possession of their beautiful quarters. The exterior of the new building is of dressed limestone; the trusses are of steel. The actual time of building was three years, the cost $450,000, and the foot-space of public offices equal to. about one-half that of the main building. The old building is 304 feet in its longest dimensions (north and south) and 184 feet wide (east and The Ohio Capitol Buildings. west, covering about two acres of ground. The height from the ground to outside pinnacle of the central dome is 128 feet; from floor of the rotunda to the eye of this dome is 120 feet; from floor of the rotunda to the upper skylight is 136 feet. The diameter of the rotunda floor is 64 feet 5 inches and the floor contains 4,892 pieces of marble. The cupola surrounding the dome (which was never completed as originally designed) is 75 feet in diameter. There are 53 rooms in the Capitol Building. The new Department of Justice or Law Building is 220 feet north and south by 100 feet east and west and contains three full stories and a clear story on the east side. The rotunda is finished in marble and tastefully decorated, with an architectural effect said to be unequalled in the west. The building contains 55 rooms and was primarily intended, as the name implies, to house the Supreme Court, the Clerk of the Court, the Supreme Court Library, and the Attorney General's department. These departments occupy practically all of the second and third floors, the first story being devoted to the departments of Agriculture, Health, Insurance and Public Works. THE OHIO STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. T HE Ohio State Board of Agriculture was created by an act of the General Assembly, passed February 27, 1846. The Board consists of ten members, two being elected each year for a period of five years. The office of the Board-Department of Agriculture is in the State House, the Secretary being the chief officer. The Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Veterinarians, Inspectors, Chemists, Statisticians, Librarians and clerks constitute an official force of more than twenty people, constantly on duty. The department has an extensive agricultural library of about seven thousand volumes, and through regular exchanges, receipt of government documents, gifts, purchases, etc., it is rapidly growing. These books and documents are available for reference to all who wish to use them. The annual Ohio State Fair is conducted under the management of the Board. The first fair was held in Cincinnati, October 5-7, 1850, and a fair has been held each year since that time, except 1888, when the Ohio Centennial took its place. From 1850 until 1874 the fair was held in the principal cities of the state, the cities offering the greatest inducements, in the way of financial aid, securing it. In 1874 the Board concluded to establish the fair permanently and centrally at the Capital of the state. The grounds of the Franklin County Agricultural Society (now Franklin Park), were rented until 1886, when the fair was transferred to grounds just north of the city, which the Board had purchased three years previously. These Fair Grounds, which contain one hundred and fifteen acres, have been beautifully ornamented by lakes, trees, shrubs, etc., and fine buildings have been erected for the various classes of exhibits, at a cost of several hundred thousand dollars. The live stock buildings are the largest and best in the country. The horse building is three hundred and thirty-two feet square and will accommodate over five hundred horses; and in addition to this, there are barns provided for speed and fancy horses. The cattle, sheep, and swine buildings are a little smaller than the horse building, but are similar to it in all details and have ample accommodations for immense exhibits. These structures are brick and stone, with slate roofs. Broad, clean walks extend through all the buildings, and visitors can view the animals in their stalls and pens, with the same degree of comfort that is experienced in passing through the buildings wherein are exhibited the displays of manufactured articles, merchandise, art, etc. |