STATEHOUSE NEWS

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Members of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) will meet Thursday, October 17, 2019 at the Ohio Statehouse in downtown Columbus. The business meeting will be held in the State Room (room #108) and will begin at 10 a.m. The meeting is open to the public. The meeting agenda is available upon request.

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(Columbus, OH)— The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) will begin Phase 2 of the Ohio Statehouse parking garage repair project Friday, November 1, 2019. The garage renovations have an estimated completion date of late summer 2020.

The Ohio Statehouse Garage is a three level parking structure that was built in 1964. The last restoration project was completed in 1993 during the Statehouse renovations. The parking garage is U-shaped with nine stair towers and four elevators located throughout.

The garage services both daily and monthly parking customers, accommodating approximately 1,200 vehicles daily.

During Phase 2 of the repairs, the garage will remain in service, however at a reduced capacity. Approximately 25% or 300 spaces will be under construction throughout the entire project. The reserved spaces will be moved in this phase.

During construction, traffic flow will be maintained, and access to each level will be provided. All driving entrances will be open into the garage, but the Broad and Third Street exits will be closed. Vehicles MUST use the State Street exit at the southeast corner of the garage.

All stairs and elevators will be open except the North revolving entrance to the Statehouse and the adjoining stairway. The walking entrance to the Rhodes Tower will be open to the public.

Please, no pedestrian traffic on the ramps. This is especially dangerous during construction. Please use caution when driving or walking in the garage.

Many variables can affect the timing of a construction project. A map is attached, and updates about the Ohio Statehouse parking garage repair project can be found at http://www.ohiostatehouse.org/announcements.

Please, contact Mike Rupert at mrupert@ohiostatehouse.org or 614-728-4185 for project specific questions.


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(COLUMBUS, OH) – The Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center received an historic collection of items related to Ohio president William McKinley. Mary DeGenaro, a former Ohio Supreme Court Justice, donated the photographs and political ephemera, which were part of her family’s collection.

“I am thrilled to be donating these items to the Statehouse, where McKinley served as governor, for all Ohioans to enjoy. And, I have a personal connection to the Statehouse and its history. In the room where Abraham Lincoln learned he had been elected president in 1861, I was told by Governor John Kasich that he was appointing me to the Ohio Supreme Court,” said DeGenaro.

In addition to photographs and paper ephemera, the collection includes platters and dishes related to McKinley. One of the standout objects is a photograph of William McKinley in an open carriage in Niagara Falls, NY, taken just over an hour before his untimely assassination. Other excellent pieces include historic postcards of the Statehouse featuring the McKinley Monument.

“The McKinley collection is a wonderful addition to the Ohio Statehouse Museum,” said Dayna Jalkanen, Deputy Director of Museum and Education for the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB). “The Ohio Statehouse is an appropriate place for the collection since McKinley spent so many years there serving in the Governor’s Office, and we recognize Red Carnation Day every year on January 29, the day McKinley was born.”

The Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center will preserve and maintain these historic artifacts for the people of Ohio. In the near future, items from the collection will be displayed for the public in Map Room exhibit cases or in the McKinley hearing room on the first floor of the Ohio Statehouse.

About William McKinley

William McKinley was one of eight U.S. presidents from Ohio. He was born in Niles, Ohio, in 1843. He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and was noted for serving the troops under heavy enemy fire. McKinley was governor of Ohio from 1892 to 1896. McKinley became president of the United States in 1897. He was killed by an anarchist assassin in 1901. McKinley is included in the Great Ohioans display at the Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center and memorialized with the McKinley Monument that stands in front of the Ohio Statehouse.

About Mary DeGenaro

Mary DeGenaro, is a native of Northeast Ohio and has been involved in public service on Village Council in Poland Ohio, as a Judge in the Ohio 7th District Court of Appeals, and as an Ohio Supreme Court Justice. She is currently serving as Chief Legal Counsel to Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber.

Her collecting interests include historical items relating to Abraham Lincoln, Ohio Political History, Suffrage, and Judge Florence Allen, who was the first woman to serve on the Ohio Supreme Court. DeGenaro has always had a great personal interest in Ohio presidential politics and became particularly interested in McKinley items after moving to Poland, Ohio and learning about the president’s connection to the small Western Reserve town. “I thought it was amazing that part of the building where McKinley attended school was now a part of the library we took our sons to countless times, and the tavern where he enlisted to serve in the Union Army during the Civil War was still standing -- walking distance from our family home."

The DeGenaros live in Columbus, Ohio, and have another home in Poland, Ohio where McKinley was a schoolteacher.

About the Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center

Opened in 2009, the Ohio Statehouse Museum features high-tech, interactive exhibits that make learning about all three branches of state government immersive. The museum is packed with historical artifacts and images that detail how government works and who has come to serve their fellow citizens.

The Museum includes 5,000 square feet of exhibit space on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse that enriches the experience of schoolchildren and visitors. The Museum offers exhibits that encourage visitors to participate in the government process by making choices, expressing their opinions, comparing viewpoints and even becoming a part of an exhibit by giving a State of the State address. The museum’s “deep dive” approach to education enables visitors to better relate to the governing process.
To view this press release and others, visit ohiostatehouse.org.
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In honor of the lives lost in the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, the flags shall be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and grounds throughout the state of Ohio from sunrise to sunset on September 11, 2019. Governor DeWine asks that all Ohioans observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time to honor the innocent Americans and people from around the world who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

A memorial display of 2,977 flags on the west lawn of the Ohio Statehouse commemorating 9/11 will be open to the public from 7 p.m. Monday, September 9 until 12 p.m. Friday, September 13, 2019.

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(COLUMBUS, OH) – The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board has kicked off ticket sales for the 2019 edition of the Haunted Statehouse Tours. The special Halloween tours will take place Fri., Oct. 18; Sat., Oct. 19; Fri., Oct. 25 and Sat., Oct. 26. Tickets for the Haunted Statehouse Tours are $12 for adults and $6 for children under the age of 12. This is a ticketed event. Tickets must be pre-ordered.

Tours will depart every half hour between 7 and 9 p.m. Tour times are: 7, 7:30, 8, 8:30 and 9 p.m. Tickets are limited to 40 individuals per tour start. The 2019 edition of the Haunted Statehouse Tours will feature testimony of paranormal activity at the Ohio Capitol and will incorporate a new story or two with an updated tour route.

Tickets can be purchased three ways:

• Online at statehouseshop.com


• Visit the Statehouse Museum Shop on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse


• Purchase over the phone by calling 614-728-9234

Ohio Statehouse staff members and volunteers will combine history and legend in this special family-friendly haunted Ohio Statehouse tour. Conductors will lead visitors through the dimly lit limestone corridors of the Ohio Statehouse by lantern. This historical tour is spooky and most appropriate for individuals nine and older.

Arrive early and write a “Ghost Post” to one of the Statehouse’s resident spirits, or enjoy art activities prior to your tour. The Statehouse Museum Shop will be open throughout the evening and will offer special Halloween merchandise available for purchase. More information is available at statehouseshop.com.

Visitors to the Ohio Statehouse are invited to park in the facility's underground parking garage. This convenient and affordable parking offers direct sheltered access to the Ohio Statehouse for this event. Parking fee is not included in ticket price. Parking rates are available at www.ohiostatehouse.org/about/general-information/parking/rates.

For more information about the Haunted Statehouse Tours, visit ohiostatehouse.org or contact 614-728-4185. High resolution press images are available at https://bit.ly/2MCvBJ9.

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(Columbus, OH)— The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) will commemorate the attacks of September 11, 2001 with a memorial flag display on the west lawn of the Ohio Statehouse. A short program will begin Monday, September 9 at 5 p.m. on the west steps of the Ohio Statehouse and will feature representatives from the following partner organizations: the CSRAB, HandsOn Central Ohio, Franklin County Commissioners, Columbus Fire Department, and the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. After the program, volunteers from across central Ohio will install the 2,977 flags that comprise the memorial.

Since 2002 CSRAB has partnered with HandsOn Central Ohio and the Ohio Emergency Management Agency to display the 2,977 U.S. Flags that comprise the memorial. The flags represent the 2,977 victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93. When seen from above, the design represents the World Trade Center towers, with a space in the shape of the Pentagon and an open strip representing the field in Pennsylvania. Located on the West Lawn of the Ohio Statehouse, the memorial will be open to the public from 7 p.m. Monday, September 9 until 12 p.m. Friday, September 13.

The September 9 program will include short speeches by several dignitaries including:

Tiffany T. Wright, Interim President & CEO, HandsOn Central Ohio
Representative from Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board
Ernie Davis, District Director for Congresswoman Joyce Beatty
Joe Gilligan, Central OH Regional Director for Senator Sherrod Brown
Jason Knox, office of Senator Rob Portman
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, U.S. Army Combat Veteran
State Representative Erica Crawly
Commissioner Kevin L. Boyce, Franklin County
Fire Chief Kevin O’ Connor, City of Columbus
Lt. General Michael Ferriter, U.S. Army (Ret.), President and CEO of the National Veterans Memorial and Museum

The flag display is a memorable and moving scene on the Ohio Statehouse lawn. The flags will be checked daily by volunteers. On Wednesday, September 11, eighty recruits from the Columbus Fire Training Academy will straighten the flags between 10 and 11 a.m. The firefighter recruits will be accompanied by the Training Academy Staff.

To volunteer and for more information, contact Ralonda Hampton of HandsOn Central Ohio, ralonda.hampton@yahoo.com or 614-221-6766 ext. 7114.


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In honor of the lives of the victims of the attack perpetrated on August 4, 2019, in the Oregon District in Dayton, Ohio, the flags shall be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and grounds throughout the State of Ohio effective immediately until further notice.

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In honor of the life and service of Private First Class Brandon J. Kreischer, of Stryker, Ohio, the flags shall be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and grounds throughout Williams County, the Ohio Statehouse, the Verne Riffe Center, and the Rhodes State Office Tower today, and will remain until sunset on the day of his funeral. Older Posts