The Webster Telephone Exchange Building is located in
North Omaha, Nebraska. It was designed by the well-known Omaha architect
Thomas Rogers Kimball. After the
Easter Sunday Tornado of 1913, the building was used as the center of recovery operations. In 1933,
American Bell donated the building to the Omaha Urban League (now th
Urban League of Nebraska.
The 33-room building is closely associated with Omaha's black history, serving as a home to Omaha's
Urban League and its leader
Whitney Young. In 1976 it was converted for use as the
Great Plains Black History Museum. The building was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and also designated a landmark by the City of Omaha.
History
Originally titled “Lake Exchange”, the Webster Telephone Exchange building was opened June 9, 1907 by the
Nebraska Telephone Company
Nebraska () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, 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 ...
as one of their exchange buildings. The modified
Tudor-style
Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...
edifice was a central headquarters for recovery operations after the
Easter Sunday Tornado of 1913. Telephone operators stayed at their stations during the tornado, and despite shards of glass and reports of mass calamity, continued service immediately afterwards. Victims from the nearby central business district of
Near North Omaha were brought to the building, as well.
In 1933 the phone company donated the building to the Omaha chapter of the
Urban League for use as the Mid-City Community Center. Serving the
Near North Side neighborhood, the community center had a library, nursery, dental and medical clinics, and classrooms. The future national civil rights leader
Whitney Young kept his offices there in the 1940s. The center was moved in 1956, after which the building was converted to apartments. During the 1960s it was used as the headquarters of Great Omaha Community Action. The building was purchased for use as a museum dedicated to the history of African Americans in 1975 by James T. and
Bertha W. Calloway. Shortly after, the family donated the building to the newly organized
Great Plains Black History Museum.
The building was added to the
National Register of Historic Places in 1977, in recognition of its architectural and historic significance. It was closed to the public in 2004 due to the need to replace the 100-year-old roof and other needed improvements.
Crystal Reid, "Black history museum closes for renovation"
''The Gateway'', 17 Feb 2004, University of Nebraska-Omaha, accessed 7 Jul 2008
See also
* History of North Omaha, Nebraska
* Landmarks in North Omaha, Nebraska
References
External links
Modern photo of the Great Plains Black Museum
{{North Omaha
Landmarks in North Omaha, Nebraska
Culture of Omaha, Nebraska
African-American history in Omaha, Nebraska
History of North Omaha, Nebraska
National Register of Historic Places in Omaha, Nebraska
Thomas Rogers Kimball buildings
Telephone exchange buildings
Telecommunications buildings on the National Register of Historic Places
Buildings and structures completed in 1906
1906 establishments in Nebraska