The Ohio Veterans Memorial and Museum houses exhibitions and artifacts that serve as a testimonial to the state’s 250-year history of military service. Located along the Scioto River in downtown Columbus, the building and grounds will also serve as the focal point for diverse commemorative and civic events.
The Memorial Museum is conceived as an architecture of two acts. The first is an act of landscape, in which the surrounding parkland is cut, carved and lifted into the sky. This creates a path to the Sanctuary—a civic room that will be a place of ceremony, celebration and reflection. The second is an act of structure, in which a series of concentric arches rise from the earth to hold the Sanctuary above. These bands of interwoven concrete hold and protect the museum, creating space for exhibitions that illuminate ideas of service and remembrance.
Visitors enter the building by passing between two structural arches. On the main level, the lobby connects to the Great Hall, providing views to the river and downtown, as well as space for gathering and public events. The galleries follow the curve of the concrete rings, which provide a backdrop for permanent exhibitions and offer views to the Memorial Garden beyond. The gallery progression culminates in a double-height, interactive Cyclorama reflecting on the history of service in Ohio. To support its educational mission, the Museum incorporates interpretive classrooms and a dedicated student entrance on the lower level. The upper level connects the galleries with a Memorial Room and the rooftop Sanctuary.