Columbus Civic Center (Ohio)

Interactive map of district;
1988-proposed boundaries and properties marked in red; see also
map of riverfront parks

The Columbus Civic Center is a civic center, a collection of government buildings, museums, and open park space in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The site is located along the Scioto Mile recreation area and historically was directly on the banks of the Scioto River.

The civic center includes Columbus City Hall, the Ohio Judicial Center, Central High School (now the COSI science museum), the Joseph P. Kinneary United States Courthouse, and the former Central Police Station. It also included the Scioto River Bridge Group. Also sometimes included in the civic center are the LeVeque Tower^[1] and newer government office additions to the area, including the Front Street office buildings, the since-demolished Franklin County Veterans Memorial and Columbus Public Health office in Franklinton,^[2] as well as the newer Michael B. Coleman Government Center and current Columbus Division of Police Headquarters.

Following a local version of the City Beautiful movement, the Columbus Plan first envisioned a riverfront civic center in 1908. The Great Flood of 1913 destroyed many riverfront structures, allowing the opportunity to redevelop according to the 1908 plan. Columbus's most prominent architect, Frank Packard, spearheaded the project until his unexpected death in 1923. The Neoclassical, Renaissance Revival, and Art Deco buildings, bridges, and retaining wall were built from 1917 to 1934. In 1988, the area was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places as the Columbus Civic Center Historic District.