Hidden Murals, Presidential Portraits Revealed Inside Walls of Historic Marion County Courthouse

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Marion County Administrative Judge Warren Edwards has a serious case of curiosity, but it’s led him to some incredible finds.

Edwards took 10TV’s Brittany Bailey on a tour of the Historic Marion County Courthouse where hidden gems lay behind walls and locked away in old vaults.

Built in 1884, the building was once heated by fireplaces and wood-burning stoves, unlike modern heating systems in newer buildings. During construction to modernize the building, the original walls and hand-painted frescoes were covered, and the arched ceiling was hidden behind new ceiling tiles.

Room 305, which looked like an ordinary utility room with three stoves, has a unique history. Tucked inconspicuously behind the stove, covered in dust and water damage, is a portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

This is not the only presidential portrait.

So far, building staff have discovered three more portraits, one in the restroom and the other behind the wall.

Edwards said there is even more history hidden behind the walls, waiting to be revealed.

“We believe there are at least 12 such portraits somewhere.”

And these are not the only curiosities of the historical building.

During the pandemic, Edwards enlisted the help of his secretary to break the combination on the vault door lock. Behind him was a room full of history that had been untouched for years.

“When we opened it up, it was just full of old documents,” Edwards said. “It was like walking into a tomb from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Just covered in dust, three inches of big black dust bunnies all over it.’

Monday on 10TV News at 6:00 p.m., Brittany Bailey reveals what other secrets are hidden in the once-hidden vault inside the historic building.

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