Thomas Rogers Kimball by Joan M. Fogarty6/29/2023 ![]() ![]() The slightly projecting entrance portal, also executed in decorative terra-cotta, consists of an arched opening framed by pilasters and cornice. The elevation of the main floor elevation features tall, paired, unadorned windows. The front (north) facade is symmetrical with a different architectural treatment on each story, executed in buff-colored brick and terra-cotta detailing. Perimeter masonry bearing walls and iron columns, beams, and joists provide fire-retardant construction. The building, which is rectangular in plan, rests on a sloping urban block that showcases the three stories rising up over a raised basement. ![]() ![]() Like its Boston counterpart, the Omaha building is reminiscent of the palazzos of the Italian Renaissance and is one of Nebraska’s outstanding examples of the Renaissance Revival style. The Omaha library building was made possible in part by the generosity of Byron Reed, a local civic leader who donated the site near the downtown core along with his valuable collection of books, manuscripts, and coins. The building bears a resemblance to McKim, Mead and White’s Boston Public Library, which is not surprising since Kimball was living in Boston at the time of its construction. Kimball’s first major commission, the library was featured at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Designed by Thomas Rogers Kimball, then one of Nebraska’s premier architects, the old Omaha Public Library is a prominent local landmark. ![]()
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