LeVeque Tower
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American Insurance Union Citadel
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Front of the building, with the Supreme Court building in the foreground
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| Location | 50 West Broad Street Columbus, Ohio |
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| Coordinates | 39°57′44″N 83°0′7″W / 39.96222°N 83.00194°WCoordinates: 39°57′44″N 83°0′7″W / 39.96222°N 83.00194°W |
| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1924 |
| Architect |
C. Howard Crane; John Gill & Sons |
| Architectural style | Art Deco, Modernistic |
| NRHP Reference # | 75001398 |
| Added to NRHP | March 21, 1975 |
The LeVeque Tower is a 47-story Art Deco-style building in Columbus, Ohio. Located at 50 West Broad Street (US 40), it was the tallest building in Columbus from 1927 until 1974 when the Rhodes State Office Tower was completed. The LeVeque Tower is 555 feet 6 inches (169.32 m) tall, which at the time of its completion made it the tallest building between New York City and Chicago and the fifth tallest building in the world. It was meant to be built exactly one half-foot taller than the Washington Monument in Washington D.C.
The LeVeque Tower was commissioned by the American Insurance Union and originally called the American Insurance Union Citadel (AIU Citadel for short). The term "citadel" was chosen for its strong and enduring connotations, which the AIU wanted to convey to the public. Its creation was spearheaded by the leader of the AIU, local magnate John J. Lentz. It was designed by architect C. Howard Crane. Its construction cost approximately $8 million.
Its construction occurred along with a massive revitalization of the riverfront area in downtown Columbus after much of the area had severe problems with flooding. In addition to the tower, a new Columbus City Hall, the 14-story Ohio Courts Building, and the widening of the Scioto River were all undertaken during the same period. The tower was originally only going to be around 480 feet (150 m) tall, but for promotional purposes the leaders of the AIU decided to have the architect augment the original design, so the tower would be 555.5 feet (169.3 m) tall, or 1 foot (0.30 m) taller than the Washington Monument. This aspect of the building was often played up in marketing campaigns. Today, using better measuring devices, it is now known the Washington Monument is 555 feet 5 1⁄8 inches (169.294 m) tall, making the tower only 7⁄8 inch (22 mm) taller than the Washington Monument.
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