Ohio House

Ohio House. , History , The Victorian Gothic Ohio House stands today as one of only two surviving buildings from the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition held in Fairmount Park in 1876. The Ohio House was designed by Heard and Sons of Cleveland and constructed by the local Philadelphia builder Aaron Doan and Company to serve as a club house and exhibition hall for the state of Ohio during the Centennial. The building was constructed of heavy stone masonry showcasing Ohio quarries and masons through intricately carved stone detailing the building's façade., Hermann Schwartzmann designed the grounds of the Centennial Exhibition to feature a series of axes linking various buildings and structures sponsored by state, federal, and local institutions in a park-like landscape. During the Centennial the Ohio House was considered by many to be, "the most elegant and substantial of all the State edifices" (McCabe). Over time, the majority of the Centennial buildings were removed, resulting in the loss of the Ohio House's Centennial context within a series of state sponsored buildings along States Avenue. In contrast to the other more contemporary state buildings, the Ohio House's sturdy masonry construction enabled it to survive into the 21st century., Today, the Ohio House is of both local and national significance and was individually listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 1963 and as a contributing resource in the Fairmount Park National Register Historic District in 1972. Over the years the Ohio House has been re-used for a variety of purposes including a residence, offices, and the Fairmount Park Information Center for the Bicentennial. The Ohio House stands as a reminder of the nationally significant Centennial Exhibition and is one of Fairmount Park's most valuable historic resources., Stonework , The most impressive feature of the Ohio House is without question the vast display of nineteenth century stone from Ohio. Sandstone and limestone from 20 historic quarries is showcased in the building, often with the name and location of the quarry, the trade name of the stone, the distributor and the location of the quarry, or the mason carved into the ashlar.,

These carvings were advertisements for the stone companies. Examples include: Euclid Quarry, Cleveland; Marcus Bossler, contractors, and William Huffman, dealer in Dayton stone. Each of the twenty-one course of stone comprising the first floor of the south façade and in the two projecting courses above the ground level the stone is rusticated. The stones on the east and west elevations lay flush and are each tooled differently, displaying a full range of finishing techniques. , , Elizabeth Hunter Seyfert