Ohio Judicial Center

The Supreme Court of Ohio was founded in the state constitution, approved in 1802. It was located in the Ohio Statehouse beginning in 1857 and moved into the Statehouse Annex in 1901. Cincinnati-based architect Harry Hake was hired to design the building. He wrote 292 pages of specifications, a design estimated at $5 million, with $1.5 million of that used to purchase additional property, financed by a statewide property tax. Construction was tumultuous, with Hake having been hired just three months before the start of the Great Depression. The building's construction began in 1930, often delayed by labor disputes. Multiple windows were destroyed, along with staircases up to the fifth floor, and the bronze doors on the building's west side were blown off their hinges. Repairs were made promptly, adding a cost of $750,000, In 1997, the Ohio government set aside funds to move the Supreme Court of Ohio to the Ohio Departments Building; the court had been located in the Rhodes State Office Tower since 1974. In 1998, the Ohio General Assembly approved renovations to the building which would convert it into the judicial center. Columbus-based architecture firm Schooley Caldwell was hired to make the renovations. Beginning in 2001, the building's detailwork was restored, while its utilities were modernized. The Grand Concourse and original hearing rooms were restored, and the State Library was converted to the Supreme Court Law Library. Completed in 2004, the building reopened on February 17, and the Supreme Court of Ohio became its largest tenant. It marked the first time the court was established in a building solely for the judiciary, and the first time the building was open to the public. Its reopening ceremony was attended by then-U.S. Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Thomas J. Moyer, and about 170 other judges. ==Operations==

The building is home to the Supreme Court of Ohio, the state's highest court, as well as the Ohio Court of Claims and Ohio Judicial Conference. ==Attributes and design==

It is located on South Front St., on the east bank of the Scioto River. The building was carefully planned on the center of the riverfront, with reflecting pools, lawns terraces, trees, and shrubs situated around it. The building was designed by Cincinnati-based architect Harry Hake. It has 14 stories, white marble exterior facades, and Art Deco designs detailed with metals, tiles, colored marble, mosaics, and murals. The streamline shape of the building depicts its function through its large exterior mass. Its office space is expressed by its large, unadorned middle shaft, while its public lobbies and hearing rooms are expressed through the projecting stories on its west side. The State Library of Ohio was represented through the large windows at the top of the building, with its stack area in the stepped-back building crown. Interior The judicial center's first floor holds the Grand Concourse, its courtroom, hearing room, and a meeting room. Its ground floor includes the Civic Center Lobby and Visitor Education Center. The eleventh floor holds the Law Library, including a reading room and art galleries. Free tours are available to the public on weekdays between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. ==Gallery==

File:Ohio State Office Building 01.jpg|West entranceway File:Ohio State Office Building 18.jpg|East entrance File:Ohio State Office Building 11.jpg|South facade File:Ohio State Office Building 24.jpg|At night File:Ohio State Office Building 06.jpg|Gavel sculpture File:Ohio State Office Building 09.jpg|Mosaic ceilings File:Ohio State Office Building 07.jpg|East doors File:Ohio State Office Building 19.jpg|One of numerous industry murals ==See also==