Joseph P. Kinneary Historical Court House

The Joseph P. Kinneary U.S. Courthouse exemplifies early twentieth-century ideals to gather primary government functions into civic centers that dignified rapidly growing American cities.

In 1923, the city of Columbus, Ohio, adopted a master plan for its governmental district. This plan, conceived by architect Frank Packard and promoted by publisher Robert Wolfe, had its roots in the 1908 Columbus Plan and drew on the tenets of the City Beautiful movement, which formally organized important structures, unified in design, on clear, generous grids. Beginning in 1924, five significant buildings, designed in the Neoclassical and Streamline Moderne styles, were slated for construction. Dedicated on October 18, 1934, and the last building of the plan to be completed, the post office and courthouse assumed the duties of an 1887 post office building, which was later restored and is now privately held.