Originally the American Insurance Union Citadel, the LeVeque Tower was built in 1927 in the Art Moderne style by architect C. Howard Crane. At the time of construction, the LeVeque was Ohio’s tallest skyscraper and the fifth tallest in the world. The exterior is clad in white “oak bark” terra cotta molded into textured blocs resembling cut stone. The building features decorative bronze elevator doors and a bronze plaque with the building’s horoscope on the day the cornerstone was placed – February 12, 1925.
The LeVeque Tower has been an important landmark in the Columbus skyline for close to 100 years. In fact, in the early days of commercial aviation, the building was used by pilots as “an aerial lighthouse” to guide them to the Columbus airport. A sign painted on the roadway of the adjacent Broad Street Bridge also directed pilots east along Broad Street to Port Columbus.
The LeVeque originally contained 600 hotel rooms, an expansion of the Deshler-Wallick Hotel. After American Insurance Union went bankrupt, ownership transferred to John Lincoln and Leslie LeVeque, and eventually completely to the LeVeque family, leading to its renaming. In 2011, ownership changed again, and restoration and renovations began. In 2017, the Hotel LeVeque opened, a luxury hotel with 150 rooms. The building also contains luxury condominiums and apartments.
50 W Broad St
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Franklin County
Please note: The Greater Columbus Arts Council (Arts Council) does not own or manage any public art. For the purposes of this database many pieces were entered by the Arts Council while we continue to search for the appropriate owner/manager of the work and other information to complete the entry. The Arts Council has tried to gather all available information about the works in this database, however, we acknowledge there may be missing or inaccurate information. If you can help us correct any inaccuracies, or provide more complete information, we would be grateful. Please use “Something missing? Please send us a note” above.
Taking images of public art works and sharing your experiences is one of the most fun reasons to engage with public art. As a community, we care deeply about the artists who have contributed the artworks we enjoy every day. Please be sure to credit artists when you share your photos. If you have an interest in using public artwork present in this database for commercial purposes, please contact Jami Goldstein at the Greater Columbus Arts Council. Taking your own images of public artwork does not release you from the responsibility of artist credit and/or compensation.
This site is produced and managed by the Greater Columbus Arts Council and supported by the Ohio Arts Council and public art collections across the state. Contributors to the databases to date include collections held by the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, City of Columbus, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Dublin Arts Council, City of Upper Arlington Cultural Arts Department, City of Kettering, Downtown Mansfield Inc., Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority, John Glenn Columbus International Airport, Licking County Foundation, Ohio Arts Council’s Percent for Art program, Short North Arts District and the City of Sandusky. The database was funded in part by a grant from the Ohio Arts Council. Research and development support is provided by Designing Local, OSA Technology Partners and Columbus artist Stephanie Rond. The Columbus Makes Art campaign is a citywide, collaborative marketing effort designed to highlight the incredible talent of central Ohio artists. The Greater Columbus Arts Council is supported by the City of Columbus and the Ohio Arts Council.
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