The Joseph P. Kinneary United States Courthouse is a federal courthouse in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, in the city's

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

Civic Center A civic center or civic centre is a prominent land area within a community that is constructed to be its focal point or center. It usually contains of one or more dominant public buildings, which may also include a government building. Recently, ...

. It was formerly known as the U.S. Post Office and Court House. It was designed by

Richards, McCarty & Bulford Richards, McCarty & Bulford was an American architectural firm. The General Services Administration has called the firm the "preeminent" architectural firm of the city of Columbus, Ohio. A number of the firm's works are listed on the National Re ...

and was completed in 1934. The supervising architect was

James A. Wetmore James Alfonso Wetmore (November 1863 – March 14, 1940) was an American lawyer and administrator, best known as the Acting Supervising Architect of the U.S. Office of the Supervising Architect of the United States Treasury Department, Treasury ...

. It was renamed for

Joseph P. Kinneary Joseph Peter Kinneary (September 19, 1905 – February 14, 2003) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. The Joseph P. Kinneary U.S. Courthouse in Downtown Columbus is named for ...

in 1998. It is still in use by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

History

The building was constructed as a post office and courthouse in 1934. Renovations completed in July 2014 improved the interiors and exterior, and reduced water and electric usage. Installations included high-efficiency water boilers, air-handling units, a building automation system, a rainwater harvesting tank, light fixtures, occupancy and daylight harvesting sensors, and low-flow water fixtures. On the exterior, portions of the building's sandstone facade and chimney were repaired or replaced. Its windows were reglazed, and its penthouses were re-paneled.

Attributes and design

The courthouse is located along the

Scioto River The Scioto River ( ) is a river in central and southern Ohio more than in length. It rises in Hardin County, Ohio, Hardin County just north of Roundhead, Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olent ...

Battelle Riverfront Park Battelle Riverfront Park is a park in downtown Columbus, Ohio, United States, near Columbus City Hall. The park was established in 1983. It is named after Gordon Battelle and was funded by the Battelle Memorial Institute. Features The park f ...

(part of the

Scioto Mile The Scioto Mile is a collection of parks and trails along both banks of the Scioto River in Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state ...

). It is named after Joseph Peter Kinneary, a former judge. The building is mainly used by the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio and the

Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (in case citations, 6th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * Eastern District of Kentucky * Western District of K ...

. Other offices are used by the U.S. Marshals, attorneys, probation, and pretrial services. The building is designed in the

Neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

. Its design includes

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

s and a large colonnade spanning its northern facade. Its exterior is mainly composed of granite

wainscot Panelling (or paneling in the United States) is a millwork wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials. Panelling was developed in antiquity to ...

and Berea sandstone cladding, while the windows have

Vermont marble Vermont () is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. According to the mo ...

panels and iron grill

encasement Encasement is the coating over, covering or "encasing" of all building components, interior and exterior. This includes all roofing and toxic hazards materials, such as asbestos, lead-based paint, mold/mildew and other harmful substances, found in ...

Gallery

File:OH-Columbus 1934 Ref.jpg, The courthouse in 1940 File:Joseph P. Kinneary United States Courthouse from Rhodes State.jpg, Aerial view File:Kinneary Courthouse 03.jpg, North facade File:Main lobby, Joseph P. Kinnerary U.S. Courthouse, Columbus, Ohio LCCN2010719592.tif, Main lobby File:Courtroom, Joseph P. Kinnerary U.S. Courthouse, Columbus, Ohio LCCN2010719602.tif, Courtroom File:Courtroom, Joseph P. Kinnerary U.S. Courthouse, Columbus, Ohio LCCN2010719595.tif, Courtroom File:Joseph P. Kinneary United States Courthouse undergoing reconstruction.jpg, Restorative work in 2012

References

External links

Southern District of Ohio website

U.S. General Services Administration website
Post office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Columbus, Ohio

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...

Government buildings completed in 1934 Federal courthouses in the United States Buildings and structures in Downtown Columbus, Ohio 1934 establishments in Ohio Government buildings in Columbus, Ohio {{ColumbusOH-struct-stub

History

Attributes and design

Gallery

See also

References

External links