Description: Watercolor of the A.I.U. Building (also known as LeVeque Tower) under construction, by Ralph Fanning, ca. 1927. Artist and art historian Ralph Fanning was born on Long Island in 1889. A Quaker, Fanning served in France in compassionate non-military service during World War I. In the 1920s, he joined the Ohio State University Art Department, becoming a full professor in 1924. Fanning was a skilled artist, especially talented at depicting bridges and buildings. He sketched and painted numerous buildings in Columbus and throughout Ohio. In 1950, Fanning became ill and was later diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The disease affected his work, but he continued to paint and sketch. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04160
Subjects: Columbus (Ohio); Cultural Ohio--Art and Artists; Architecture--Ohio; Cityscapes; Ohio State University--History; Leveque Tower (Columbus, Ohio)
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: View of LeVeque Tower and the Ohio State Office Building from across the Scioto River, Columbus, Ohio, ca. 1962. The river's flood containment walls are visible. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL01727
Subjects: Leveque Tower (Columbus, Ohio); Columbus (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.; Scioto River (Ohio); Cityscapes;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph showing an unidentified man looking across the river at a downtown Columbus, Ohio. Seen along the skyline are the LeVeque Tower and the Ohio State Office Building. Photograph belongs to the Columbus Citizen-Journal Photograph Collection. On November 9, 1959, the Columbus Citizen and the Ohio State Journal merged to form the Columbus Citizen-Journal, a new morning paper. With this merger, the Ohio State Journal, which began in 1811 as the Western Intelligencer, suspended publication. The Columbus Citizen-Journal Photograph Collection consists of 24,006 black-and-white photographs of various sizes and dates ranging from 1912 to 1984, depicting a wide variety of people, places, and events relating to Ohio or impacting Ohio residents. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P339_B17_004_01
Subjects: Leveque Tower (Columbus, Ohio); Columbus (Ohio); Rivers; City & town halls; Skyscrapers;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows a view of the Columbus City Hall as seen from Marconi Boulevard with the American Insurance Union Citadel (now LeVeque Tower) behind. The City Hall, located 90 West Broad Street, bounded by Gay, Front, and Broad Sts., and Riverside Drive, occupies, with its park, and entire block in the heart of the civic center. The 5-story structure of Indiana limestone, in Greco-Roman style, was designed by the Allied Architects Association of Columbus and cost $1,700,000. Three of the four sections of the building, which surround a court, were completed in 1928, and the fourth was dedicated in 1936. The hall houses various municipal departments and contains a city council chamber that originally sat more than 400 people. At night multi-colored lights played upon a fountain before the Broad Street entrance. The American Insurance Union Citadel, located at 50 West Broad Street at the corner of Front Street, was designed by architect C. Howard Crane in the Art Deco style with touches of a more modern version of the Byzantine. The 47-story tall skyscraper, designed mainly as office space, rises to an elevation of 555.5 feet, and was built to be 6 inches taller than the Washington Monument. Two 18-story wings flank the building; on the east, the 4,000 seat Keith-Albee Theater (now the Palace Theater), and on the west the 600 room Deshler-Wallick Hotel. The steel-frame building, completed in 1927 at a cost of $7,800,000, was the first building in Ohio to be erected on a caisson foundation. It was the fifth tallest building in the world for a time, and the tallest building in the city until 1974. Faced with cream colored, oak bark textured terra-cotta, AIU Citadel, as it was known, bears huge ornamentations of the same material on the tower. Four large eagles, with a wing span of 22 feet stood sentry on the 36th floor, at each of the four corners, but have since been removed. A 26 foot high bearded giant embracing two children could be found on each side at the 40th floor, but were removed by Mr. LeVeque to allow for a view from his office. The spaces left by the departed sculpture serve as the bases for lights used to illuminate the tower. These and other exterior ornamentations were executed by Fritz Albert, of Chicago, from models by Carl H. Keck, New York sculptor, including the helmeted guardians below the dome topped balistraria. Throughout the building’s history praise has been give for the bright and elaborate lighting of its tower. It was known as "the first aerial lighthouse" as signal lights on the four turrets of the tower served as beacons in the night for aviators. Since the 1980s the tower has had the capability of being lit in a variety of colors. It is normally lit in white, but color is added frequently for special occasion. An observation deck was operated through the 1960s where visitors could travel to the top of the tower for a small fee. The deck was closed with the addition of antennas to the top of the tower and the space was converted into a luxury penthouse apartment. The public areas of the interior are made of Belgian and Italian marbles, bronze and mosaics were used extensively throughout. In the marble floor of the lobby is a bronze plaque bearing the horoscope of the building, which shows the position of the planets when the cornerstone of the building was laid, February 13, 1926. The Hall of Mirrors, on the second floor, is an outstanding show place. Its large, gold-tinted mirrors, inlaid with panel work, vaulted ceiling, and other features were copied from the original Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles. Due to the Great Depression the American Insurance Union went bankrupt, and sold the building. The tower was purchased by John Lincoln and Leslie L. LeVeque in 1945. LeVeque was the designer of an automatic pinsetter for bowling which became known as the Columbus pinsetter. The Lincoln-LeVeque Tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and in 1977, the name was officially changed to the LeVeque Tower. The building changed hands to Lennar Properties in 2004, and then again to the new owners Finsilver/Friedman Management, a Michigan based regional developer and property manager. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B05F04A_002_1
Subjects: Columbus (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Pictorial works; Municipal buildings--United States; City halls--United States; Allied Architects Association (Columbus, Ohio); Theaters--Ohio--Columbus--History; Leveque Tower (Columbus, Ohio); Crane, C. Howard (Charles Howard), 1885-1952; National Regi
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Postcard of the Hotel Deshler in Downtown Columbus, Ohio, ca. 1910-1919. The hotel was built by Louis C. and Adrian L. Wallick. Later operated by Hilton Hotels, it was demolished in 1970. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06299
Subjects: Hotels; Ohio Economy--Economy--Business; Hotels--Ohio--Columbus--History; Leveque Tower (Columbus, Ohio); Historic buildings--Ohio--Columbus
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Caption reads: "Columbus Civic Center, Columbus, Ohio." Shown in the photograph, from left to right is; City Hall, the LeVeque-Lincoln Tower and the Ohio State Office Building as seen from across the Scioto River. The City Hall, located 90 West Broad Street, bounded by Gay, Front, and Broad Sts., and Riverside Drive, occupies, with its park, and entire block in the heart of the civic center. The 5-story structure of Indiana limestone, in Greco-Roman style, was designed by the Allied Architects Association of Columbus and cost $1,700,000. Three of the four sections of the building, which surround a court, were completed in 1928, and the fourth was dedicated in 1936. The hall houses various municipal departments and contains a city council chamber that originally sat more than 400 people. At night multi-colored lights played upon a fountain before the Broad Street entrance The American Insurance Union Citadel, located at 50 West Broad Street at the corner of Front Street, was designed by architect C. Howard Crane in the Art Deco style with touches of a more modern version of the Byzantine. The 47-story tall skyscraper, designed mainly as office space, rises to an elevation of 555.5 feet, and was built to be 6 inches taller than the Washington Monument. Two 18-story wings flank the building; on the east, the 4,000 seat Keith-Albee Theater (now the Palace Theater), and on the west the 600 room Deshler-Wallick Hotel. The steel-frame building, completed in 1927 at a cost of $7,800,000, was the first building in Ohio to be erected on a caisson foundation. It was the fifth tallest building in the world for a time, and the tallest building in the city until 1974. Faced with cream colored, oak bark textured terra-cotta, AIU Citadel, as it was known, bears huge ornamentations of the same material on the tower. Four large eagles, with a wing span of 22 feet stood sentry on the 36th floor, at each of the four corners, but have since been removed. A 26 foot high bearded giant embracing two children could be found on each side at the 40th floor, but were removed by Mr. LeVeque to allow for a view from his office. The spaces left by the departed sculpture serve as the bases for lights used to illuminate the tower. These and other exterior ornamentations were executed by Fritz Albert, of Chicago, from models by Carl H. Keck, New York sculptor, including the helmeted guardians below the dome topped balistraria. Throughout the building’s history praise has been give for the bright and elaborate lighting of its tower. Signal lights on the four turrets of the tower served as beacons in the night for aviators. Since the 1980s the tower has had the capability of being lit in a variety of colors. It is normally lit in white, but color is added frequently for special occasion. An observation deck was operated through the 1960s where visitors could travel to the top of the tower for a small fee. The deck was closed with the addition of antennas to the top of the tower and the space was converted into a luxury penthouse apartment. The public areas of the interior are made of Belgian and Italian marbles, bronze and mosaics were used extensively throughout. In the marble floor of the lobby is a bronze plaque bearing the horoscope of the building, which shows the position of the planets when the cornerstone of the building was laid, February 13, 1926. The Hall of Mirrors, on the second floor, is an outstanding show place. Its large, gold-tinted mirrors, inlaid with panel work, vaulted ceiling, and other features were copied from the original Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles. Due to the Great Depression the American Insurance Union went bankrupt, and sold the building. The tower was purchased by John Lincoln and Leslie L. LeVeque in 1945. LeVeque was the designer of an automatic pinsetter for bowling which became known as the Columbus pinsetter. The Lincoln-LeVeque Tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and in 1977, the name was officially changed to the LeVeque Tower. The building changed hands to Lennar Properties in 2004, and then again to the new owners Finsilver/Friedman Management, a Michigan based regional developer and property manager The Ohio State Office Building, located at 65 South Front Street was eventually renamed the Ohio Departments building, for a time, before becoming the Supreme Court of Ohio. Designed by Henry Hake of Cincinnati, it was completed in 1933 at a cost exceeding $6,500,000. When it was nearing completion, on April 14, 1932, the structure was badly damaged by a gas explosion that killed 11 workmen and injured more than 50. Repairs cost an additional $750,000. The 14-story building is of Georgia marble, luxuriously decorated with metals, tiling, colored marbles, mosaics and numerous murals. It housed many State departments and on the 11th floor the Ohio State Library, one of the largest of its kind in the country. The library and several of the hearing rooms, used as assembly halls, are adorned with panel murals of historical character, outstanding among them being works of John F. Holmer and H.H. Wessel of Cincinnati as well as Leroy Daniel MacMorris of and Rudolph Sheffler of New York. In 1998, the Ohio General Assembly voted to bear the cost of the building's renovation. Renovation began in 2001 and was completed in January of 2004. The Ohio State Office Building was renamed the Ohio Judicial Center and was officially opened on February 17, 2004, winning several awards due to its superior architecture. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B05F04A_012_1
Subjects: Columbus (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Pictorial works; Municipal buildings--United States; City halls--United States; Allied Architects Association (Columbus, Ohio); Skyscrapers--United States--Pictorial works; Office buildings--Ohio; Theaters--Ohio--Columbus--History; Leveque Tower (Columbu
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows the American Insurance Union Citadel, located at 50 West Broad Street at the corner of Front Street, was designed by architect C. Howard Crane in the Art Deco style with touches of a more modern version of the Byzantine. The 47-story tall skyscraper, designed mainly as office space, rises to an elevation of 555.5 feet, and was built to be 6 inches taller than the Washington Monument. Two 18-story wings flank the building; on the east, the 4,000 seat Keith-Albee Theater (now the Palace Theater), and on the west the 600 room Deshler-Wallick Hotel. The steel-frame building, completed in 1927 at a cost of $7,800,000, was the first building in Ohio to be erected on a caisson foundation. It was the fifth tallest building in the world for a time, and the tallest building in the city until 1974. Due to the Great Depression the American Insurance Union went bankrupt, and sold the building. The tower was purchased by John Lincoln and Leslie L. LeVeque in 1945. LeVeque was the designer of an automatic pinsetter for bowling which became known as the Columbus pinsetter. The Lincoln-LeVeque Tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and in 1977, the name was officially changed to the LeVeque Tower. The building changed hands to Lennar Properties in 2004, and then again to the new owners Finsilver/Friedman Management, a Michigan based regional developer and property manager. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B05F04A_003_1
Subjects: Skyscrapers--United States--Pictorial works; Office buildings--Ohio; Theaters--Ohio--Columbus--History; Leveque Tower (Columbus, Ohio); Crane, C. Howard (Charles Howard), 1885-1952; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Postcard view of the Deshler-Wallick Hotel in Columbus, Ohio, ca. 1940-1949. The postcard describe it as "America's Most Beautifully Equipped Hotel." The hotel was demolizhed in 1970, but for a time was the city's leading hotel and one of the world's largest. The LeVeque Tower, or A.I.U. Citadel, can also be seen in the postcard. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05234
Subjects: Hotels; Ohio Economy--Economy--Business; Columbus (Ohio); Leveque Tower (Columbus, Ohio)
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This illustrated postcard depicts an elevated view looking west on Broad Street from Memorial Hall, Columbus, Ohio, ca. 1940-1949. Broad Street is tree-lined, with 1940s cars lining it and the side streets near the bottom of the image. The buildings are shaded in tones of green, gray, brown, and yellow. The LeVeque Tower can be seen in the distance. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05188
Subjects: Streets--Ohio--Columbus; Ohio Economy--Transportation and Development; Columbus (Ohio); Architecture--Ohio--Columbus--History--20th century; Capitol Square District (Columbus, Ohio)--Pictorial works; Columbus (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.; Leveque Tower (Columbus, Ohio)
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Illustrated view of the west side of the Ohio State Office Building and the American Insurance Union Citadel (now the LeVeque Tower) along the Scioto River, from the Rich Street Bridge in Columbus, Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05467
Subjects: Bridges; Ohio History--State and Local Government; Leveque Tower (Columbus, Ohio); Architecture
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows the American Insurance Union Citadel (now LeVeque Tower) and the Ohio State Office Building (now the Ohio Judicial Center), as view from the opposite bank of the Scioto River, underneath the Town Street Bridge. The American Insurance Union Citadel, located at 50 West Broad Street at the corner of Front Street, was designed by architect C. Howard Crane in the Art Deco style with touches of a more modern version of the Byzantine. The 47-story tall skyscraper, designed mainly as office space, rises to an elevation of 555.5 feet, and was built to be 6 inches taller than the Washington Monument. Two 18-story wings flank the building; on the east, the 4,000 seat Keith-Albee Theater (now the Palace Theater), and on the west the 600 room Deshler-Wallick Hotel. The steel-frame building, completed in 1927 at a cost of $7,800,000, was the first building in Ohio to be erected on a caisson foundation. It was the fifth tallest building in the world for a time, and the tallest building in the city until 1974. Due to the Great Depression the American Insurance Union went bankrupt, and sold the building. The tower was purchased by John Lincoln and Leslie L. LeVeque in 1945. LeVeque was the designer of an automatic pinsetter for bowling which became known as the Columbus pinsetter. The Lincoln-LeVeque Tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and in 1977, the name was officially changed to the LeVeque Tower. The building changed hands to Lennar Properties in 2004, and then again to the new owners Finsilver/Friedman Management, a Michigan based regional developer and property manager. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B05F04A_005_1
Subjects: Columbus (Ohio); Ohio. Supreme Court; MacMorris, Leroy Daniel, 1893-1981; Leveque Tower (Columbus, Ohio); Crane, C. Howard (Charles Howard), 1885-1952; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph view of civic buildings in downtown Columbus including, from left to right, police headquarters, the American Insurance Union building (now LeVeque Tower) and City Hall, taken in 1930. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL03264
Subjects: Architecture--Ohio--Columbus--History--20th century; Leveque Tower (Columbus, Ohio); Public buildings--Ohio--Columbus
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin (Ohio)