Pt 3: Stewardship of Nebraska's Built Heritage

Historical buildings, despite their tendency towards high-quality construction and architectural merits, are not infallible or perfect, and there are sometimes obstacles to be reckoned with in their continued use or reuse. This module features a catalog of known issues, illustrated with examples from around the state.

As elaborated on in the criteria for the National Register of Historic Places (see Part VIII/page 44 of NRHP Bulletin 15 for details), a property maintains historic integrity if its current appearance/materials accurately reflect its historic ones. The Nebraska examples below illustrate various ways this attribute can be degraded in the eyes of the Register (irrespective of the renovators' intentions or of competing factors/constraints), as well as some before-and-after images that especially highlight the contrasts.

Included here is a selection of the more visually expressive scenes and instances of building demolitions across Nebraska.

Assembled here is as comprehensive as possible of a list of architecturally notable structures from around the state that are no longer extant. Though more common house types and plainer Main Street storefronts are not included, so as to keep the list relatively succinct, any building that would have been a landmark in its local community at some point or another is generally included once research confirms it is indeed missing and not instead altered beyond recognition (for examples of the latter, see the before & afters section of Module CB above).

From informal souvenir-collecting to museum mementos to architectural salvagers, a notable Nebraska structure's story doesn't always end with the wrecking ball. This module catalogs structural remnants around the state that have lasted longer than the buildings they were once part of.

Maintaining and preserving a historic structure can periodically require investments of time and expertise. This module provides some Nebraska-specific examples of past restoration processes and insights to supplement existing national resources, such as the National Park Service's Technical Preservation Services webpages (below).

The before-and-after contrasts in this module illustrate how a well-planned and well-executed renovation can counteract the historic integrity issues discussed in Module CB above and provide a more useful and aesthetic structure. In some cases a renovation can even address deficiencies in the original design, such as those cataloged in Module CA, and through everything from improved life safety systems to energy-efficient retrofits, such a renovation can result in a space that both the original architects/builders and modern occupants can be proud of.

Architects in modern times have faced similar opportunities as their predecessors in designing and implementing new additions to historic Nebraska buildings-- though changes in the intervening decades to building codes, available materials, and building technology are added to the usual challenges of budgets, design, and constructability. Here is a sampling of statewide examples from recent decades, illustrating a variety of outcomes and philosophies.

To the casual or even trained observer, some Nebraska structures that appear historic at first glance are in fact relatively new. The structures in this module evidence various degrees of influence by preceding architectural styles, massing, materials, and/or detailing, and illustrate the ways in which Nebraska's historic architecture can indirectly influence the streetscapes of the future.

How have Nebraskans viewed their architectural surroundings in the past, and how has the architecture of the state been presented to a non-Nebraskan audience? These are broad questions with no easy answer, but the resources in this module provide some modest insights.