Last updated: September 1, 2022
Place
Northwestern Bell Telephone Company Regional Headquarters
David Calease, NPS
Quick Facts
Location:
100 South 19th Street
Significance:
Communications; Commerce; Architecture
Designation:
National Register of Historic Places
OPEN TO PUBLIC:
No
MANAGED BY:
Private Property Owner
The Northwestern Bell Telephone Company Regional Headquarters was constructed in 1957 in a prominent location of downtown Omaha. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, it continues to serve as a visual example of the increased importance of service-based industries in the post-World War II economy.
In 1921, a group of telephone companies operating in Iowa and Nebraska merged to become the Northwestern Bell Telephone Company. The company was considered a “Baby Bell” under the nationwide Bell system network which was composed of AT&T, Bell Telephone Laboratories, Western Electric, and other local operating companies. The regional headquarters in Omaha served Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. After World War II, demand for telephone service skyrocketed and Northwestern Bell answered the demand. By 1951 the company employed 21,888 men and women and owned more than 1,100 buildings in 1,000 cities and towns in the region. The Northwestern Bell Telephone Company played an integral role in implementing modern communication tools for residential customers, commercial interests, and the United States military (Offutt Air Force Base).
The building was designed by Leo Daly and is of a stylized modern aesthetic. It lacks ornamentation and is instead sheathed in simple cream-colored brick with bands of alternating aluminum frame windows. Visually, the building was intended to convey a message to consumers. Its rational and efficient design, lacking any flash or ornamentation, reflects the company’s corporate philosophy: quality service at an affordable price. In 2013, the building was converted into apartments.
In 1921, a group of telephone companies operating in Iowa and Nebraska merged to become the Northwestern Bell Telephone Company. The company was considered a “Baby Bell” under the nationwide Bell system network which was composed of AT&T, Bell Telephone Laboratories, Western Electric, and other local operating companies. The regional headquarters in Omaha served Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. After World War II, demand for telephone service skyrocketed and Northwestern Bell answered the demand. By 1951 the company employed 21,888 men and women and owned more than 1,100 buildings in 1,000 cities and towns in the region. The Northwestern Bell Telephone Company played an integral role in implementing modern communication tools for residential customers, commercial interests, and the United States military (Offutt Air Force Base).
The building was designed by Leo Daly and is of a stylized modern aesthetic. It lacks ornamentation and is instead sheathed in simple cream-colored brick with bands of alternating aluminum frame windows. Visually, the building was intended to convey a message to consumers. Its rational and efficient design, lacking any flash or ornamentation, reflects the company’s corporate philosophy: quality service at an affordable price. In 2013, the building was converted into apartments.