Last updated: September 2, 2022
Place
Douglas County Courthouse
David Calease, NPS
Quick Facts
Location:
1701 Farnam Street
Significance:
Architecture; Politics/Government; Social History
Designation:
National Register of Historic Places
MANAGED BY:
Douglas County
Douglas County Courthouse in downtown Omaha, is a significant example of the French Renaissance Revival style, and marked a professional milestone in the career trajectory of its architect, John Latenser, Sr.
The current Douglas County is the third in the county’s history. The first was opened in 1858 and, though found to be too small only a decade later, remained in use until 1885. The second courthouse was used until the current one was finished in 1912, when it was then torn down with some materials being reused in various projects around Omaha.
In 1908 it was determined that a new courthouse was needed and plans for the building were developed in the same year. The symmetrical, U-shaped building was designed by architect John Latenser, Sr., in 1909 and was completed by October 1912. Its materials consist of limestone with a granite base. The main north façade is comprised of nine bays with engaged Corinthian columns supporting a full entablature. The exterior features tripartite windows and plentiful decorative stonework.
The courthouse was also the site of the 1919 Will Brown riot, where a White mob stormed the courthouse jail and seized Brown, who was falsely accused of raping a White woman. Brown was lynched at the corner of 18th and Harney, his body shot at and drug by a car before being set ablaze. Bullet holes from the riot are still visible on the courthouse’s interior.
In the early-1970s, the Omaha-Douglas County Civic Center was constructed next to the 1912 Courthouse. The Civic Center is now connected to the Courthouse and was included as a contributing resource in the updated National Register nomination, reflecting the expanding influence of city government to merge with that of its host county.
The Douglas County Courthouse is a municipal building and is partially open to the public. The original nomination of the property to the National Register of Historic Places has since been updated, a copy of which is yet to be digitized but can be requested from the Nebraska State Historic Preservation Office.
The current Douglas County is the third in the county’s history. The first was opened in 1858 and, though found to be too small only a decade later, remained in use until 1885. The second courthouse was used until the current one was finished in 1912, when it was then torn down with some materials being reused in various projects around Omaha.
In 1908 it was determined that a new courthouse was needed and plans for the building were developed in the same year. The symmetrical, U-shaped building was designed by architect John Latenser, Sr., in 1909 and was completed by October 1912. Its materials consist of limestone with a granite base. The main north façade is comprised of nine bays with engaged Corinthian columns supporting a full entablature. The exterior features tripartite windows and plentiful decorative stonework.
The courthouse was also the site of the 1919 Will Brown riot, where a White mob stormed the courthouse jail and seized Brown, who was falsely accused of raping a White woman. Brown was lynched at the corner of 18th and Harney, his body shot at and drug by a car before being set ablaze. Bullet holes from the riot are still visible on the courthouse’s interior.
In the early-1970s, the Omaha-Douglas County Civic Center was constructed next to the 1912 Courthouse. The Civic Center is now connected to the Courthouse and was included as a contributing resource in the updated National Register nomination, reflecting the expanding influence of city government to merge with that of its host county.
The Douglas County Courthouse is a municipal building and is partially open to the public. The original nomination of the property to the National Register of Historic Places has since been updated, a copy of which is yet to be digitized but can be requested from the Nebraska State Historic Preservation Office.