Statue of Jim Rhodes

Governor James A. Rhodes is a 1982 bronze statue depicting Ohio governor Jim Rhodes by Gary Ross, installed along East Broad Street in front of the Rhodes State Office Tower in Columbus, Ohio, United States.[1]

Governor James A. Rhodes
The statue in 2012
ArtistGary Ross
Year1982 (1982)
MediumBronze statue
SubjectJim Rhodes
Dimensions2.0 m (6.5 ft)
LocationEast Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio, United States
Coordinates39°57′45.4″N 82°59′56.9″W

Description

The work is 12 feet (3.7 m) tall and almost 6 tons in weight, including a 6.5-foot (2.0 m) bronze statue weighing 700 lbs. and a granite base weighing more than 11,000 lbs.[2][3] The granite is from New Hampshire, and is similar in color to the granite used in the Rhodes State Office Tower.[4] The bronze portion is hollow, with metal a quarter-inch thick. The figure is welded to a four-inch plinth, which is bolted to the pedestal, increasing the work's stability over traditional securement methods.[5]

The work depicts James A. Rhodes (the longest-serving governor of Ohio and the namesake for the Rhodes State Office Tower) as he looked in 1963.[2] The statue sits on a small plaza outside the Rhodes Tower, facing East Broad Street.[3] The statue depicts Rhodes wearing a business suit, striding forward, and carrying a briefcase in his right hand.[1] The appearance was described in 1982 as a "Rhodes trademark", used in his campaign literature since 1962, and seen in photographs published in news media.[4]

The work was sculpted by longtime Columbus resident Gary Ross, who also sculpted To Honor the Immigrants, located in Battelle Riverfront Park.[6]

An inscription on the base reads:

JAMES A. RHODES / HE SERVED AS GOVERNOR / FOR 16 YEARS–– / LONGER THAN ANY OTHER / STATE GOVERNOR IN THE / HISTORY OF THE UNION / GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF OHIO / 1975–1983 / 1962–1971 / AUDITOR OF THE STATE OF OHIO / 1953–1963 / MAYOR OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS / 1944–1953 / AUDITOR OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS / 1940–1944 / MEMBER OF THE COLUMBUS BOARD / OF EDUCATION / 1938–1940 / DEDICATED: DECEMBER 5, 1982.[1]

Plaster castings of the statue are stored by the Ohio History Connection, the organization authorized by the state assembly to oversee the project.[5]

After Rhodes' death in 2001, the statue's manufacturer, Studio Foundry, revealed that the inside of the statue has a hidden engraved message, a tribute to the four students killed at Kent State University during the Kent State shootings in 1970. As governor, Rhodes had ordered the Ohio National Guard to the university to face the student protests.[7]

History
The statue seen during the Rhodes Tower renovation and the COVID-19 pandemic

The statue cost $67,500 and was commissioned by several companies, including the American Financial Corporation, Dale Property Company, L. M. Berry and Company, and the Western-Southern Life Insurance Company.[1] The work was created after artist Gary Ross held a one two-hour sitting with Jim Rhodes and created a clay model. The bronze work was manufactured by Studio Foundry in Downtown Cleveland, created in seven parts, welded together, with the welds chased out to create a seamless piece.[4]

Dedicated on December 5, 1982, it was originally installed on the northeast corner of the Ohio Statehouse grounds.[1] The statue was hit by a car and vandalized in 1983. It was moved by crane to its current location on September 7, 1991, intended only to stay there for a year amid the extensive renovation of the statehouse.[2] Jim Rhodes was among those who preferred it at the Statehouse, though those in charge of the renovations were in support of its current placement; it remains at the foot of the tower today.[8][9][1]

The artwork was surveyed by the Smithsonian Institution's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" program in 1993.[1]

Identical statues were created for other areas of Ohio. In 2005, a replica was installed in Toledo.[10] In 2013, one was installed outside the Jackson County Courthouse in Jackson, Ohio.[11][12]

See also

References
  1. "Governor James A. Rhodes, (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  2. "SIX-TON GOVERNOR WILL TAKE A RIDE ACROSS STREET". The Columbus Dispatch. September 7, 1991. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  3. Darbee, Jeffrey T.; Recchie, Nancy A. (2008). The AIA Guide to Columbus. Ohio University Press. p. 12. ISBN 9780821416846.
  4. "Gov. Rhodes going to pieces before being put on pedestal". The Columbus Dispatch. October 17, 1982. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  5. "Tribute is hardly bust-able". The Columbus Dispatch. November 30, 1982. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  6. "SCULPTOR'S WORK SEEMS TO BE AT EVERY TURN". The Columbus Dispatch. July 21, 2005. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  7. "A Bronze Bombshell". Columbus Monthly. October 2019. p. 54. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  8. "COLUMBUS MILEPOSTS: DEC. 5, 1982 - Praise, protest greet Rhodes at statue unveiling". The Columbus Dispatch. December 5, 2012. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  9. "RHODES STATUE MAY MOVE BACK TO STATEHOUSE". The Columbus Dispatch. December 29, 1995. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  10. "The Blade". The Blade. Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  11. "Thomas Suddes commentary: Rhodes is the guy who drew the blueprint". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2023-02-21. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  12. "James A. Rhodes Historical Marker". The Historical Marker Database. Archived from the original on 2020-10-19. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
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