Webster Telephone Exchange Building (Omaha, NE)

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 re-use plan for the facility is complete.

Thorndike Hall (Cambridge, NE)

Thorndike Hall is in the second floor of a downtown building which is generally well preserved and features an elaborately painted ceiling by Hansen and Willer. 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 and started his own band and moved to California.

Starke Round Barn (Red Cloud, NE)

This unique property located near Red Cloud is the state’s largest and one of the largest in the nation. The building dates to 1902-1903 and 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. The nominee at Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture in Omaha says it will be important to find a viable use for the building and the availability of funding options. Like many historic Great Plains resources in less populated areas, it may disappear without many people being aware that it ever existed.

Rural Schools Statewide

Rural schools statewide such as the Logan Valley District 16 School of Cedar County. Nominated by Daryle Urwiler of Pender, this school is actually located north of Laurel in northeast Nebraska. Built in 1929-1930 by the Israelson Construction Company of Hartington, the wooden building replaced the old structure 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 store room, and a complete basement with an indoor water supply and a complete kitchen. This building is in poor condition, but worthy or saving as are many others statewide.

Pershing Auditorium West Wall Mural (Lincoln, NE)

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 one inch square and assembled in one foot by two 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 backs 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.

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, sites along the Oregon-California Trail in Nebraska have also been impacted by metal detecting and excavation. These include road ranches and Pony Express stations. Public education needs to be strengthened and tools such as donations of easements can benefit sites and landowners alike.

Naval Ammunition Depot (Adams & Clay Counties, NE)

The 48,000 acre facility located in Adams and Clay Counties was the largest of four Navy ammunition depots in the US during World War II and produced a significant amount of ammunition for the armed forces. The facility was constructed six months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1942. There were 1,800 buildings and 1,500 concrete and earthen storage magazines. Two-hundred permanent industrial and administrative buildings and numerous temporary buildings and barracks were on site. The complex closed in 1966.The property is in excellent to poor condition and can be protected by adaptive re-use.

Metz Hall (Elkhorn, NE)

Located on the “upper” Main Street in this community that recently became a part of Omaha, 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 the Prohibition in 1920 and the property was sold off. The Elkhorn hall has potential as an historic gem if it can be preserved.

Hastings Junior High & 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 re-use greater than a parking lot. The facility was designed by Hastings architect C.W. Way and is one of five remaining structures of that type. The building was built in 1917. The scenario is repeated in other Nebraska communities where elementary, middle schools and old high schools are often abandoned for new structures and deemed surplus. It takes energy to construct a new building. It saves energy to preserve an old one.

Boot Hill Cemetery & Camp Lookout (Sidney, NE)

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 with the graves holding the legends, stories and memories of 89 saloons, gaming halls, brothels and all-night theaters on Front Street. Neglect and inappropriate use are being combated by a volunteer preservation effort. Camp Lookout is definitely the oldest building in Sidney and perhaps the entire Panhandle. The structure was built in 1867 to house soldiers from Fort Sedgwick, Colorado, who set up an outpost along Lodgepole Creek to protect railroad workers pushing the Union Pacific across the plains. Later known as Sidney Barracks, it eventually became a lodging facility and then a private residence after the Army pulled out in 1894. Volunteers working on the Boot Hill project are trying to buy it from the willing owner.

Aurora Apolthecary/Knights of Pythias Hall (Aurora, NE)

Another important building 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 often in other Nebraska downtowns.

Archaeological Sites Statewide

Archeological sites are being destroyed at alarming rates, representing a loss of 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, resulting in the diminishment of educational and scientific value. Public education about the importance of these sites needs to be strengthened.