The Ohio Statehouse is where Ohio's lawmakers meet in Columbus. It was built between 1839 and 1861, which makes it one of the oldest working statehouses in the United States. The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1839, before the commission had even agreed on a final design.
The most striking choice was to leave off the rounded dome that earlier designers had suggested. Instead, a low conical roof sits on top of the cupola over the rotunda, right where many visitors expect a dome. Fire destroyed the old two-story capitol building in 1852, and the exact cause is still a mystery.
Inside, the rotunda floor is made of almost 5,000 individual pieces of marble, all cut and fitted by hand. President Abraham Lincoln visited the building on three different occasions.