Remembering the time the Dispatch's 1965 April Fools' joke caused a brief panic
On April Fools' Day in 1965, the Columbus Evening Dispatch attempted a prank that left some readers in a panic.
On page 1B of the paper, a photo ran that showed the top half of the iconic LeVeque Tower in downtown Columbus breaking off and falling into the Scioto River.
Despite the tagline at the bottom of the photo indicating that it was an April Fools' Day prank, enough people believed the photo to be real. The following day, the newspaper ran an item and a photo of the tower to prove the landmark was still intact.
The Dispatch reporter, Tom Fennessy, later said that any school kid could have told the doctored photo was fake. However, the incident serves as a reminder of the power of visual media.
The 1927 Art Deco skyscraper was renovated several years ago and now houses offices, apartments, condos and the Hotel LeVeque, part of Marriott’s boutique hotel Autograph Collection.
Today, The LeVeque Tower remains as Downtown's signature building and a key figure on the Columbus skyline.
Columbus history: COSI's 59-year evolution, from Broad Street to the Riverfront
tmoorman@dispatch.com
@taijuannichole
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus history: April Fools' prank in 1965 panicked Dispatch readers
