:John Latenser Sr.

{{Infobox person

| name = John Latenser Sr.

| image=

| caption = John Latenser Sr.

| birth_date = 1858

| birth_place = Nendeln, Liechtenstein

| birth_name = Johann Laternser

| death_date = 1936

| death_place = Omaha, Nebraska

| occupation = Architect

| children = John Jr., Frank}}

John Latenser Sr. (1858–1936) was an American architect whose influential public works in Omaha, Nebraska, numbered in the dozens. His original name was Johann Laternser.

Many of the buildings Latenser designed, including public and private, are included on the National Register of Historic Places. In the 1930s 89 out of 98 blocks in Downtown Omaha contained at least one building designed by Latenser and Sons.[http://www.eye.ch/swissgen/FL/flemi2-e.htm#latenser "Story of John Latenser Sr."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070607114418/http://www.eye.ch/swissgen/FL/flemi2-e.htm#latenser |date=June 7, 2007 }} Retrieved March 26, 2008. Latenser designed more than a dozen buildings that are currently included on the National Register of Historic Places.

Biography

Image:091507-USCNeb-MemorialStadium-East.jpg

Born in Nendeln, Liechtenstein, to a family of people in the construction business, Latenser studied architecture at the Polytechnic College in Stuttgart, Germany, which is now the University of Stuttgart. After 1873 he took a job as a caretaker in his brother Heinrich’s business in what is now Strasbourg, France, at that time Strassburg, provincial capital of the German province of Alsace-Lorraine. It is not known precisely when he immigrated to the United States.

He worked as a draftsman in Chicago, Illinois, for seven years before starting his own architectural firm in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1887. Latenser became staff architect for the Omaha School District in 1892 and was responsible for

the design of at least 20 of the city's public school facilities. His sons, John Jr. and Frank, later joined him in this firm, Latenser & Sons, which designed several prominent buildings in the Midwestern United States.[http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/landmarks/designated_landmarks/architects/Latenser.htm "John Latenser Sr."], City of Omaha Landmark Heritage Commission. Retrieved March 25, 2008.

Career

Many of Latenser's works are still standing today and include the Douglas County Courthouse, the Omaha Central High School, Long School, Saunders School, Columbian School, and the Center School buildings, the Keeline Building, the Eggerss-O'Flyng Building in Omaha and the Blair High School building in Blair, Nebraska. These and many other buildings Latenser designed are listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places.

Other notable works are at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, where he was responsible for designing the Temple building, a nursing dormitory at the Medical School, and the Memorial Stadium, as well as the Schulte Field House.[http://historicbuildings.unl.edu/people.php?peopleID=34&cid=12 "John Latenser and Sons"], UNL Historical Buildings. Retrieved March 25, 2008. Latenser also designed several buildings in Omaha's historic districts, including the South Omaha Main Street Historic District and the now-demolished Jobbers Canyon Historic District.

class="wikitable" !align="center" colspan="6"\|Notable designs by John Latenser Sr. alphabetical order
Name ! Built ! Location ! Notes
Blair High School \| 1899 \| Blair, Nebraska \|
Brandeis Building \| 1906 \| 210 South 16th Street, Omaha, Nebraska \| This Downtown Omaha building was listed on NRHP in 1982.
Carnegie Library \| 1906 \| Hastings, Nebraska \| Demolished in 1962.[http://memories.ne.gov/cdm/ref/collection/nlc/id/45 "Carnegie Library, Hastings, Neb."] Nebraska Memories. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
Center School \| 1893 \| 1730 South 11th Street, Omaha, Nebraska \| This South Omaha building was listed on the NRHP in 1985.
Columbian School \| 1892 \| 3819 Jones Street, Omaha, Nebraska \| This Midtown Omaha building was listed on the NRHP in 1990.
Douglas County Courthouse \| 1912 \| 1700 Farnam Street, Omaha, Nebraska \| Five years after being built this downtown building was almost destroyed by a mob. It was listed on the NRHP in 1979.
Eggerss-O'Flyng Building \| 1902–1928 \| 801 South 15th Street, Omaha, Nebraska \| This downtown building was listed on the NRHP in 1991. Latenser designed the fourth addition to the building in 1928.{{usurped\|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000412063508/http://nebraskahistory.org/histpres/nebraska/douglas.htm "Nebraska National Register Sites in Douglas County"]}}, Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
Federal Building \| 1927 \| 1709 Jackson Street, Omaha, Nebraska \| Originally designed to house the Omaha Bee-News, a property of William Randolph Hearst, this building subsequently served as home to several federal offices downtown.[http://w3.gsa.gov/web/p/interaia_save.nsf/1fd3e688294c3a74852563d3004975f4/379bb8d0a4dd9c69852565d90053a196?OpenDocument "Federal Building (Omaha)"] {{webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424160846/http://w3.gsa.gov/web/p/interaia_save.nsf/1fd3e688294c3a74852563d3004975f4/379bb8d0a4dd9c69852565d90053a196?OpenDocument \|date=April 24, 2009 }}, General Service Administration. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
Ford Warehouse \| 1919 \| 1024 Dodge Street, Omaha, Nebraska \| Located in downtown, this building was listed on the NRHP in 1999.[http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/landmarks/certified%20rehabs/non%20local%20landmarks/ford%20on%20dodge/Default.htm "Ford Warehouse"] {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014063710/http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/landmarks/certified%20rehabs/non%20local%20landmarks/ford%20on%20dodge/Default.htm \|date=October 14, 2007 }}, City of Omaha Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
J.F. Bloom & Co. Building \| 1910 \| 1702 Cuming Street, Omaha, Nebraska \| Originally built to house a gravestone maker, the building underwent a $1.6 million redevelopment effort in 2015.{{cite news\|author1=Cindy Gonzalez, World-Herald Staff Writer\|title=Starting Over at 105 Years Old; Cuming Street Development Hopes To Inspire Continued Renewal\|issue=Sunrise Edition\|publisher=The Omaha World-Herald Newspaper, Omaha, Douglas County, NE, USA\|date=May 29, 2015\|location=Money Section\|page=1}}
Keeline Building \| 1911 \| 319 South 17th Street, Omaha, Nebraska \|
Mercantile Storage Building \| 1920 \| 1013 Jones Street, Omaha, Nebraska \| Located in the Old Market, this building was to the NRHP in 1996.[http://www.omahapublicsafetyauditor.com/landmarks/certified%20rehabs/non%20local%20landmarks/mercantile/Default.htm "Mercantile Storage Building"]{{dead link\|date=April 2017 \|bot=InternetArchiveBot \|fix-attempted=yes }} Omaha Public Safety Auditor. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
Omaha Athletic Club \| 1918 \| 1714 Douglas Street, Omaha, Nebraska \| A widely acknowledged masterpiece that was razed in 1992 for the site of the Roman L. Hruska Federal Courthouse.[http://memories.ne.gov/cdm/ref/collection/opl/id/11 "Bird's Eye View of Omaha"], Nebraska Memories. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
Omaha Central High School \| 1900–1912 \| 124 North 20th Street, Omaha, Nebraska \| The oldest high school building in Omaha is located downtown, and was listed on the NRHP in 1979.
Pacific School \| 1868 \| 1120 Pacific Street, Omaha, Nebraska \| After replacing Omaha's first school, the decision to demolish the building in 1929 was protested throughout the city.Note: This building is attributed to Latenser, but was built earlier than his arrival in the city.[http://www.omahalandmarks.org/assets/files/library/pdf/tour-guides/tour-guide-96dpi.pdf "Historic guided walking tour of Omaha's Little Italy and the Original Gold Coast"] {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101010120543/http://omahalandmarks.org/assets/files/library/pdf/tour-guides/tour-guide-96dpi.pdf \|date=October 10, 2010 }}, Landmarks Inc. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
Parlin, Orendorff and Martin Plow Company Building \| 1909 \| 714-716 South 10th Street, Omaha, Nebraska \| Also known as the Butternut Building, this is a contributing property to the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District.{{usurped\|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20011222091544/http://www.nebraskahistory.org/histpres/tax/douglas2.htm "More tax incentive program projects in Douglas County"]}}, Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
Rialto Theater \| 1915 \| 1424 Douglas Street \| Originally featuring an octagonal seating pattern for 2200 seats, this theater included a bowling alley on the second floor and was demolished.[http://cinematreasures.org/theater/1211/ "Rialto Theatre"], Cinema Treasures. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
Sanford Hotel \| 1916 \| 1913 Farnam Street, Omaha, Nebraska \| Located downtown, this building was listed on the NRHP.[http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/landmarks/designated_landmarks/landmarks/95/Default.htm "Sanford Hotel"] {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012022122/http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/landmarks/designated_landmarks/landmarks/95/Default.htm \|date=October 12, 2007 }}, City of Omaha Landmarks Heritage Commission. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
Saunders School \| 1900 \| 415 North 41st Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska \| This Midtown building was listed on the NRHP in 1986.
St. John's Greek Orthodox Church \| 1908 \| 602 Park Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska \| This Midtown landmark was originally the second building housing Omaha's Temple Israel. Also called the Park Avenue Synagogue, it was sold to St. John's in 1951.[http://www.nmajh.org/exhibitions/postcards/cards/27.htm "Temple Israel, Omaha"] {{webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403162944/http://www.nmajh.org/exhibitions/postcards/cards/27.htm \|date=April 3, 2008 }}, National Museum of American Jewish History. Retrieved March 26, 2008.[http://www.stjohnsgreekorthodox.org/parish/history.html "History"], St. John's Greek Orthodox Church. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
St. Peter Catholic Church \| 1926 \| 709 South 28th Street, Omaha, Nebraska \| This building's five-aisled, no-pillar nave are unique for this period.[http://stpeterchurch.net/about-history.html "History"] {{webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820014246/http://www.stpeterchurch.net/about-history.html \|date=August 20, 2008 }}, St. Peter's Catholic Church. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
Scottish Rite Cathedral \| 1912 \| 202 South 20th Street, Omaha, Nebraska \| Known today as the Omaha Scottish Rite Masonic Center, the building stands today.[http://memories.ne.gov/cdm/ref/collection/opl/id/86 "Scottish Rite Cathedral"], Nebraska Memories. Retrieved March 26, 2008.[http://www.scottishriteomaha.org/index1.html "Building visual tour"] {{webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080329055218/http://www.scottishriteomaha.org/index1.html \|date=March 29, 2008 }}, Omaha Scottish Rite Masonic Center. Retrieved March 26, 2008.

class="wikitable"

!align="center" colspan="6"|Notable designs by John Latenser Sr. alphabetical order

Name

! Built

! Location

! Notes

Blair High School

| 1899

| Blair, Nebraska

Brandeis Building

| 1906

| 210 South 16th Street, Omaha, Nebraska

| This Downtown Omaha building was listed on NRHP in 1982.

Carnegie Library

| 1906

| Hastings, Nebraska

| Demolished in 1962.[http://memories.ne.gov/cdm/ref/collection/nlc/id/45 "Carnegie Library, Hastings, Neb."] Nebraska Memories. Retrieved March 26, 2008.

Center School

| 1893

| 1730 South 11th Street, Omaha, Nebraska

| This South Omaha building was listed on the NRHP in 1985.

Columbian School

| 1892

| 3819 Jones Street, Omaha, Nebraska

| This Midtown Omaha building was listed on the NRHP in 1990.

Douglas County Courthouse

| 1912

| 1700 Farnam Street, Omaha, Nebraska

| Five years after being built this downtown building was almost destroyed by a mob. It was listed on the NRHP in 1979.

Eggerss-O'Flyng Building

| 1902–1928

| 801 South 15th Street, Omaha, Nebraska

| This downtown building was listed on the NRHP in 1991. Latenser designed the fourth addition to the building in 1928.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000412063508/http://nebraskahistory.org/histpres/nebraska/douglas.htm "Nebraska National Register Sites in Douglas County"]}}, Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved March 26, 2008.

Federal Building

| 1927

| 1709 Jackson Street, Omaha, Nebraska

| Originally designed to house the Omaha Bee-News, a property of William Randolph Hearst, this building subsequently served as home to several federal offices downtown.[http://w3.gsa.gov/web/p/interaia_save.nsf/1fd3e688294c3a74852563d3004975f4/379bb8d0a4dd9c69852565d90053a196?OpenDocument "Federal Building (Omaha)"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424160846/http://w3.gsa.gov/web/p/interaia_save.nsf/1fd3e688294c3a74852563d3004975f4/379bb8d0a4dd9c69852565d90053a196?OpenDocument |date=April 24, 2009 }}, General Service Administration. Retrieved March 26, 2008.

Ford Warehouse

| 1919

| 1024 Dodge Street, Omaha, Nebraska

| Located in downtown, this building was listed on the NRHP in 1999.[http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/landmarks/certified%20rehabs/non%20local%20landmarks/ford%20on%20dodge/Default.htm "Ford Warehouse"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014063710/http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/landmarks/certified%20rehabs/non%20local%20landmarks/ford%20on%20dodge/Default.htm |date=October 14, 2007 }}, City of Omaha Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission. Retrieved March 26, 2008.

J.F. Bloom & Co. Building

| 1910

| 1702 Cuming Street, Omaha, Nebraska

| Originally built to house a gravestone maker, the building underwent a $1.6 million redevelopment effort in 2015.{{cite news|author1=Cindy Gonzalez, World-Herald Staff Writer|title=Starting Over at 105 Years Old; Cuming Street Development Hopes To Inspire Continued Renewal|issue=Sunrise Edition|publisher=The Omaha World-Herald Newspaper, Omaha, Douglas County, NE, USA|date=May 29, 2015|location=Money Section|page=1}}

Keeline Building

| 1911

| 319 South 17th Street, Omaha, Nebraska

Mercantile Storage Building

| 1920

| 1013 Jones Street, Omaha, Nebraska

| Located in the Old Market, this building was to the NRHP in 1996.[http://www.omahapublicsafetyauditor.com/landmarks/certified%20rehabs/non%20local%20landmarks/mercantile/Default.htm "Mercantile Storage Building"]{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Omaha Public Safety Auditor. Retrieved March 26, 2008.

Omaha Athletic Club

| 1918

| 1714 Douglas Street, Omaha, Nebraska

| A widely acknowledged masterpiece that was razed in 1992 for the site of the Roman L. Hruska Federal Courthouse.[http://memories.ne.gov/cdm/ref/collection/opl/id/11 "Bird's Eye View of Omaha"], Nebraska Memories. Retrieved March 26, 2008.

Omaha Central High School

| 1900–1912

| 124 North 20th Street, Omaha, Nebraska

| The oldest high school building in Omaha is located downtown, and was listed on the NRHP in 1979.

Pacific School

| 1868

| 1120 Pacific Street, Omaha, Nebraska

| After replacing Omaha's first school, the decision to demolish the building in 1929 was protested throughout the city.Note: This building is attributed to Latenser, but was built earlier than his arrival in the city.[http://www.omahalandmarks.org/assets/files/library/pdf/tour-guides/tour-guide-96dpi.pdf "Historic guided walking tour of Omaha's Little Italy and the Original Gold Coast"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101010120543/http://omahalandmarks.org/assets/files/library/pdf/tour-guides/tour-guide-96dpi.pdf |date=October 10, 2010 }}, Landmarks Inc. Retrieved March 26, 2008.

Parlin, Orendorff and Martin Plow Company Building

| 1909

| 714-716 South 10th Street, Omaha, Nebraska

| Also known as the Butternut Building, this is a contributing property to the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20011222091544/http://www.nebraskahistory.org/histpres/tax/douglas2.htm "More tax incentive program projects in Douglas County"]}}, Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved March 26, 2008.

Rialto Theater

| 1915

| 1424 Douglas Street

| Originally featuring an octagonal seating pattern for 2200 seats, this theater included a bowling alley on the second floor and was demolished.[http://cinematreasures.org/theater/1211/ "Rialto Theatre"], Cinema Treasures. Retrieved March 26, 2008.

Sanford Hotel

| 1916

| 1913 Farnam Street, Omaha, Nebraska

| Located downtown, this building was listed on the NRHP.[http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/landmarks/designated_landmarks/landmarks/95/Default.htm "Sanford Hotel"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012022122/http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/landmarks/designated_landmarks/landmarks/95/Default.htm |date=October 12, 2007 }}, City of Omaha Landmarks Heritage Commission. Retrieved March 26, 2008.

Saunders School

| 1900

| 415 North 41st Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska

| This Midtown building was listed on the NRHP in 1986.

St. John's Greek Orthodox Church

| 1908

| 602 Park Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska

| This Midtown landmark was originally the second building housing Omaha's Temple Israel. Also called the Park Avenue Synagogue, it was sold to St. John's in 1951.[http://www.nmajh.org/exhibitions/postcards/cards/27.htm "Temple Israel, Omaha"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403162944/http://www.nmajh.org/exhibitions/postcards/cards/27.htm |date=April 3, 2008 }}, National Museum of American Jewish History. Retrieved March 26, 2008.[http://www.stjohnsgreekorthodox.org/parish/history.html "History"], St. John's Greek Orthodox Church. Retrieved March 26, 2008.

St. Peter Catholic Church

| 1926

| 709 South 28th Street, Omaha, Nebraska

| This building's five-aisled, no-pillar nave are unique for this period.[http://stpeterchurch.net/about-history.html "History"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820014246/http://www.stpeterchurch.net/about-history.html |date=August 20, 2008 }}, St. Peter's Catholic Church. Retrieved March 26, 2008.

Scottish Rite Cathedral

| 1912

| 202 South 20th Street, Omaha, Nebraska

| Known today as the Omaha Scottish Rite Masonic Center, the building stands today.[http://memories.ne.gov/cdm/ref/collection/opl/id/86 "Scottish Rite Cathedral"], Nebraska Memories. Retrieved March 26, 2008.[http://www.scottishriteomaha.org/index1.html "Building visual tour"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080329055218/http://www.scottishriteomaha.org/index1.html |date=March 29, 2008 }}, Omaha Scottish Rite Masonic Center. Retrieved March 26, 2008.

References

Category:1858 births

Category:1936 deaths

Category:Architects from Nebraska

Category:Architects from Chicago

Category:Artists from Omaha, Nebraska

Category:Liechtenstein emigrants to the United States

Category:19th-century American architects

Category:20th-century American architects

Category:People from Eschen

:John Latenser Sr.

Biography

Career

See also

References