Art and History in the Ohio Judicial Center

A photographic exploration of one of Ohio’s most remarkable landmarks

Nearly 100 years after its construction, the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center in Columbus, Ohio, is finally receiving the artistic recognition it deserves in this richly illustrated book. In the early 1920s, when plans for the Ohio Judicial Center building were initially conceived, American culture and politics were in a period of transition and turbulence. The country emerged from World War I, moved through the Roaring Twenties, and then sank into the Great Depression. To counter the effects of this economic crisis, public art was often commissioned for government buildings, including the Ohio Judicial Center, which was completed in 1933 and showcases work from 12 artists.

Featuring more than 100 photographs taken by Richard W. Burry, Art and History in the Ohio Judicial Center is the first book to celebrate the building’s impressive architectural detail and highlight its 200 Art Deco– and Beaux Arts–style murals, reliefs, and mosaics. Burry tells the story of the public art in the Ohio Judicial Center and provides illuminating historical context, helping the present-day reader to understand the building’s art not only from a contemporary perspective but also through the eyes of those living almost a century ago.

Richard W. Burry is a retired neuroscientist and an architectural photographer who has worked for many preservation organizations, including the Ohio History Connection, Columbus Landmarks Foundation, and Heritage Ohio. Burry has a permanent exhibit of three photographs located at the Ohio Statehouse, and his work has been featured in over 20 galleries.