September 10, 2010
Capitol Ohio : 116 - Atrium
The Capitol Atrium was completed in 1994 to connect the Statehouse and the Senate Building. Once an outdoor walkway, the Atrium is now an indoor gathering place that complements the other two structures. The limestone used in the Atrium was quarried from the same vein of stone as the Statehouse and Senate Building. One commemorative feature of the Atrium is the Lincoln Plaque, marking Abraham Lincoln's 1859 visit to the Ohio Statehouse. Lincoln gave a speech from what was once the east terrace of the Statehouse and is now the Atrium. Another feature is a stuffed pigeon that perches above the Senate ledge facing into the Atrium. Before the Atrium was constructed, pigeons that perched in between the buildings made crossing between the Statehouse and Senate Building an interesting hit-and-miss challenge.