>> THIS IS 17th AVENUE WHERE THE STATE FAIRGROUNDS ARE.

A LOT OF PEOPLE WONDER WHAT THIS IS.

THIS IS THE HISTORY CENTER.

IT'S AN INTERESTING PLAYER, BOTH IN THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, WHICH IS NOT WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT FROM A HISTORICAL ORGANIZATION, AND THE WAY IT WAS BUILT.

I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO LEARNING A LOT MORE ABOUT IT.

>> HI, BARB.

>> HI, JEFF.

WELCOME.

>> NICE TO SEE YOU.

>> GOOD TO SEE YOU, TOO.

IT'S THE OHIO HISTORY CONNECTIONS HOME.

>> YES, IT IS.

TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION.

IT GOES BACK A LONG WAY, I THINK.

>> IT CERTAINLY DOES.

THE ORGANIZATION WAS FOUND INDEED 1885, AND THEN IT WAS CALLED THE OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

IN FACT, IT DIDN'T ACTUALLY HAVE A HOME OF ITS OWN UNTIL THE EARLY 20th CENTURY, WHEN SULLIVAN HALL WAS BUILT ON THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS AT 15th AND HIGH STREET.

THAT BECAME THE FIRST HOME FOR THE OHIO HISTORY MUSEUM.

IT WAS A LIBRARY.

THEN LATER, IN THE '20s, THE STATE ALLOCATED AND APPOINTED IT TO BE THE RECIPIENT OF STATE RECORDS FROM STATE AGENCIES.

AND THEN IN 1957, ACTUALLY, WAS WHEN IT BECAME THE OFFICIAL STATE ARCHIVES FACILITY.

AT THAT TIME, THAT IS FUNCTION OF THE ORGANIZATION WAS HOUSED IN WHAT'S NOW THE COLUMBUS FOUNDATION, BUT IT WAS THE FORMER GOVERNOR'S RESIDENCE ON EAST BROAD STREET.

>> YOU WOULD EXPECT A HISTORICAL ORGANIZATION TO STAY IN AN HISTORIC BUILDING, BUT THAT'S NOT EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.

>> THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND THE DIRECTOR, DIRECTOR PORTER, IN DESIGN AND ENVISIONING THE BUILDING WE'RE IN NOW, WANTED A MODERN, INSPIRING BUILDING, THAT DIDN'T COMPETE WITH THE COLLECTIONS HOUSED AND DISPLAYED IN THE BUILDING.

>> IT OPENED IN 1970, RIGHT?

>> YES, IT DID.

>> AND EVERYONE MOVED FROM THE TWO LOCATION INTO ONE.

>> UM-HMM.

>> I GUESS THERE'S A LOT TO SEE.

WE SHOULD GET STARTED.

>> YES, INDEED.

WE HAVE A LOT TO SHOW YOU IN OUR ICONIC BUILDING.

>> LEAD THE WAY.

OKAY.

THIS WAY.

>> OH, YES.

I'VE BEEN HERE MANY TIMES, BUT BOY, IT'S ALMOST LIKE THE FIRST TIME EVERY TIME.

IT'S SUCH AN AMAZING PLACE.

THERE'S THE MASTEDON.

NOW YOU KNOW YOU HAVE ARRIVED AT THE HISTORY CENTER.

>> THIS SPACE IS THE LARGEST SPACE.

THIS MUSEUM FLOOR STRETCHES OUT FOR 3.5 ACRES.

>> WOW.

>> IT IS LAID OUT IN A TRIANGULAR SHAPE, WHICH WAS PURPOSEFUL, TO IDENTIFY AND HARKIN TO THE THREE MAJOR AREAS OF STUD WHY IS.

THAT, OF COURSE, IS NATURAL HISTORY, ARCHAEOLOGY, PREHISTORIC, PREHISTORY, AND THEN OHIO'S HISTORY.

WE DO HAVE A WEALTH OF COLLECTION ON DISPLAY HERE IN ALL GALLERIES THAT STRETCH OUT FROM THIS MAIN CENTERPIECE OF THE MUSEUM FLOOR.

>> SO LET'S TALK MORE ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF THE BUILDING, AND HOW IT WAS ARRANGED IN THE MIND OF THE ARCHITECT.

>> YES, BYRON IRELAND, THE ARCHITECT FOR THE BUILDING, HE TALKED ABOUT THIS DESIGN BEING REALLY TWO SEPARATE BUILDINGS BUT CONNECTED THROUGH THE PLAZA LEVEL.

SO HIS DESIGN WAS A MONUMENTAL MODERN BUILDING THAT INCORPORATED THE PRIMARY FUNCTIONS OF THE OHIO HISTORY CONNECTION AT THAT TIME, WHICH OF COURSE WAS THE MUSEUM AND THEN THE ARCHIVES LIBRARY.

>> TALK A LITTLE MORE ABOUT HOW THE STRUCTURE WAS PUT TOGETHER.

>> SURE.

THIS BUILDING WAS COMPLETELY POURED CONCRETE, AND IN FACT, IT WAS ALL FORMED ON SITE.

SO THERE'S NO PREFABRICATED SLABS.

ALL 21,000 CUBIC YARDS OF CONCRETE WERE BROUGHT TO THE SITE AND POURED INTO FORMS THAT THEN CREATED THE BUILDING'S WALLS AND STRUCTURE.

ALL THE WALLS ARE WHAT'S CALLED BOARD-FORMED CONCRETE.

THEY WERE LINED WITH 2 BY 4 ROUGH HI FACED WOOD BOARDS, SO WHEN THE CONCRETE CURED, HARDENED, AND THE BOARDS WERE TAKEN AWAY, THE DIMENSION OF THE WOOD, THE GRAIN, KNOT HOLES AND ALL WERE LEFT IMPRINTED INTO THE CONCRETE SURFACE.

THAT WAS INTENTIONAL, IN FACT ALSO TO GIVE SOME HUMAN SCALE AND SOME WARMTH AND TEXTURE TO WHAT OTHERWISE IS JUST MASSIVE EXPANSES OF CONCRETE.

IT COMPLEMENTS SOME OF THE OTHER NATURAL MATERIALS USED IN THIS BUILDING.

ALL THE WOOD IN THE BUILDING IS NATURAL FINISHED OAK WOOD, AND THEN ALSO IT'S COMPLEMENTED BY THE TERRAZA TILING, AND THE GLAD.

IT WAS NOVEL AT THE TIME, CERTAINLY TALKED ABOUT, AND CONSIDERED TO BE HIGHLY INNOVATIVE AT THE TIME.

>> I THINK I'M READY TO SEE MORE IF YOU'RE READY TO SHOW ME.

>> OKAY.

LET'S GO.

>> AFTER YOU.

>> HERE IS WHERE WE SEE THE MASSIVE CONCRETE BLOCK, 196 FEET SQUARE.

AND IT IS CANTILEVERED, MEANING LIKE MY ARM, IT'S ONLY SUPPORTED ON ONE END.

IT'S CANTILEVERED ON ALL FOUR SIDES 40 FEET.

THAT WAS ONE LASTEST SPANS TRIED TO DATE WHEN THIS BILLING WAS CONSTRUCTED.

YES, THE ARCHIVES LIBRARY READING ROOM IS WHAT IS SUSPENDED ABOVE US.

>> EXPLAIN THAT.

>> OKAY.

I HAVE A GREAT DEMONSTRATION TO HELP EXPLAIN THIS.

I HAPPEN TO HAVE A RUBBER BAND WITH ME.

>> OKAY.

>> THESE RUBBER BANDS SERVE AS THE CABLING THAT IS LAID WITHIN THE CONCRETE WALL BEAMS.

IF OUR HANDS ARE THE BEAMS AND THE CABLES ARE LAID IN IT, AS YOU MAKE A FIST, THAT'S THE CONCRETE OF THE BEAMS HARDENING, AND THEN PULLING THE HYDRAULIC JACKS TO TIGHTEN AS THE WALLS CURED AND HARDENED.

THAT IS THE POST-TENSION MECHANISM THAT'S ALLOWING THE BUILDING TO STAND UP.

IN FACT, I HAVE A GOOD STORY TO TELL.

PETER CORDA, OF CORDA ENGINEERING, WAS THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEER FOR THE BUILDING.

THE DAY, THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF BUZZ.

CONSTRUCTION WORKERS ANDSH THOUGHT THE BUILDING WOULD FALL DOWN.

THIS AMOUNT OF SPAN HAD NOT BEEN DONE TO THIS EXTENT.

AS THE STORY GOES, PETER CORDA WAS SO CONFIDENT OF THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE BUILDING, AS THE SCAFFOLDINGS WERE BEING PULL AWAY.

HE STOOD UNDER THE CANTILEVER, HARD HAT DRAWN, STRIKING A DRAMATIC POSE, I IMAGINE.

AS THE SCAFFOLDING WAS PULLED AWAY, THE BUILDING WAS DEFLECTED ABOUT A QUARTER INCH, AND I'M TOLD THAT THAT WAS IS, AND WE REMAIN OUR VISUAL ICONIC BUILDING WE ARE TODAY.

>> THIS IS REALLY IMPRESSIVE FROM AN ARCHITECTURAL AND STRUCTURAL STANDPOINT.

IT'S A REAL MONUMENT TO WHAT THEY ACCOMPLISHED.

>> IT IS, INDEED.

THERE'S MORE TO SEE.

LET'S SEE WHAT ALL OF THIS IS ACTUALLY SUPPORTING.

>> OKAY.

>> WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SPACE.

THIS IS NOT YOUR FATHER'S LIBRARY.

>> NO, IT IS SPECTACULAR SPACE.

>> IT REALLY IS WONDERFUL.

>> NOW, THIS IS WHAT'S RESTING OVER THE TOP OF THAT OPEN PLAZA.

THIS READING ROOM RISES UP THREE STORIES, AND THIS SPACE TOO IS JUST TREMENDOUS IN SHOWING OFF AGAIN THE BOARD-FORMED CONCRETE, AND WE HAVE THE COPPERED CEILING, ALSO KNOWN AS WAFFLE SLAB CEILING.

AND THE NATURAL SKYLIGHTS AND THE OAK TAPES WERE PURPOSEFULLY DESIGNED FOR THIS SPACE.

>> AND IT'S A WORKING LIBRARY TO RESEARCH HISTORY.

>> IT'S A TREMENDOUS COLLECTION.

WE HAVE HISTORIC DOCUMENTS AND MATERIALS TUCK FIND ANYWHERE OR EASILY ACCESS ANYWHERE ELSE.

WE DO HAVE RESEARCHERS COME HERE AND DO HISTORIC RESEARCH ON THEIR FAMILIES, ON OTHER ASPECTS OF OHIO HISTORY.

>> SO ANYONE CAN COME HERE TO DO RESEARCH, IS THAT RIGHT?

ANYBODY IS WELCOME.

>> OH, YES, ABSOLUTELY.

YOU DID CHECK THE WEBSITE TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT AND ALSO CHECK ON CURRENT HOURS.

>>> THIS HAS BEEN A GREAT TOUR, LEARNING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING AND DESIGN, AND HOW THIS REALLY SERVES THE WHOLE STATE OF OHIO, THIS ONE LOCATION IS REALLY OPEN TO EVERYBODY IN THE STATE.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE TOUR.

>> IT'S A PLEASURE, JEFF.

WE LOVE SHOWING OFF OUR BUILDING.