What to See in Marion - Top Sights and Attractions

Museum in Marion, Ohio. The Harding Home is a historic house museum at 380 Mount Vernon Avenue in Marion, Ohio. It was the residence of Warren G. Harding, twenty-ninth president of the United States. Harding and his future wife, Florence, designed the Queen Anne Style house in 1890, a year before their marriage. They were married there and lived there for 30 years before his election to the presidency.

Like James A. Garfield, an earlier U.S. president from Ohio, Harding conducted his election campaign mainly from the house's expansive front porch. During the 3 month front porch campaign, over 600,000 people traveled to the Harding Home to listen to Warren speak. George Christian (Warren's next door neighbor and Press Secretary) allowed his home to be used as Republican Headquarters for the campaign. In 1920, Harding built a small bungalow-style structure behind the Christian House so newspaper reporters had workspace to type their stories. The house is surrounded by an expansive, elaborately detailed porch. Entry to the house is through a reception hall, with a parlor on the left. A dining room and Harding's office are also in the first floor. There are four bedrooms on the second floor and a bathroom. Built-in closets are an unusual feature for the time.

Mrs. Harding bequeathed the house to the Harding Memorial Association. The Ohio Historical Society now operates the home as a historic house museum and a memorial. The restored house contains almost all original furnishings owned by President Harding and his wife. The adjacent press house features exhibits about the lives of President and Mrs. Harding. The collection at the Harding Home is over 5,000 original artifacts that belonged to Warren and Florence Harding.

On April 12, 2016, "Harding 2020", a collaboration between Ohio History Connection, the Harding Home, and Marion Technical College, detailed plans to spend $7.3 million at the site to establish the Warren G. Harding Presidential Center. Plans include restoring the home (inside and out) and its grounds to its 1920 appearance. The culmination of the work was to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Harding's election to the presidency.^[1]

Theatre in Marion, Ohio. The Marion Palace Theatre is a movie palace constructed in 1928 in Marion, Ohio, United States for the Young Amusement Company. The original cost of the project was $500,000. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its significance to the atmospheric theatre architectural style popular in the United States during the 1920s.

The theatre opened on August 30, 1928, becoming the company's tenth theatre. A movie palace, it was one of the last to be built in the atmospheric theatre style in the United States. In addition to motion pictures and newsreels, the theatre also booked vaudeville and legitimate theatre, although vaudeville had declined in popularity by the time the theatre opened.

It is located at the corner of West Center Street and Campbell Street, on two former residential lots. The site was initially owned by the Campbell family, early Marion settlers. The lot slopes to the west, causing the stage to be below grade level on the east and at grade level on the west. The east lot was vacant at the time of construction, while the west lot had a residential house, which was razed. Over time, additional land was secured and added to the complex.

In 1975, the theatre was sold to the Palace Cultural Arts Association, a nonprofit organization, and renovated. The Palace remains open today as a movie and performing arts center, and is one of 16 atmospheric theatres designed by John Eberson that remain in operation as theatres in the United States.^[2]

Courthouse. The Marion County Courthouse is the seat of government for Marion County, Ohio, United States. Located at the heart of the city of Marion, it is a sister of the courthouses that stand in Washington Court House in Fayette County, Ohio, and Charlotte, Eaton County, Michigan. All three were designed by architect David W. Gibbs. The Fayette County Courthouse was built during 1882–1885, as was the one in Eaton County Michigan, which uses brick and stone for its exterior rather than stone for the Ohio built structures. The Marion County Courthouse was built during 1884–1886. The blueprints are a modification from even older designs for the Henry and Union County Courthouses.

Ten portholes are decorated with sandstone heads of various figures. Four of them are meant to depict various races—a white woman, an African man, an Asian man, and an American Indian man. Other heads include two settler girls and a settler woman, plus a head similar to depictions of William Shakespeare.

In the 1970s, county officials announced a plan to perform extensive changes the building's interior, which had previously experienced few modifications since construction. The Marion County Historical Society protested the plans and aroused substantial public displeasure; preparations were made for a referendum to repeal the plans, and enough local residents signed a ballot petition that it would have qualified for a vote, but no vote was held because Ohio law does not permit referenda of the sort. Numerous original wood carvings and paintings were destroyed, ceilings were dropped, and aluminum doors installed. County officials sought to mollify local ire by retaining the building's exterior, including restoring the statue of Justice atop the tower.^[5]

University in Marion, Ohio. The Ohio State University at Marion is a satellite campus of Ohio State University in Marion, Ohio. The campus was founded in 1957. Its 187-acre campus is located 45 miles north of Columbus and is shared with Marion Technical College. There are eight buildings on the campus.

The Marion campus practices open admissions. Its average class size is 19. An average age of students is 23.5. The Marion Campus Library of the OSU Marion Campus contains over 48,000 books, a large reference collection, and over 300 subscriptions. The library collection also includes print periodical indexes, microforms, maps, newspapers, pamphlet file, special collections in careers and children's literature, and the Warren G. Harding/Norman Thomas Research Collection. It provides access to all the resources of The Ohio State University and Ohio Link.

About 88% of students at the Marion campus are awarded federal or state financial aid. The student body is 53% female and 47% male. The Academy Program at the campus provides the opportunity for qualified students to enroll in college while still in high school as part of Ohio's College Credit Plus program. The Alber Enterprise Center is a campus-based corporate education center that provides workforce training, organization development, and performance improvement techniques.^[9]