Omaha MidCentury Modern

On its free-standing metal pole, the La Casa sign is approximately 15 feet tall and is located on the north side of Leavenworth Street, a major east-west Omaha thoroughfare.  The adjacent La Casa Restaurant, like sign, reflects the area’s evolution into a commercial strip.  The south side of Leavenworth between 42nd and west to Saddlecreek Road, is still predominantly residential with one story bungalows and gable roofed, temple-front houses.  The La Casa restaurant (not part of the current nomination) originated in a small gable roofed frame house; the business opened on June 8, 1953. Although the restaurant building has continued to evolve through time, the original gable roof is still visible.
Constructed in 1957, the sign features a rotund characature of a  "troubadour", Peppi, who plucks a mandolin. The figure, which measures approximately 8 feet in height, has a drooping handlebar mustache, green hat, red shirt, loose tie and royal blue trousers. The sign’s details are outlined in various shades of neon:  the hat and trousers in blue; the hair, face, mustache, fingers and mandolin in both orange and yellow; while the tie is outlined with green neon. The feet rest on a rectangular metal base that measures approximately four feet by two feet and features the words "La Casa" in pink neon exaggerated modern letters. Peppi "plucks" the mandolin; this is the only moving feature of the sign.
Although the sign has been repainted through time, the colors of the green hat and red shirt have remained constant. The trousers however, were originally black. Overall, the sign exhibits an exceptional degree of integrity and has been well maintained since its date of construction.

 Brutalism is an architectural style that spawned from the modernist architectural movement and which flourished from the 1950s to the 1970s. The early style was largely inspired by the work of Swiss architect, Le Corbusier (in particular his Unité d’Habitation building) and of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The term originates from the French béton brut, or "raw concrete". Brutalist buildings are usually formed with striking blockish, geometric, and repetitive shapes, and often revealing the textures of the wooden forms used to shape the material, which is normally rough, unadorned poured concrete. source; Wikipedia

 The expample shown here is of the Omaha Public Library, downtown branch. The ‘moat’ and long narrow windows of the library give it a fortress or prison like feel.

                         

 Omaha even used Brutalism in parking garage construction such as the Douglas Park. The curving walls, pylon tower, empty flag pole and even limestone panels between floors are just a few of the design elements used on this structure.

 Editors note; I think this form or architecture is least understood and generally disliked by the public which includes myself.

 

 

 

 Appearing in the order they were mentioned, YES we had or have them all right here in Omaha! We call the design on the top picture ‘tsunami’ and interestingly enough the building is still know as the ‘Tsunami Building’ even though the tsunami roof has been removed. The two folded roofs are both photographed in south Omaha. However, in just the last year the drive through ‘annex’ to the old Commercial Federal was torn down. The other commercial structure on 24th Street is still there. There is also another outstanding example of the folded roof right at 51 and Underwood Ave in the Dundee business district. Not to forget the hyperbolic parabaloid roofs covering the old Commercial Federal bank drive through in both South Omaha and at Saddlecreek and Dodge Street.

 A Landmarked Omaha building! Constructed in 1942 and designed by Omaha architect Rheinholdt Hennig, the concrete block apartment buildings represent a late example of the Prairie style of architecture. Each building is two stories in height with a low pitched hipped roof and wide over-hanging eaves. The central entrances feature an enclosed vestibule on the first floor with narrow band windows. The second floor features open glass vestibules with multi-paned windows in simple geometric forms. An integral planter is located on the left side of the entrance on each building. The strong horizontal lines of the buildings is reinforced with a second floor belt course projecting overhang above the main entrances and casement windows.

The Selby Apartments are significant at the local level under National Register Criteria A for their association with Social History. The buildings were constructed with restrictions imposed by the World War II War Production Board, which nation-wide monitored and regulated building construction according to necessity or contribution to the war effort. War workers or military personnel were given preferential status as renters when the buildings were completed in 1942. Appropriate to its period of construction, the Marcy Street unit contains a former air raid shelter in the basement.

I am a member of 2020 Omaha and it was discussed that we should start a Blog. Of course none of us are very computer savy and only one of us has ever blogged before. So in the name of looking at some of the great Midcentury architecture in our city I begin this blog. Hopefully it is entertaining as well as informational. Lets start everyone out with a picture of our Landmarked pedestrian bridge over Dodge Street. Designed by a local engineer, it was the only pedestrian bridge with enough space on each end to create a structural and functional work of art.