Pt 2: Historical Dynamics of Nebr. Architecture

Similar to the modern-day bidding process, many prominent building contracts once involved competitions, beckoning multiple architects to provide sketches and descriptions of their proposed design solution. Those plans and sketches that were submitted but not victorious, or were otherwise part of building projects that were cancelled due to financial or other reasons, are represented here. More imaginative renderings, such as Nebraska author Henry Olerich's utopian schematics, are also included.

Whether due to budgetary or material constraints, adjustments in building needs, or other factors, the proposed structure on a first sketch is not always what actually gets built. This module contains examples of Nebraska structures that ended up looking noticeably different from their preliminary visualizations.

This module highlights the techniques used for building the structures and infrastructure of old, particularly of cases where they might contrast with modern-day methods and equipment.

A number of institutional buildings around the state, from schools to hospitals to the current state capitol, were constructed in phases to accommodate such factors as planned growth, budgetary constraints, and the desire for a single impressive edifice rather than a complex of several smaller ones.

Though the National Register of Historic Places discourages moving structures if they can be preserved in place instead, Nebraskans throughout history have occasionally found that moving a house or barn (or sugar beet factory, or courthouse, or town) is the best option available, despite the logistics involved.

As the many examples in this module indicate, renovations and alterations to a structure, sometimes even within the first few decades of its construction, are nothing new. The removal of turrets and parapets, the updating of porches and theater marquees, and the addition of top floors to downtown structures are common themes, while more radical alterations sometimes resulted in an almost unrecognizable before-and-after.