The LeVeque Tower is a 47-story Art Deco-style building in Columbus, Ohio that was constructed in the early 1920’s. It was the fifth tallest building in the world at the time of its completion and it was the tallest building in Columbus from 1927 until 1974, when the Rhodes State Office Tower was completed. The building frame is structural steel with all spandrel beams encased in concrete.  The exterior facade of this building is oak-bark texture terra cotta blocks. Many of these blocks are carved to form sculptural elements indicative of the era.

SMBH has completed numerous projects on the building since the 1970’s. Many of the projects have been to maintain and restore the historic façade. The most recent project was an extensive restoration that restored the building to its original grandeur by adding a new 3-story lobby that is appropriate for the scale of the building. The lobby includes soaring windows that adhere to the original architectural plans. New entry canopies on the Front Street and Broad Street sides were also included in the project. The canopies highlight the original entries with design elements that reflect the era in which the building was constructed. Residential units occupy the tower portion of the building. Feasibility studies were completed to determine if an indoor swimming pool can be installed on the 17th and 18th floors for the apartments.

Past projects have included an extensive façade investigation, which was completed in the spring of 2005. During the investigation, SMBH inspected the entire tower façade and developed a restoration and renovation plan to maintain the integrity of it.

Project sizes over the years have varied from 5,000 SF to 75,000 SF and costs have varied from $1m to $20m. Delivery methods are CM at Risk and Multiple Prime. In this mixed-use building, we have worked on the hotel portion, condos, apartments and office space.