Plat (Plan) of the City of Columbus

This is the plat (plan) of the city of Columbus as it was laid out in 1812. Until 1816, Chillicothe served as the capital of the state; however, it was felt that a more central location was needed. Four local Franklinton businessmen -- John Kerr, James Johnston, Alexander McLaughlin and Lyne Starling -- offered land on Wolf's Ridge overlooking the curve of the Scioto River and $50,000 of development funds, so long as it became the capital. But the War of 1812 began in that same year, and so the capital did not actually move to Columbus until 1816, after the war was over and uncertainties about the United States' continued existance were put to rest. Click on the picture below to look at the plat more closely.

source: Lentz, Ed. As it Were, Red Mountain Press, 1998

The City Rose

The "Columbus Queen Rose" was adopted as the Official Flower of the City of Columbus by Columbus City Council in 1963.

Resolution 34X-63:

(a) This Council does hereby adopt as the Official Flower of the City of Columbus, the "Columbus Queen Rose".

(b) The "Columbus Queen Rose", as the Official Flower of the City of Columbus, shall be designated, printed, engraved or otherwise prescribed as hereafter directed.

(c) The City Clerk be and he is hereby directed to transmit copies of this resolution to the American Rose Society and the Chairman of the Columbus Rose Commission.

The Ohio Theatre

This majestic downtown theatre was originally built in 1928 by Scottish architect Thomas W. Lamb. The theatre seats 2,779 within an auditorium noted for its outstanding acoustics and beautiful, ornate Spanish/Baroque decorations. By 1969 the Ohio had fallen into disrepair and was slated for demolition, but a campaign undertaken by Columbus citizens resulted in the theatre's restoration. It is now a favored spot for concerts, ballet, plays, graduations, movies, and other memorable events and is the home of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

One of the Ohio's grandest features -- besides its sumptuous decoration -- is its fully functional pipe organ. The pipes are hidden behind wall drapery and the organ itself rises up on a platform from the orchestra floor.

Ohio Theatre Website (from CAPA)

Union Station Arch

The last remaining arch of Columbus' Union Station, a train station built in the 1890's in the Classical style, now stands by the new Nationwide Arena in downtown Columbus, home of the Columbus Bluejackets. Union Station was demolished in the late 1980's to make way for the new, state-of-the-art Greater Columbus Convention Center.

Greater Columbus Convention Center