Sunday morning was great for driving up and down Omaha streets looking for interesting architecture and city sculptures. I found quite a few including bulls embedded in buildings, a mini-Flatiron building*, water features, libraries, churches, and murals.
*Driving up Howard Street, on the corner of 17th, was a building that looked similar to the Flatiron Building in New York City. Originally constructed in 1912 (and designed by the same architect) for use as an office building, in 1914 the building was converted to a hotel. Today the building serves as office and commercial space, as well as housing the upscale Flatiron Cafe. Dinner reservations were in order! I met Chef Jennifer Coco who was recently named as a semifinalist for a 2011 James Beard Foundation award, the culinary industry's top honor. It was her 4th nomination. I'd rate the meal there in my top 10.
Central High School, once known as Omaha High School, first held classes in 1859. It was the former site of the Nebraska Territory Capitol Building.
The 10 mosaic murals on the World Building on 18th Street were completed in 1967 and depict Nebraska history.
The Orpheum Theater is the home of the Omaha Symphony, Opera Omaha, and the Omaha ballet. The Beaux-Arts style building was completed in 1927. The 2,600 seat theater was constructed thanks to a large monetary gift by philanthropist John Creighton (Creighton University is in Omaha) and was originally used as a vaudeville theater. It was a movie theater from the 1940's through 1975 when it received a $2 million renovation. The Orpheum is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Gene Leahy Mall, named for a former governor, is a multi-block water feature with statues and green spaces.
