Blackstone Hotel (Omaha, Nebraska) Explained

Blackstone Hotel
Designated Other1:Omaha Landmark
Designated Other1 Date:April 12, 1983
Location:302 S. 36th St., Omaha, Nebraska
Coordinates:41.2572°N -95.9664°W
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Marker:building
Mapframe-Zoom:12
Mapframe-Caption:Interactive map showing the location of Blackstone Hotel
Built:1916
Architect:F.W. Fitzpatrick
Architecture:Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Second Renaissance Revival
Added:January 11, 1985
Refnum:85000067

The Blackstone Hotel is a historic hotel located at 302 South 36th Street [1] [2] in the Blackstone neighborhood of the Midtown area in Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1915, it was declared an Omaha Landmark in 1983[3] and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

History

The Blackstone was built by the Bankers Realty Investment Company as a residential hotel in 1915. Residents generally rented by the year rather than the day and received hotel services. Although there were single room units, most were suites with six to eight rooms. Each floor had four glass sunrooms and ornate furnishings throughout.[4]

In 1920, the building was purchased by Charles Schimmel, an immigrant from Vienna. After converting the Blackstone to a regular hotel, it soon became a "symbol of elegance" and gained a high stature nationwide as the premier hotel between Chicago and San Francisco along the Lincoln Highway. Among its amenities, the hotel published its own magazine, The Blackstonian, and kept a small fleet of Pierce-Arrow limousines for visiting dignitaries who arrived in Omaha by train. There were also a ballroom, rooftop gardens, and award-winning restaurants. The Orleans Room was the Blackstone's most famous restaurant; it received Holiday Magazines "Award for Excellence" for 16 straight years.[5] Through the 1970s the building was one of the most successful elegant small hotels in the country.

In 1968, the Radisson Hotel Corporation bought the hotel and operated it until 1976. The Blackstone was renovated for use as offices in 1984 and renamed the Blackstone Center.[6]

In September 2007, Kiewit Corporation, one of five Fortune 500 companies based in Omaha, bought the Blackstone.[7] Kiewit sold the property in 2017 to local investors Clarity Development Co. and Green Slate Development, who restored it as a luxury hotel, at a cost of $75 million.[8] [9] It opened in November 2020 as the Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel, operated by the Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group[10] The original name can no longer be used due to legal issues.[11]

Construction

Built on a steel frame, the building is covered in brick with terra cotta detailing.

Legacy

The Reuben sandwich was likely invented in Omaha by Bernard Schimmel for local grocer Reuben Kulakofsky.[12] According to one version of the sandwich's disputed history, it was first introduced to the world in 1925 on a menu in one of the Blackstone's restaurants.[13] [14] Butter brickle ice cream was also first introduced to the world at the Blackstone.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Peter Kiewit Sons' Inc. Buying Blackstone.
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20091027033318/http://uk.geocities.com/newmusic011/blackstonepage.html Historic images
  3. Web site: Omaha Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission. Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission – Landmarks. ci.omaha.ne.us. 2013-03-03. 2013-10-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20131016142957/http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/planning/landmarks/alphabetical-listing. dead.
  4. Book: Gerber . K. . Spencer . J. S. . 2003 . Building for the Ages: Omaha's Architectural Landmarks . Omaha . Omaha Books . 0-9745410-1-X . 146 .
  5. http://www2.ops.org/OOE/blackstone.htm "Blackstone Hotel"
  6. Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved 9/30/07.
  7. https://web.archive.org/web/20071013191752/http://www.omahacityweekly.com/article.php?id=3936 "Great indoors"
  8. Web site: Omaha's Blackstone Hotel: The Resurrection of a Landmark. 7 May 2019.
  9. Web site: 'Bringing back an icon': $75 million plan to revive Blackstone Hotel, a former hangout for Gold Coast elite.
  10. Web site: Kimpton Debuts Nebraska Hotel. 20 November 2020.
  11. Web site: Historic Blackstone Hotel renamed amid $75 million renovation. 19 November 2019.
  12. Web site: Crystal and Corned Beef . Judy . Horan. omahamagazine.com . May 28, 2014 . March 14, 2024.
  13. Web site: Weil . Elizabeth . My Grandfather Invented the Reuben Sandwich. Right? . June 7, 2013 . The New York Times . 17 November 2020.
  14. (nd) History of the Reuben Sandwich What's Cooking America? website. Retrieved 6/9/07