{"nrhp_refnum":"75001398","name":"American Insurance Union Citadel (Palace Theatre Amendment)","other_names":["Leveque-Lincoln Tower","Keith-Albee Palace Theatre","Palace Theatre"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"34 W. Broad St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Columbus","county":"Franklin County","state":"OH","lat":39.962622328000066,"lon":-83.00213301599996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-03-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 55-story steel and concrete skyscraper at 50 West Broad Street in Columbus, Ohio, begun in 1924 and dedicated in 1927 as the headquarters of the American Insurance Union, designed by C. Howard Crane of Detroit. It is now known as the Leveque-Lincoln Tower.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a fine example of 1920s skyscraper construction and a long-standing architectural landmark of Columbus. It was the tallest building in Ohio when built and the first in the state erected on a caisson foundation. It was also called the \"first aerial lighthouse\" in the U.S. because it guided aviators.","narrative":"Rising 555.5 feet above Broad Street in Columbus, this 55-story tower was built as the headquarters of the American Insurance Union, a fraternal insurance society founded by John J. Lentz in 1894. C. Howard Crane of Detroit designed it, and John Gill and Sons built it between 1924 and 1927 at a cost of $7.8 million. Its terra cotta walls carry eagles with 20-foot wingspans, and statuary groups of a giant embracing two children sit near the top. The tapering profile resembles many Modernistic skyscrapers of the 1920s. It was the tallest building in Ohio when completed and the first in the state built on a caisson foundation. It also served as a guide to pilots, earning the name \"first aerial lighthouse.\" The east wing once held a 4,000-seat theatre. Today, now called the Leveque-Lincoln Tower, it remains in use as offices, though its interior and some exterior details have been altered.","period_of_significance":"20th Century (begun 1924)","architect_builder":"C. Howard Crane of Detroit (architect); Roger J. Waring (resident architectural superintendent); John Gill and Sons (builders); Fritz Albert of Chicago (exterior ornamentation) from models by Carl H. Keck","architectural_style":"Modernistic style skyscraper of the 1920s","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still in use as offices; the form lists condition as fair and altered, with the interior modified, south windows changed, the Deshler Hotel bridge removed and some sculpture removed.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.40734-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/75001398.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001398/d8cc3527e0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001398/d8cc3527e0-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":null,"credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Columbus-ohio-leveque-tower.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Columbus-ohio-leveque-tower.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":null,"wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeVeque_Tower","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6506496"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/franklin-county/american-insurance-union-citadel-palace-theatre-amendment-75001398/"}