Historical Downtown Walking Tour

 (2301‐2303 Central Yanda’s Music and Pro‐
Audio) This 1889 structure was built by F.J. Switz, one of the early city fathers. The building is characteristic of the Victorian era. Its Italianate F. J. Switz Bldg style features hooded win‐
dows, dentils, decorative belt courses and a highly ornamented roof line. (2401 Central—Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) This im‐
pressive building was the Kearney Post Office and Federal Offices Building from 1911 until 1986. The style of the building is classic, with Corinthian details and touches of Italian Renaissance. The basement walls above ground are of New Hampshire granite, and above these the walls are of Bedford sandstone. The inside walls and casing are of highly polished Ver‐
mont marble. This is now the home of the Museum of Nebraska Art, another impressive collection of Nebraska heritage. . Although this is the end of the walking tour, it is certainly not the complete compilation of Kearney’s downtown historical and archi‐
tectural features. Many other photos, many other prominent names, many long‐existing businesses have not been included in this brochure. ———————————————————————————
A
Walking
Tour
An Historical and Architectural Review Of Downtown Kearney, Nebraska Central Avenue 1892 2013
This 1989 ‘Walking Tour’ booklet was compiled and co-sponsored by several dedicated
volunteers of the Buffalo County Historical Society and the Kearney Centre Association. Tours were given that year by Mardi Anderson, Alice Howell, and Chandler
Lynch.
The 2013 booklet was updated to coincide with the Lincoln Highway Celebration.
Elaine Batenhorst, a BCHS archive volunteer, updated the booklet to show the current
downtown businesses. This ‘Walking Tour’ booklet is sponsored by the Buffalo County
Historical Society and the printing is sponsored in part by Eakes. www.bchs.us
12 Buffalo County Historical Society
A Walking Tour
An Historical and Architectural Review of Downtown Kearney, Nebraska Welcome to downtown Central Avenue. The main street of Kearney is best appreciated exploring on foot and walking down the main street. A self‐guided tour with this brochure covers about ten blocks and takes no more than an hour of leisurely walking. The archi‐
tectural details can most clearly be seen if one walks the tour across the street from the featured buildings. Begin the walk at the Museum of Nebraska Art, 2401 Central Avenue. The first junction in Nebraska of the Burlington Railroad and the Union Pacific brought about the founding of the City of Kearney. When it was incorporated in 1873 and became the county seat of Buffalo County in 1874, it developed rapidly into an industrial, agricultural, and cultural center. The Kearney Ca‐
nal, with its promise of power for manufacturing, brought many investors from the East with the dream of building a Minneapolis of the West. In its first 19 years, Kearney’s popula‐
tion grew to 12,000. This boom period resulted in many facto‐
ries, beautiful Victorian mansions, and fine, elegant downtown commercial buildings. Although the bubble burst and Kearney did not become the city dreamed of, the excellent planning of those pioneers left the downtown with outstanding historic buildings. 2 The ABC building has clean lines with Italianate and Victorian ar‐
chitecture seen on the surrounding structures. Before the building at the far left (2201 Central) was constructed in 1887. It was the location of the very early Kearney store of Stein & Krammer called “New York Cheap Cash Store”. Both Krammer and Stein were volunteer firemen , and more interest in fighting fires than running a store, so when a fire broke out, there was likely no one tending the store. (2201 Central Scorr Mar‐
keting) This building once housed Gould Land and Feed. It possibly was a bank at one time. Later it housed Ayers clothing and then Lungrins Men’s Store. No‐
tice how the structure was altered throughout the years. (2221‐2223 Central KGFWI‐
KQ106) This corner three‐story building of the 1890 era was another elegant main street structure. De‐
signed on Richardsonian Roman‐
Midway Loan & Trust esque architecture, it was built of brick with Colorado sandstone trim. Note the arched windows and en‐
trances. A square tower at the outside corner is topped by a pyra‐
mid roof. The offices of many business and professional firms have been located in the building over its 100‐year history. There was a Checker Club that met in the lower level of this building. 11 Originally three stories, the top floor windows were all rounded arches, and the roof was highlighted with a balustrade. The top floor was removed in the 1950’s because heavy equipment had weakened the floor. In its recent renovation, a portion of the tin ceiling was uncovered and can be seen in the front entrance hall of the building. 2101‐2103 Central Nel‐
son Furniture) Across the street north is another of the decorative Victorian era buildings of Italianate styl‐
ing. It was built by Henry Gibbons, an early‐day banker. The Golden Eagle Clothing store occupied the south half until the 30’s. The north half was a drug store most of its years. About forty years ago a permastone exterior was put on. The interior is now opened up into one store. Upstairs were offices of doctors for many years; later it became a broadcasting studio of KRNY. (2111‐2201 Central) The last photo on this page shows many buildings, each with its own distinct name, architec‐
ture, and history. Except for the present ABC store, they were all built in the 1880’s. History buffs will recall the building names of Burke, Hanson, Evans, Hamilton, and Pratt as they look down the row. 10 Looking northwest across Highway 30 where Grand Central Apple Market is located, the first and sec‐
ond Midway Hotels stood. Midway Hotel 1886‐1890 The first Midway, built in 1887, was an elegant hotel like no other in Nebraska outside Lincoln and Omaha. Fire destroyed this impressive four‐story Victorian Gothic style building of brick and stone construction, with its highly deco‐
rative arches, arcades, towers and many dormer windows. There was an “L” for the Lincoln Highway in the tower window of the New Midway Hotel . New Midway Hotel An immediate drive was conducted by Kearney busi‐
nessmen, and the second Midway was completed in 1893. Not as large or as ele‐
gant as its predecessor, it was still a beautiful building and a fine hotel which served Kearney for over 60 years. Another landmark on Highway 30 is lo‐
cated in the MONA parking lot. The Soldiers Monument was erected in 1910 to honor the defenders of our country. The 33 feet high monument of Barre granite features a statue of a volunteer soldier of the Civil War, with arms at rest, proclaiming peace. It was originally located on the median strip west of the Central Avenue intersection along the Lincoln Highway. 3 Looking across the street on the 2400 block of Central, one sees several buildings dating from the 1880’s and the 1890’s. They have housed many businesses throughout the last 100 years including dry goods, real estate and newspaper offices, restaurants and fur‐
niture stores. On the corner was a Standard service station from the 20’s into the 60’s. (2308‐2322 Central Hansen Photography and World Theater) The brick structure across the street south is Kearney’s second Masonic Temple. Built in 1927, the architectural style is characteristic of post‐World War 1, the flat roof, smooth and uni‐
form wall surface, and modest ornamentation. (2300 Central KTown Cakes) At the south corner of the block is a three‐story building which may have been the first brick Buffalo Co. National Bank structure north of the railroad on this avenue. It is shown on an 1876 city map. The original build‐
ing, which housed the Buffalo County National Bank, had a mansard roof. Note the arched windows on the two lower floors and the third floor dormers. As one approaches the railroad tracks and crosses the street, it should be noted that the area one block to the east was the scene of all traffic and business connected with the railroads until 1890. Both the Burlington and Union Pacific depots were the head of Avenue A, and three hotels operated within a block of the depots. (2001Central Lowe Investment) This was the First National Bank, built in 1881, and later the site of Farmer’s Bank. A wrap‐
around store was built around the north and east sides of the original building. Note the extension to the east is of almost identical design, although it was built later. The north side was destroyed in the fire that swept through the Coddlington building to the north in 1927. By the 1890’s there were four two‐story brick buildings constructed in this one block on the east side of Central, north of Railroad Street. All were highly ornamented with decorative window heads and roof line de‐
signs popular in the Victorian period (2031 Central Law Of‐
fices) This was the three‐
story building of the City Na‐
tional Bank built in 1889. It was also known as the An‐
drews Block. The structure is Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, characterized by the treatment of stone and City National Bank brick, as well as the two Richard‐
sonian arches at the front and side entrances. Windows are deep set and long. 4 9 (2028‐2030 Central Bruce Furniture) Crossing the street south, is the site where the Kearney Opera House was built. It opened on May 1, 1891. It was described as the finest opera house between Chicago and Denver, and many Opera House 1891‐1954 major Broadway shows and stage personalities graced its stage. Five stories high, stone exterior, richly fur‐
nished interior, a seating capacity of 1,200, an electric lighting system, plus a complete back‐up gas lighting sys‐
tem were some of the outstanding characteristics of this Opera House. It was torn down in 1954, but a 22‐inch opera house com‐
mon wall remains visible inside the Bruce Furniture store. (2014‐2016 Central Home Thyme Antiques) The name Nash And Tripp Block on one part of the 1885 building is Tripp. It is another Victorian‐
era building of Italianite styling Notice it is highly decorated at and below the roof line, with curved window hoods and orna‐
mental corner treatment. The other part of the building was also constructed in 1885 by W.L. Nash, a stock dealer who had offices on the second floor. The street level was first the Russell & Jakway Hardware Store. In 1935 the Tripp and Nash buildings combined into the Kearney Hardware which continued into the 1970’s. The Nash building, while similar in design to its neighbor, is different in ornamentation with its elaborate roof line design and cornice window hoods. Both struc‐
tures are beautiful examples of Victorian era architecture. 8 (15‐19 West 23rd Street) Looking around the corner on West 23rd is a large Ital‐
ianate style structure that carries the name Journal Building “Cunningham” and “Journal” with an 1890 date. L.B. Cunningham built this building in 1890 for his publishing business. Beginning in 1910, George H. Downing oper‐
ated the Kearney Laundry & Dry Cleaners in this building. Note the arched window and highly decorative ornamentation at and below the front roof‐line‐typical of the Victorian age. (2220‐2224 Central Kear‐
ney Centre Vacuum, The Quilter’s Cottage) Proceed‐
ing down Central Avenue, one First Masonic Temple sees what was the first Ma‐
sonic Temple in Kearney, built in 1887. (2216 Central) The current Kearney Cycling and Fitness was the Crescent Theatre in the teens. And the next building (2214 Cen‐
tral) built by William Hecht, was an 1886 building of Italianate style structure and decorative trim. The Hecht building is on the right side of the top photo on page 6 “Barnd & St. John Block”. 5 (2210‐2212 Central‐
Shopping Tripps) This build‐
ing was one of the finest early structures. It was built in 1886 by S.S. St. John and John Barnd. Its Italianate style was deco‐
Barnd and St. John Block rated with ornate cornices and brackets under the roof line, ornamental window heads, and iron grillwork over the porch. The modern storefront was put on in 1958 when Hellman’s Ready to Wear housed the building. (2200‐2204 C e n t r a l Kaufmann Centre) Kauf‐
Kaufmann & Wernert mann & Wernert a five and dime store established in Kearney in 1908. When they built this store in 1922 it was described as a “senior” department store—a real“uptown” store—one of the finest in the state. $80,000 was spent on fix‐
tures alone. Kaufmann & Wernert continued operation until 1988, and a visit to downtown Kearney was not complete if one did not need to pick up something at Kaufmann’s (2122 Central Country Nest) Across the street south, this building was built in 1888 by C.H. Miller. The three‐story build‐
ing was built to house the First National Bank which had out‐
C. J. Miller‐Rice Bldg grown its quarters at 2001 Central. This is also an Italianate‐style building typical of the era, with cor‐
nice window heads and ornate roof trim. The Robertsons, owned the bank, had their name placed on the building, and at about the turn of the century, S.A.D. Henline acquired the building . 6 (2106‐2108 Central Floral Express and Hoover’s Jewelry) This Finch and Downing Bldgs. was one of the early brick buildings on Central Ave‐
nue. It was built by W.A. Downing in 1882. The first telephone office was upstairs in 1888. The south half was first the dry goods store of L.D. Gregg, an early mer‐
chant. Later stores were the Golden Rule, Browning McDonald, and McDonald’s department stores. The original architecture was Italian‐
ate with a decorated roof line, cornice window heads and iron bracket trim between the two stories. (2100 Central Tru Cafe) This building, built around 1890, was another of Kearney’s finest com‐
mercial buildings. Its relatively un‐
changed exterior is a contrast to other main street structures of its era. The north half was not completed until 1907, but the Downing‐Bartlett Bldg. 2100 Central architectural design is almost identical to the original south half. There is no Victorian roof or wall ornamentation, but smooth brick wall surfaces about the first story, and rounded arches above the top windows accentuated by the use of contrasting color bricks make an outstanding decorative pattern. However, the architectural gem of this building, and the only one on Kearney’s main street, is the marble pillar at the corner entrance to the store. Its smooth shaft is topped by a Corinthian and Roman‐
esque Capital of red terra cotta foliated patterns and gargoyles on each of its four sides. 7