Webster Telephone Exchange Building

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Webster Telephone Exchange Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The Webster Telephone Exchange Building, the home of the Great Plains Black History Museum.
The Webster Telephone Exchange Building, the home of the Great Plains Black History Museum.
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Coordinates: 41°16′52.51″N 95°56′43.55″W / 41.2812528, -95.9454306Coordinates: 41°16′52.51″N 95°56′43.55″W / 41.2812528, -95.9454306
Built/Founded: 1907
Architect: Kimball,Thomas R.
Architectural style(s): Tudor Revival, Other
Added to NRHP: December 05, 1977
NRHP Reference#: 77000829

[1]
Governing body: Private

The Webster Telephone Exchange Building is located at 2213 Lake Street in North Omaha, Nebraska. The longtime home of the Great Plains Black History Museum, it was an important site during the Easter Sunday Tornado of 1913. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated a landmark by the City of Omaha.[2]

Contents

[edit] About

The Webster Telephone Exchange building was built in 1906. It is a modified Tudor style building designed by famed architect Thomas Kimball for the Nebraska Telephone Company. The building was a central headquarters after the Easter Sunday Tornado of 1913. Telephone operators stayed at their stations during the tornado, and despite shards of glass and reports of mass calamity, continued service immediately afterwards.[3] Victims from the nearby central business district of Near North Omaha were brought to the building, as well[4].

In 1933 the building was donated to the Omaha chapter of the Urban League for use as the Mid-City Community Center. In 1952 the center was closed, and the building was remodeled as apartments, becoming a community center again in 1970. It was donated for use as the Great Plains Black History Museum in 1975.[5]

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, recognizing its historical significance. Today it is dilapidated and the Museum has received offers to move it to other locations. The future of the Webster Telephone Exchange Building is uncertain.

[edit] References

  1. ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
  2. ^ "Webster Telephone Exchange Building". City of Omaha Landmark Heritage Preservation Commission. Retrieved 8/15/07.
  3. ^ (n.d.)Omaha's Terrible Evening. Tragic Story of America's Greatest Disaster.
  4. ^ (n.d.)1913 Easter Sunday Tornado Omaha Public Library
  5. ^ Landmarks, Inc. (2003) Building for the Ages: Omaha's Architectural Landmarks. Quebecor Books. p 112.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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