Summer vacation: Find hidden treasures that are remarkably close to home
Just in time for summer travel, Heritage Nebraska—a new statewide historic preservation advocacy and education group—has released a first-ever list of Hidden Treasures and Fading Places. The purpose of the list is to help celebrate Nebraska’s unique heritage as evidenced through its built environment, culture and landscapes.
Using nominations from preservationists and preservation groups, the list was finalized by the organization’s Preservation Advisory Committee. Public awareness of the dangers of losing some of these well-known places, as well as the opportunities for sharing the lesser-known places, is the ultimate goal.
The Nine Hidden Treasures
Downtown Fremont: This National Register District downtown has many late 1800s-era buildings, several on-going preservation projects and a collection of antique and boutique shops, as well as a mix of businesses from clothing to hardware and shoes. A recent streetscape project featuring historic reproduction streetlamps is the icing on the cake.
Faling House, Cambridge Bed & Breakfast: Constructed from 1907 to 1910, the 10,000-square-foot house built by William Faling in Cambridge is now used as a bed-and-breakfast. The neoclassic architecture, original fixtures and faux painting set this National Register property apart. It is notable for its size, the quantity and quality of the architectural detail, and Austrian leaded and beveled windows and millwork.
Hamilton Avenue Methodist Church/ Pentecostal Temple in Hastings: A fine example of a church built by black Americans in outstate Nebraska. The original building is still serving a black congregation. Set apart by its historical significance (potentially eligible for the National Register as a religious property significant in the area of settlement), the church, built in 1904, has been in continuous use for more than 100 years.
Joslyn Castle in Omaha: George and Sarah Joslyn constructed one of Nebraska’s greatest homes—a 35-room Scottish Baronial mansion atop a hill on Omaha’s outskirts—in 1903. The 19,360-square-foot four-story house features a rich use of carved wood, stained glass, chiseled stone, mosaic tiles and wrought iron. The limestone castle includes a reception hall, music room, ballroom, library and drawing room.
Hotel Chadron/Olde Main Street Inn: Built by the O’Hanlon family in 1890, the elegant Chadron House was adorned with rich wallpaper, carpet from Brussels and marble washstands in each room. Some of those luxuries remain for modern-day tourists who visit the place, which has been run by three generations of innkeepers for more than 100 years.
Neihardt State Historic Site in Bancroft: The community was the boyhood home of Nebraska Poet Laureate John G. Neihardt from 1900–1921. Neihardt lived in a house built in 1880. The Neihardt Center has preserved his study in an interpretive center, which opened in 1976. The property is owned by the Nebraska State Historical Society. Many buildings from the Neihardt era remain in the community.
Nicholas Street Historic District: The National Register District on the edge of North Downtown Omaha represents one of three patterns of industrial development along railroad lines in Midwestern towns. This district is on the cusp of redevelopment and also home to Omaha’s Hot Shops: 50 art studios, four art galleries and many exhibition spaces.
Prairie Loft Center for Outdoor Agricultural Learning: This land near Hastings was once part of the farm operation at the state mental hospital known as Ingleside. The farm was active from before 1894 to the late 1960s. The barn, now being used for educational activities, was built around 1931. The property is now used to teach agriculture appreciation, outdoor education, cultural traditions and the wise use of natural resources.
Prospect Hill Cemetery and Caretaker Residence: Some of the most prominent people in the development of Omaha are buried among the 15,000 graves dating back to 1858. The north Omaha property was developed by Byron Reed, an early real estate developer. This is also a collection of amazing stories of individuals who built the city. It is an extremely beautiful place set apart from its surroundings.
The 12 Fading Places
Archeological sites statewide: Archeological sites are being destroyed at alarming rates, representing a loss of whole chapters of Nebraska’s prehistory and early history. Development and urban expansion have resulted in the loss of countless sites. Proper protection through planning and zoning is lacking. Sites are also being looted for artifacts using metal detectors and excavation. Public education about the importance of these sites needs to be strengthened.
Aurora Apothecary/Knights of Pythias Hall: Another important building is endangered in this Hamilton County seat community that is still smarting from the demolition of an old bank to make way for a “modern” one and then the tragic fire loss of a true icon more than a year ago. The collapse of part of the roof of the Aurora Apothecary building has slowed plans for the sale and rehab of this important piece of the downtown tapestry. The scene is repeated all too often in other Nebraska downtowns.
Boot Hill Cemetery and Camp Lookout in Sidney: Constructed and used between 1868 and 1889, the cemetery played a significant role in the history of the “Old West,” when Sidney was a major outpost for the U.S. Army and a shipping point to and from the Black Hills Gold Rush. The cemetery was abandoned in 1889 and is being restored by volunteers who are also working on Camp Lookout, the oldest building in Sidney. It was built in 1867 to house soldiers from Fort Sedgwick, Colo., who set up an outpost to protect railroad workers pushing the Union Pacific across the Plains.
Hastings Junior High School and endangered schools statewide: Preservationists in Hastings say the threat to the now-vacant building is critical. The building will be demolished if action is not taken soon for a viable reuse greater than a parking lot. The 1917 facility was designed by Hastings architect C.W. Way and is one of five remaining structures of that type. The scenario is repeated in other Nebraska communities where old elementary schools, middle schools and high schools are often abandoned for new structures and deemed surplus.
Metz Hall in Elkhorn: Located on Elkhorn’s “upper” Main Street, the wood building features a dance floor in a room highlighted by an inlaid wood ceiling. This turn-of-the century structure reflects the grand era of brewing in Omaha when Metz, Krug, Willow Springs and Storz were the big four names in breweries. Metz Brewery closed because of Prohibition in 1920 and the property was sold off. The Elkhorn hall has potential as an historic gem if it can be preserved.
Naval Ammunition Depot: The 48,000-acre facility located in Adams and Clay Counties was the largest of four Navy ammunition depots in the U.S. during World War II and produced a significant amount of ammunition for the armed forces. The facility was opened six months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1942. There were 1,800 buildings and 1,500 concrete and earthen storage magazines. The complex closed in 1966. The property is in excellent to poor condition and can be protected by adaptive re-use.
Oregon Trail (statewide): The “Great Platte River Road” is characterized by open vistas and even remnants of the road itself. Transmission lines and cell towers often overwhelm the sense of place of the trail. Natural erosion, development and agricultural practices disturb the swales, ruts and pathways where the trail existed. Over many years, road ranches and Pony Express stations along the Oregon–California Trail in Nebraska have also been impacted by metal detecting and excavation. Public education is needed, and tools, such as donations of easements, can benefit sites and landowners alike.
Pershing Auditorium West Wall Mural in Lincoln: The 140-foot by 38-foot mural designed by Omaha artists Leonard Thiessen and William Hammon highlights the building completed in 1957. The mural features more than 763,000 pieces of tile, each cut 1-inch square and assembled in 1-foot by 2-foot sections at the Cambridge Tile Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was shipped to Lincoln and installed on the auditorium. Workers assembled the mural based on numbers on the back of each piece rather than sight of the picture. The mural is in need of some repair. Its fate rests on the future of the building.
Rural schools statewide, such as the Logan Valley District 16 School of Cedar County: This school is actually located north of Laurel in northeast Nebraska. Built in 1929–1930 by a Hartington construction company, the wooden building replaced an old one that had been destroyed by a fire caused by an overheated stove in 1928. This building has indoor restrooms on each side of the entryway, separate library and storeroom, and a complete basement with an indoor water supply and a complete kitchen. The school is in poor condition but worthy of saving, as are many others statewide.
Starke Round Barn: This unique property located near Red Cloud is the state’s largest and one of the largest in the nation. The 1902–1903 structure is in fair condition but can only be maintained on a minimal basis due to lack of funds. The remote location and small population base is not enough to support the building as a local attraction. It will be important to find a viable use for the building. Like many historic Great Plains resources in less populated areas, it may disappear without many people being aware that it ever existed.
Thorndike Hall in Cambridge: Thorndike Hall is in the second floor of a downtown building that is generally well preserved and features an elaborately painted ceiling. The hall was constructed in 1907–1908 and last used in the 1940s and ’50s. Thorndike Hall is where Glen Miller played in a band led by Cambridge native Tommy Watkins in 1924 to see if people enjoyed dancing to the new sound. Watkins is credited as the person who met Miller in Denver and hired him to play trombone and arrange music. Miller eventually broke off, started his own band and moved to California.
Webster Telephone Exchange Building: Safety engineers have said the old telephone building, one of the area’s oldest landmarks, is in danger of collapsing. The Omaha Black History Museum, founded in 1975, had occupied the building but closed eight years ago. The biggest threat is a lack of funding to maintain and upgrade the building, which was designed by prominent architect Thomas Kimball. A stabilization plan has been identified for Phase 1 and an adaptive reuse plan for the facility is complete.
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