STATEHOUSE NEWS
Ohio Statehouse flags at half staff in honor of Sheriff Radcliff
May 13, 2020
Half-staff flags at Ohio Statehouse
In honor of the life and service of former Pickaway County Sheriff Dwight Radcliff, the flags shall be flown at half-staff at the Ohio Statehouse, Vern Riffe Center, and Rhodes Tower from sunrise until sunset on Wednesday, May 13, 2020.
 
 
 
Ohio Statehouse flags fly at half-staff in remembrance of Kent State anniversary
May 4, 2020
Remember Kent State
In honor of the lives of those killed and injured and those whose lives were forever altered by the tragedy of May 4, 1970, at Kent State University, the flags of the United States and the State of Ohio shall be flown at half-staff upon all state-owned buildings throughout the state and at the Ohio Statehouse, Vern Riffe Center, and Rhodes Tower, at 12:24 p.m. until sunset.
 
 
 
The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board Postpones April Board Meeting
April 13, 2020
For Immediate Release:
April 13, 2020

The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board postpones April Board Meeting

(COLUMBUS, OH) — Members of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) will not meet Thursday, April 16, 2020 at the Ohio Statehouse in downtown Columbus. The business meeting has been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date.

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Ohio Statehouse flags fly at half-staff for Representative Manning and Officer Grant
March 23, 2020
Flags on March 23, 2020
In honor of the life and services of Ohio State Representative Don Manning and Springdale Police Officer Kaia Grant, the flags of the United States & the State of Ohio shall be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and grounds throughout Mahoning County, Hamilton County and at the Ohio Statehouse, Vern Riffe Center, & Rhodes Tower until sunset on Sunday, March 29, 2020.
 
 
 
Parking Garage Renovation Phase 3 begins March 30
March 11, 2020
Garage floor plan, Phase 3
The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) will begin Phase 3 of the Ohio Statehouse parking garage repair project Monday, March 30, 2020.

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

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

During Phase 3 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. The area for charging electric vehicles is included, so the charging stations will not be available during Phase 3.

During construction, traffic flow will be maintained, and access to each level will be provided. Vehicles MUST use the Broad Street entrance on the north side of the garage. The Third and State Street driving entrances will be closed.

Driving exits will be open from the garage to Broad Street, Third Street and State Street. When one of the State Street exits is under repair, the other exit will be open to traffic. Signage will notify drivers either to exit west or to exit east onto State Street.

All stairs and elevators will be open. The stairway near the tunnel to the Huntington Building will be under renovation for a brief time.

The walking entrance to the Rhodes Tower is open to those with security badges. 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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Guided Tours Suspended at the Ohio Statehouse
March 10, 2020
With the increased attention being placed on public health recently, the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) has decided to suspend all guided tours from March 11 through March 25, 2020. UPDATE: Guided tours are suspended until further notice.

Self-guided tours and cell phone tours are still available to the general public. Descriptions of the rooms and monuments on Capitol Square are also available in audio recordings. Paper brochures describing the rooms and artworks in the Ohio Statehouse and on Capitol Square are provided in the Map Room for those who are interested.

CSRAB continues to monitor the coronavirus situation, and will coordinate with the Ohio Department of Health, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the office of Governor DeWine. More information about the coronavirus situation is available on the Ohio Department of Health website at https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odh/know-our-programs/Novel-Coronavirus/welcome/.

For questions about CSRAB tours scheduled to resume on March 25, please contact Katie Montgomery, Educational Services and Museum Collections Manager, at 614-728-3726. UPDATE: Guided tours are suspended until further notice.
 
 
 
Living History Presentations during Black History Month
January 31, 2020
Living History on Tuesdays
(Columbus, OH)—The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) will celebrate Black History Month throughout February with a free historical performance each Tuesday at noon.

Living history performances will be presented each Tuesday at noon throughout February in the Atrium of the Ohio Statehouse. Visitors will meet first-person interpreters who portray prominent African Americans in U.S. history. Each 45-minute vignette will focus on African-American history as part of Black History Month at the Ohio Statehouse. There will be a short question and answer session following each performance.

The programs are presented by “We’ve Known Rivers,” which is a partnership of dynamic storytellers with a passion for history and education. The programs are free and open to the public. Click here for more information about We’ve Known Rivers. If you or your organization would like to schedule a group to attend a performance, please contact Katie Montgomery at 614-728-3726 or kmontgomery@ohiostatehouse.org.

Scheduled living history performances include:

Feb. 4- “John Randolph’s Freed People: You Can Hear Me Now” by Paisha Thomas
Music and stories are on the path to freedom for these families.
Feb. 11- “The Henry Box Brown Show” by Rory Rennick
The enslaved Henry Brown mailed himself to freedom, and became a magician.
Feb. 18- “Of Memory and History: An Affrilachian Storyteller Speaks” by Lynette Ford
Humor and heart are in stories rooted in her family's storytelling traditions.
Feb. 25- “Courage in the Skies: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen” by Anthony Gibbs
The first African-American military pilots served in World War II, and were later stationed near Columbus, Ohio.


Watch past living history presentations here.

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Lima Company Memorial Returns to the Ohio Capitol in 2020
January 30, 2020
The Eyes of Freedom exhibit
For Immediate Release:
January 30, 2020

Ohio Statehouse Contact:
Mike Rupert: 614-728-4185
Communications Manager, Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board
mrupert@OhioStatehouse.org

The Eyes of Freedom: Lima Company Memorial Contact:
Mike Strahle: 419-551-0335
www.EyesofFreedom.org
BACKGROUND VIDEO: https://youtu.be/IbuEFEM09kw

WHAT: The Eyes of Freedom: Lima Co. Memorial Returns to Ohio Statehouse Rotunda

(Columbus, Ohio) This traveling memorial, delivered to you by R+L Carriers, depicts the fallen Marines and Navy Corpsman of Columbus, OH based Lima Company 3/25, one of the most heavily engaged units of Operation Iraqi Freedom. These 23 life-sized portraits have become a powerful traveling veterans tribute “honoring ALL who answer our nation’s call; then, now, and tomorrow.” These eyes reflect the hundreds of thousands of men and women that have sacrificed defending our freedom.

WHERE: Ohio Statehouse, Rotunda – 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, OH 43215

WHEN: Friday, January 31 thru Friday, February 7, 2020
Public Exhibit Hours: Friday 1/31 – 10am to 5pm
Sat-Sun 2/1-2/2: 11am to 5pm
Mon-Fri 2/3-2/7: 8am to 5pm
(Friday 2/7 begin taking down at 2pm)

QUOTES FOR PRESS:
“We’re honored to return once again to the very site where it all began. The Statehouse Rotunda was home for the initial public unveiling back in May 2008 for artist Anita Miller’s amazing work.”
~ Mike Strahle, Director and Lima Co. Vet

“It is so important that this mission keeps traveling. It keeps our boys’ legacy alive and helps veterans everywhere.”
~ Keith Wightman, Gold Star Father

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:
The Eyes of Freedom: Lima Company Memorial was created as a result of an Ohio artist’s vision, in which she saw the finished memorial and felt she was being asked to create it. With the help of the families of the fallen and the returned Marines of L3/25, artist Anita Miller created and unveiled the work in the Ohio Statehouse Rotunda in 2008, as the vision foretold.

The Ohio-based Marine Reserve unit, once known as “Lucky Lima,” was one of the hardest hit units in Operation Iraqi Freedom, suffering casualties of 22 Marines and their Navy Corpsman. Created by artist Anita Miller, the memorial contains life-sized paintings of each of the 23 fallen heroes. Names and statistics of each of the fallen men, an ever-living candle, boots and space for visitors to leave mementos will be part of this moving memorial installation.

The Fallen heroes include:
Private First Class Christopher R. Dixon
Lance Corporal Christopher P. Lyons
Staff Sergeant Anthony L. Goodwin
Petty Officer 3rd Class Travis Youngblood (Navy Corpsman)
Sergeant Justin F. Hoffman
Staff Sergeant Kendall H. Ivy II
Lance Corporal Nicholas William B. Bloem
Corporal Andre L. Williams
Lance Corporal Grant B. Fraser
Lance Corporal Aaron H. Reed
Lance Corporal Edward A. Schroeder II
Lance Corporal William B. Wightman
Lance Corporal Timothy M. Bell, Jr.
Lance Corporal Eric J. Bernholtz
Corporal Dustin A. Derga
Lance Corporal Nicholas B. Erdy
Lance Corporal Wesley G. Davids
Sergeant David N. Wimberg
Lance Corporal Michael J. Cifuentes
Lance Corporal Christopher J. Dyer
Lance Corporal Jonathan W. Grant
Sergeant David Kenneth J. Kreuter
Lance Corporal Jourdan L. Grez

Although the paintings in this Memorial specifically depict the 23 fallen Marines from Lima 3/25, it has become much more. The mission of the nonprofit, Eyes of Freedom Traveling Memorial is to honor the service and sacrifice of all who answer our nation’s call. Behind each portrait one feels the spirit of the thousands of men and women who have served our country, in every branch of the armed forces, not forgetting the returning veterans now suffering from post-traumatic stress. As of 2018 this Memorial also includes the same artist’s newest creation: a life-sized, bronzed sculpture of a serviceman seated with head down, his face depicting emotions of the internal Silent Battle, as the touchable work is aptly named. He represents our nation’s veterans who struggle with suicide and post-traumatic stress, as they navigate life after combat. This powerful offering brings awareness, hope and a dose of healing to all who come in contact with him.

This traveling tribute is supported by a board of directors consisting of retired military, business men and women and clergy. The full time touring team has a personal connection to the men in the paintings; Mike Strahle is a purple heart combat veteran who fought alongside these men and was badly injured in one of the attacks. Sean Flaharty was personal friends of the fallen and helped support painter Anita Miller as a volunteer for years before becoming part of the touring team. Both men offer personal insight into the history and experience of this powerful memorial.

The Eyes of Freedom Memorial’s exclusive transportation provider is R+L Carriers, Inc. based in Wilmington, OH. R+L is a leading less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation company, providing guaranteed, day-definite regional and transcontinental service through a network of more than 100 service centers in the United States, Canada, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

For more images and more information about the Lima Company Memorial: The Eyes on Freedom exhibit, visit www.limacompanymemorial.org.

To view this press release and others, visit ohiostatehouse.org.

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