Once an Ohio governor leaves office, there is a good chance that he'll have a building at the state fairgrounds named after him.
Gov. Mike DeWine says it's time to name a building for Ted Strickland
, a one-term governor who lost to Republican John Kasich in 2010. DeWine said he has asked the fair board to name a newly renovated mercantile building after Strickland, the last Democrat to serve as governor.At least 15 former governors have buildings, barns or arenas named after them, including Taft Coliseum, Celeste Center, Voinovich Livestock Center, O'Neill Swine Building and Brown Sheep Building.
Kasich was the last to have his name added to a building. In January 2019, as he was leaving office, Cardinal Hall was renamed Kasich Hall.
DeWine spearheaded
the Expo 2050 Master Plan Construction Project – a $460 million investment initiated in 2019 to improve the fairgrounds in Columbus. At the opening of the 2026 state fair, DeWine showed off two new buildings.
When asked if he has his eye on a building for his own name after he leaves office, DeWine said "No but it's time Ted had his name (on a building.) We just fixed that up. It's a nice, historical building."
Who is Ted Strickland?
Strickland, who turns 85 on Aug. 4, grew up on Duck Run Road in Scioto County as the eighth of 10 children. The family didn’t have indoor running water until Strickland was in high school.
Ted was the only one of the Strickland children to go to college and one of only two to graduate from high school. He became an ordained Methodist minister and earned a PhD in psychology.
Strickland lost his first three races for Congress in 1976, 1978 and 1980 and then took a break to focus on his career as a psychologist. He returned to politics in 1992 and won a seat in Congress, lost it two years later and regained it in 1996.
In 2006, he won the governor's office in a landslide. Four years later, amid an economic downturn, he lost by two-points to Kasich.
State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@usatodayco.com and @lbischoff on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: DeWine wants Ohio fairgrounds building named for ex-Gov. Ted Strickland
