John Latenser Sr.

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.

John Latenser Sr.
Born
Johann Laternser

1858
Nendeln, Liechtenstein
Died1936
Omaha, Nebraska
OccupationArchitect
ChildrenJohn Jr., Frank

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.[1] Latenser designed more than a dozen buildings that are currently included on the National Register of Historic Places.

Biography
The eastern façade of the Latenser-designed Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.

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.[1]

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.[2]

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.[3] 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.

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.[4]
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.[5]
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.[6]
Ford Warehouse 1919 1024 Dodge Street, Omaha, Nebraska Located in downtown, this building was listed on the NRHP in 1999.[7]
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.[8]
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.[9]
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.[10]
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.[11]
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.[12]
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.[13]
Sanford Hotel 1916 1913 Farnam Street, Omaha, Nebraska Located downtown, this building was listed on the NRHP.[14]
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.[15][16]
St. Peter Catholic Church 1926 709 South 28th Street, Omaha, Nebraska This building's five-aisled, no-pillar nave are unique for this period.[17]
Scottish Rite Cathedral 1912 202 South 20th Street, Omaha, Nebraska Known today as the Omaha Scottish Rite Masonic Center, the building stands today.[18][19]
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See also

References
  1. "Story of John Latenser Sr." Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  2. "John Latenser Sr.", City of Omaha Landmark Heritage Commission. Retrieved March 25, 2008.
  3. "John Latenser and Sons", UNL Historical Buildings. Retrieved March 25, 2008.
  4. "Carnegie Library, Hastings, Neb." Nebraska Memories. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  5. "Nebraska National Register Sites in Douglas County", Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  6. "Federal Building (Omaha)" Archived April 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, General Service Administration. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  7. "Ford Warehouse", City of Omaha Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  8. Cindy Gonzalez, World-Herald Staff Writer (May 29, 2015). "Starting Over at 105 Years Old; Cuming Street Development Hopes To Inspire Continued Renewal" (Sunrise Edition). Money Section: The Omaha World-Herald Newspaper, Omaha, Douglas County, NE, USA. p. 1.
  9. "Mercantile Storage Building" Omaha Public Safety Auditor. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  10. "Bird's Eye View of Omaha", Nebraska Memories. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  11. Note: This building is attributed to Latenser, but was built earlier than his arrival in the city."Historic guided walking tour of Omaha's Little Italy and the Original Gold Coast", Landmarks Inc. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  12. "More tax incentive program projects in Douglas County", Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  13. "Rialto Theatre", Cinema Treasures. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  14. "Sanford Hotel", City of Omaha Landmarks Heritage Commission. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  15. "Temple Israel, Omaha" Archived April 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, National Museum of American Jewish History. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  16. "History", St. John's Greek Orthodox Church. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  17. "History" Archived August 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, St. Peter's Catholic Church. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  18. "Scottish Rite Cathedral", Nebraska Memories. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  19. "Building visual tour" Archived March 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Omaha Scottish Rite Masonic Center. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
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