LeVeque Tower at dusk

The LeVeque Tower is a 47-story Art Deco-style building in Columbus, Ohio. This is the view of it from my room, taken at dusk. it was the tallest building in Columbus from 1927 until 1974. 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.

I have been admiring this tower since my first visit to Columbus in 2001 and always wanted to get a shot of the upper levels. This was taken from the 18th floor of my hotel, also in the Columbus downtown area. If my room had been right at the end of the corridor, I might have been able to take this shot from further to the right.

The detail is quite exquisite and reminded me of the style of NY's Empire State Building. Its construction cost was approximately $8 million.

More detail. (See the lights at the base of the towers.)

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.

Due to the Great Depression and the subsequent high cost of the tower, the American Insurance Union went bankrupt, and sold the building in order to pay off unpaid policies. The tower was purchased by John Lincoln and Leslie L. LeVeque in 1945 for a fraction of the amount it cost to erect, and also a fraction of what was owed to policy holders.

The LeVeque Tower complex continues to be home to a variety of businesses and offices, including, at its base, the Palace Theatre.