Flag of Toledo, Ohio

Last updated
Toledo, Ohio
Flag of Toledo, Ohio.svg
Use Civil flag FIAV normal.svg
Proportion3:5
Adopted1994;30 years ago (1994)
Designed by Carty Finkbeiner
O. J. Hopkins

The flag of Toledo, Ohio, is the official flag of the city of Toledo, Ohio. The flag consists of a vertical blue, white, blue tricolor with Toledo's official seal in the center of the white part of the flag. The current flag was adopted in 1994 and was designed by former Mayor of Toledo, Carty Finkbeiner. [1] There is an on-going effort to change the flag, with a redesign competition being announced by the city. [2]

Contents

Design

The design is a vertical, blue white blue, tricolor with the city seal of Toledo in the middle of the white section. The seal was designed in 1873 by engraver O. J. Hopkins. The seal depicts Fort Industry, a old fort in Toledo famous for being one of the first buildings in what would become modern-day Toledo. Fort Industry is pictured on a grassy cliff on the banks of the Maumee River with the flag of the United States flying on a flagpole in the center of the fort. The sun is seen rising on Fort Industry in the seal making the water of the Maumee river and the sky appear yellowish brown. Just above the flagpole is the Toledo's motto in Latin, "LABORARE EST ORARE", which in English translates to, "to work is to pray". [3] The seal is wrapped around the text "SEAL OF THE CITY OF TOLEDO, JANUARY 7, 1837", which was the day that Toledo was the day that Toledo was founded. [1]

History

Toledo's first flag (1909-1994) Flag of Toledo, Ohio (1909-1994).svg
FIAV historical.svg Toledo's first flag (1909-1994)

The first flag of Toledo was adopted by the Toledo City Council on January 11, 1909. The flag features a vertical, blue white blue, tricolor with a blue circle and a blue circular outline around a red, simplistic illustration representing Fort Industry. The Mayor at the time, Brand Whitlock, explained the flag's symbolism with the red, white, and blue color scheme as a reference to the colors on the flag of the United States. He also stated that the blue circle outline around Fort Industry represented unity, completeness, eternity, and the state of Ohio. [4] [1]

The second and current flag was adopted in 1994, and replaces the Fort Industry symbol with the newly updated city seal of Toledo. Mayor Carty Finkbeiner approved the new flag in the run up to Toledo's 160th anniversary that took place in 1997. [4]

2022 Proposal

Jacob Parr's Proposal (2022) Flag of Toledo, Ohio 2022 Proposal.svg
FIAV proposal.svg Jacob Parr's Proposal (2022)

On August 9, 2022, a local graphic designer named Jacob Parr presented his redesign for the city flag at a City Council meeting. [5] The flag came up for a vote on August 16, but the council decided to postpone the vote, citing a lack of public comment on the flag. [6] Gretchen DeBacker, a spokesperson for the city stated that the flag would be brought back up again in some form in 2023. While there was hope within the mayor's administration that the flag would be officially launched by April 2023, this did not happen, partly because of concerns over a lack of public participation. [7] The Toledo Blade's editorial board came out against changing the flag in an August 10, 2022 editorial, saying that the current flag is a "fine flag" and the city does not need a new one. [8]

The 2022 Proposal consists of two equal sections cut diagonally in a upwards motion with the top being white and the bottom being light blue, representing the Maumee River. The diagonal shape of the flag is a reference to maritime signal flags, representing Toledo's status as a port city on Lake Erie. An eight pointed star called the "Spark of Industry" is located in the top half of the flag. The eight points on this star represent the historic and current industries of Toledo: Agriculture, Automotive, Glass, Transportation, Arts, Education, Energy, and Healthcare. [9]

Redesign Competition

On April 19, 2024, The city announced a timeline for a redesign competition. Submissions will open sometime in June, and close on July 15. In September, a board will publish the semifinalist designs, which will be open to public feedback. After all of this, the city hopes to adopt the new flag on January 7, 2025. [2] [10] [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toledo, Ohio</span> City in Ohio, United States

Toledo is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 270,871, making Toledo the fourth-most populous city in Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. Toledo is the 84th-most populous city in the United States. It is the principal city of the Toledo metropolitan area, which had 606,240 residents in 2020. Toledo also serves as a major trade center for the Midwest; its port is the fifth-busiest on the Great Lakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Minnesota</span> U.S. state flag

The flag of Minnesota is the state flag of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its design features a modified version of the seal of Minnesota emblazoned on a blue field. The flag's first version was adopted in 1893, in advance of the state's mounting an exhibition at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. It was significantly revised in 1957 and received a minor update in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Utah</span> State flag

The Beehive Flag is the official flag of the U.S. State of Utah. It is a horizontal tricolor with irregular bands of blue, white, and red. The middle white band contains a blue hexagon outlined in gold. Within the hexagon lies a gold-colored beehive, and below it sits a five-pointed white star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carty Finkbeiner</span> American Democratic politician served as mayor of Toledo, Ohio

Carleton "Carty" S. Finkbeiner is an American Democratic politician and former mayor of Toledo, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flags of New York City</span> Official flags of the U.S. city of New York City

The flags of New York City include the flag of New York City, the respective flags of the boroughs of The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island, and flags of certain city departments. The city flag is a vertical tricolor in blue, white, and orange and charged in the center bar with the seal of New York City in blue. The tricolor design is derived from the flag of the Dutch Monarchy—the Prince's Flag—as used in New Amsterdam in 1625, when that city became the capital of New Netherland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Cleveland</span>

The municipal flag of Cleveland serves as the representative banner of the city of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The flag was designed by local art school graduate Susan Hepburn, and was officially adopted as the municipal banner by Cleveland City Council on October 21, 1895, with the ordinance on the flag adopted on February 24, 1896.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maumee Valley Country Day School</span> Private, coeducational high school in Toledo, , Ohio, United States

Maumee Valley Country Day School is an independent and non-religious private school located in Toledo, Ohio. The school was founded in 1842 as an all-girls finishing school in Western New York and was moved to Toledo in 1884, where it became The Smead School for Girls. The school became coeducational and adopted its present location and name in the early 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Dallas</span> Flag of the city of Dallas, Texas

The current flag of Dallas, Texas, was adopted February 13, 1967. The flag was designed by E. L. Gilchrist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Wayne Bridge</span> Bridge in Toledo, Ohio

The Anthony Wayne Bridge, commonly called the High Level Bridge, and is a downtown Toledo, Ohio landmark named after General Anthony Wayne. It is a suspension bridge that spans the Maumee River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Andersons</span> American agricultural business

The Andersons, Inc. is an American agribusiness established in 1947, that began as Andersons Truck Terminal (ATT) in the 1940s for the grain industry, headquartered in Maumee, Ohio. It is a diversified company rooted in agriculture that conducts business in the commodity merchandising, renewables, and plant nutrient sectors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Albany, New York</span> Official government emblem of the U.S. capital of Albany, New York

The coat of arms of Albany, New York, is the heraldic symbol representing the city of Albany, the capital of the U.S. state of New York. The coat of arms is rarely seen by itself; it is almost always used in the city seal or on the city flag. The current coat of arms was adopted in 1789, although prior to that it was significantly simpler, ranging from stylized lettering to a caricature of a beaver. Included in the coat of arms are references to Albany's agricultural and fur-trading past. It is supported by a white man and an American Indian and is crested by a sloop. The coat of arms is meant to represent the "symbols of industry and its rewards to man and beast on land and sea".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Batangas</span>

The flag of Batangas is the provincial flag of Batangas, Philippines. It is a horizontal triband of blue, white, and red — the main colors of the Philippine flag — with the escutcheon taken from the provincial seal in the center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seal of Cincinnati</span>

The seal of Cincinnati is the official insignia of the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, in the United States. Adopted in 1819, the seal incorporates scales, a sword, and a caduceus. The seal is featured prominently in the flag of Cincinnati and the insignia of city agencies and institutions.

Donna M. Owens is an American Republican politician who served as the mayor of Toledo, Ohio, from 1983 until 1989. As of 2022, she is the most recent person elected mayor of Toledo only as a Republican.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of San Jose, California</span>

The flag of San Jose is the official municipal flag of San Jose, California. The current design, a triband of gold on top, white in the middle, and blue on the bottom with the city's official seal in the center, has been the official flag since 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Austin, Texas</span> Flag of Austin, Texas

The flag of Austin is the official municipal flag of Austin, Texas. The flag simply consists of a white field with the seal of Austin without the surrounding circle of text. Below the seal of Austin is the text "CITY OF AUSTIN", written in blue and arched upwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Columbus, Ohio</span> Official flag of the capital of Ohio

The flag of Columbus is the official municipal flag of Columbus, Ohio. Its current design is a yellow, white, red vertical triband with the city seal on a blue field. Officially, the flag was adopted in 1929, although it is unknown if the flag was ever flown when it was first adopted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Toledo, Ohio, mayoral election</span>

Toledo, Ohio, held an election for mayor on November 2, 2021. The election was officially nonpartisan, with the top two candidates from the September 14 primary election advancing to the general election, regardless of party. Incumbent Democratic mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz successfully ran for reelection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Toledo, Ohio, mayoral election</span>

Toledo, Ohio, held an election for mayor on November 5, 2013. The election was officially nonpartisan, with the top two candidates from the September 10 primary election advancing to the general election, regardless of party. Incumbent independent mayor Michael Bell lost reelection to independent city councilor D. Michael Collins.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Toledo, Ohio (U.S.)". crwflags.com. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  2. 1 2 "Call for Entries for Toledo Flag Design". City of Toledo. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  3. "Definition of LABORARE EST ORARE". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  4. 1 2 "Blue and white forever: a history of Toledo's city flag". wtol.com. August 19, 2022. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  5. III, Willie Daniely (2022-08-10). "Toledo graphic designer proposes new design for the city's flag". www.13abc.com. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  6. Heid, Derek (2022-08-16). "Toledo City Council postpones vote for new flag". WNWO. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  7. "Toledo's proposed new flag design seems to be hanging in the balance". The Blade. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  8. "Editorial: Keep Toledo's flag flying". The Blade. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  9. "Toledo's New City Flag". Jupmode. 2022-08-15. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  10. "Officials announce timeline for city flag redesign". The Blade. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  11. "City of Toledo asking residents to design its new flag". wtol.com. 2024-04-20. Retrieved 2024-04-30.