Quick Facts
Biography
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. Latenser designed more than a dozen buildings that are currently included on the National Register of Historic Places.
Biography
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.
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. 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. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 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. | ||
| Ford Warehouse | 1919 | 1024 Dodge Street, Omaha, Nebraska | Located in downtown, this building was listed on the NRHP in 1999. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 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. | ||
| Sanford Hotel | 1916 | 1913 Farnam Street, Omaha, Nebraska | Located downtown, this building was listed on the NRHP. | ||
| 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. | ||
| St. Peter Catholic Church | 1926 | 709 South 28th Street, Omaha, Nebraska | This building's five-aisled, no-pillar nave are unique for this period. | ||
| Scottish Rite Cathedral | 1912 | 202 South 20th Street, Omaha, Nebraska | Known today as the Omaha Scottish Rite Masonic Center, the building stands today. | ||