About The Ohio Statehouse Museum
Countdown Until the Museum Opening
The countdown to the opening of the new Ohio Statehouse Museum has begun.
CLICK HERE to see how many days, hours
minutes and seconds until the ribbon cutting!
The new Ohio Statehouse Museum will open to the public on June 10 at 10 a.m. The Museum will function as an interactive place for learning about
Ohio government for more than 80,000 Ohio Statehouse tour visitors annually. The opening the Museum will enrich the experience of Statehouse visitors
by providing stronger and more diverse orientation and education about Ohio government and history. Admission to the Ohio Statehouse Museum will be free.
Vision
Exhibitions at the Ohio Statehouse will shine a light on the history of this great edifice, its symbolic meaning and its vital historic
and ongoing connections to the daily lives of Ohioans.
The Statehouse As a Symbol
Since 1861, the Ohio Statehouse has served as the literal and symbolic center of Ohio state government. The building's striking Greek
Revival architecture expresses the pride of citizens and their fondness for democratic ideals, first among them that all Ohioans are
welcome and invited to participate in the process of governing.
The Statehouse has also been the working center of government since the legislative chambers opened in 1857. The Statehouse at one time
housed all three branches of state government, and continues to serve the executive and legislative branches today.
The Statehouse continues to serve as a centerpiece and stage – a place where transcendent events continue to take shape, a place where
ordinary citizens continue to come to serve and express their voices, a place where national figures continue to come to address Ohioans.
Enhancing the Statehouse Exhibits
The new Ohio Statehouse Museum will create nearly 15,000 square feet of updated, high-tech, interactive exhibits on the ground floor
of the Ohio Statehouse to enrich the experience of school children and visitors. This is the largest project to occur at the Statehouse
since the
restoration that took place in the 1990s.
New exhibits will offer improved wayfinding; arriving visitors know immediately what is available to them and how to reach their specific
destination. Orientation experiences welcome and remind visitors that they are a part of the continuous stream of citizens who have been
traveling to the Statehouse since 1861. Layered exhibitions will tell stories using a variety of exhibit media so that all visitors may
find meaningful access to Statehouse stories.
Interactive, hands-on exhibits will challenge visitors' knowledge about Ohio history and the workings of state government and equip them
to more fully participate as citizens. Historical artifacts and images will tell the stories of those who designed and built the Statehouse
and those who have come here to serve. Audiovisual media and theatrical effects will transport visitors to historical events and invite
them to imagine themselves governor, legislator or judge. Visitors will leave the Statehouse with a richer understanding of its significance
and a deeper commitment to its ongoing vitality.
While engaging visitors, exhibitions will also be respectful of the important work that takes place at the Statehouse. Exhibits will
respect the buildings architectural integrity and strive to enhance the context of governmental gatherings and functions. The Museum is
intended to help to orient new legislators and, through stories expressed in various building spaces, perhaps inspire future policymakers
and policymaking solutions.
Interpretive experiences will build on school curricula while inspiring young people to imagine themselves serving in the halls of the
Statehouse. Students will be offered opportunities for hands-on interaction so that they may learn by doing. Interpretive elements are
intended to connect the past to their present, so they can see the impact of state government on their daily lives. Post-visit
interpretive elements will reinforce this connection by enabling them to establish ongoing relationships with the Statehouse.
How It Came To Be
In July 2006, the
Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board and
the
Capitol Square Foundation approved the selection of Hilferty & Associates
to complete an interpretive conceptual plan for new exhibits in the Crypt at the Ohio Statehouse. Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board
members and stakeholders expressed a desire for new exhibits to more fully engage visitors in telling stories about the history of the
building; the workings of government that have taken place in the Statehouse for more than 150 years; and its broader connections to Ohio
history and beyond.
Hilferty & Associates interpretive planners toured the Statehouse early on to begin conceptualizing plans for a new museum. The planners
then reviewed collections at the Statehouse as well as those at the
Ohio Historical Center. Hilferty and Associates then began a
comprehensive stakeholder interview process of Statehouse staff, legislators and legislative staff, Ohio teachers and students. Museum
planners then facilitated workshops with a core Statehouse exhibition review committee to develop the master plan.
On October 17, 2007, the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board took action to advance the Ohio Statehouse by approving the final plans
for a Statehouse Museum.
Exhibit and construction production began in early 2008. The new Museum is scheduled to open to the public on June 10, 2009.
Ohio Statehouse Museum Timeline
| July 2006 |
Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board Selects Hilfrety & Associates as Design Firm |
| March 2007 |
Capitol Square Foundation Announces That More Than $1.5 Million Dollars is Raised For Museum Project |
| March 2008 |
Construction Begins on new Museum Shop Location |
| August 2008 |
Museum Shop Moves to New Location |
| September 2008 |
Construction on New Exhibits Continues |
| June 2009 |
Opening of the New Ohio Statehouse Museum |
