The property on the southwest corner of College and Fifth Streets originally housed a three-story building established in 1891 by Leopold Loeb as Loeb and McGowan Furniture Store and later became McGowan and Pegues Furniture Store. The building included steam heat, electricity and a freight elevator. Behind Leadership Plaza in the parking lot was once a hotel built in 1897 by Thomas J. Gunter called the Commercial Hotel. Around 1940, it was remodeled by Gus and Jim Talantis, renamed “The Alexandra” and operated until 1969 when it was torn down to make way for a parking lot. The plaza was revitalized in 2024 and is used for concerts, festivals and weddings or just as a beautiful place to relax and enjoy the scenery of downtown Columbus. Note the fabulous ghost mural on the side of the existing building.
