The Omaha National Bank Building was built in 1888–89 at 1650 Farnam Street in

Downtown Omaha Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

. Built in the

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...

style, the building was saved from demolition by a rehabilitation in 1978. Listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1972, the building was originally known as the New York Life Insurance Building; it was renamed in 1906.

History

Originally occupied by the New York Life Insurance Company, the building was purchased by the Kountze Brothers's Omaha National Bank in 1909. Constructed in 1888–89, the building was designed in the Renaissance Revival style by Frederick Elmer Hill (1857–1929) of the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

architectural firm of

McKim, Mead, and White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm that came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in fin de siècle New York. The firm's founding partners Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), Wil ...

. The firm designed an identical office tower, the

New York Life Building (Kansas City, Missouri) The New York Life Building is a 12-story, high-rise in the Library District of downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The brick and brownstone tower, which was completed in 1890, generally is regarded as Kansas City's first skyscraper and was the ...

, and was Omaha's first 10-story structure.

Omaha National Bank

Started in 1856, Omaha National Bank's original location was at 212 South 13th Street. In 1906 they purchased the building from the

New York Life Insurance Company New York Life Insurance Company (NYLIC) is the third-largest life insurance company in the United States, the largest mutual life insurance company in the United States and is ranked #67 on the 2021 Fortune 500 list of the largest United State ...

and renovated it completely. Omaha pioneer

Ezra Millard Ezra Millard (February 2, 1833 – August 20, 1886) was a U.S. politician who was mayor of Omaha, Nebraska, from 1869 to 1871. He was also brother to Joseph Hopkins Millard, another mayor of Omaha, and namesake of Millard, Nebraska. Millard d ...

was the first president of Omaha National Bank. Future Omaha mayor and Nebraska Senator Joseph H. Millard was president of the Omaha National Bank after Millard's departure in 1871.

Present

Omaha National Bank merged with another bank and moved out of the building in 1972. After being vacated it was slated for demolition. However, the building was rehabilitated in 1978 and converted to office space. Today, the building is called The Omaha Building, and it is home to the law firm Kutak Rock.(nd
Personal interest: Arts and Architecture
KutakRock.Com. Retrieved 6/4/07.

External links

Historic photo
The bank is the third from the right.
Original postcard photos of the building.Historical images of the building
Nebraska Memories

References

{{NRHP Omaha Landmarks in Omaha, Nebraska History of Downtown Omaha, Nebraska National Register of Historic Places in Omaha, Nebraska Banks established in 1856 McKim, Mead & White buildings Bank buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska 1856 establishments in Nebraska Territory Skyscraper office buildings in Omaha, Nebraska Commercial buildings completed in 1888

History

Omaha National Bank

Present

See also

External links

References