Skyline

columbus skyline today

How is a skyscraper different from a tall building?

A tall building may be built from stacking layers of stones upon each other. This type of tall building has to have a large base of stone or brick in order to make the building stand straight. A skyscraper can be made much taller because it has a steel construction or framework and the stones or bricks or other outside construction materials hang from the framework. Skyscraper construction started in Chicago after the great fire of 1871 destroyed much of the city. Skyscrapers are associated with cities where the cost of land is higher and people build up more than they build out.

What is the oldest skyscraper in Columbus?

The Wyandotte Building at 21 West Broad, across the LeVeque Tower, is the oldest skyscraper in Columbus. Built in 1898, it is twelve stories high and was designed by the famous Daniel Burnham, architect from Chicago. It is considered to be a Chicago-style skyscraper because it has many windows that are designed to allow a great deal of air and sunshine into each of the offices.

What buildings standing today were in the city in 1930?

There are a number of buildings in the downtown that date from the 1930s as you can see from the drawings in the activity book. They include City Hall, the LeVeque Tower, the Wyandotte Building, the Ohio Departments Building (today the Supreme Court), the old Police Station, the Ohio Statehouse, the Atlas Building, the former Lazarus department store, the Ohio Theatre, the Palace Theatre, the Lincoln Theatre, the Main Library, and others.

How did the 1913 flood change the downtown?

The 1913 destroyed the west side of Columbus when the Scioto River and the Olentangy River flooded in March 1913. The two rivers come together downtown. The ground was frozen and heavy rains filled the rivers to overflowing. The land on the west side is much lower than the land on the east side of the Scioto River. Before the flood, there were many industries and factories that used the river as if it were a sewer pipe for industrial wastes. In addition, a number of poor people lived along the river, and they had no choice but to use the river to dispose of wastes. There had been plans to make the river a cleaner waterway and to get rid of the polluting businesses before 1913. Because of the flood, people in Columbus and architects began to plan a new type of downtown look to replace the old downtown.

What does the word “Scioto” mean?

It is said “Scioto” is a Native American word meaning “hairy place” and was so named because of the many herds of deer who crossed the river, leaving their fur on the water.