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The Omaha Livestock Exchange building is located at 27th and "O" Streets.
In 1955, the building overlooked the world's largest stockyard.
Few industries say “Omaha” like the Stockyards. This image of the Livestock Exchange Building and the Stockyards National Bank was taken about 1900. It shows the structures facing south across “Exchange Avenue” which was later changed to “O” street. The stockyards began in 1883 when Wyoming cattle baron, Alexander Swan, wanted a livestock market closer than Chicago, IL. Together with six local businessmen he formed the Union Stockyards on December 1, 1883. The Drexel farmhouse served as the very first livestock exchange. The second exchange building was constructed in 1885 by J. E. Riley and designed by Mendelssohn & Fisher. The brick structure was 4 stories high with an 80 foot tower. The main floor had public offices and the largest dining hall in Nebraska that could seat 400. The second floor was home to the original Stockyards National Bank. A separate structure was built in 1891 to the east of the Exchange. The third and fourth floors primarily served as a hotel for cattlemen doing business with the Exchange.
Construction on the Omaha Livestock Exchange was completed in 1926. The Architect was George Prinz, who captured the Romanesque and Northern Italian Renaissance Revival styles. Built with the H-Shaped plan, used to maximize the natural light into the office spaces, by Peter Kiewit & Sons; the building was designated an Omaha Landmark: June 22, 1999. The Livestock Exchange was Kiewit's first million dollar project.
The money was raised by, then, President of the Union Stockyards, Everett Buckingham.
He wanted a structure that would show the power and size of Omaha's livestock market.
The Livestock Exchange building is 11 stories high, in the form of the letter "H".
The doorway was called the most attractive entrance of any office building
because of its round arches, and beautiful designs
The most commented design feature of the building by visitors was its excellent brickwork.
Beneath each window the bricks reveal a star, a zig-zag and so on.
Today, such original designs would be impossible to obtain, due to the additional costs
and labor necessary to create each pattern.
The inside of the Omaha Exchange building was similar to a small city. The offices of the Union Stockyards, three banks, a barbor shop, cigar stand, radio station, newspaper offices, two restaurants, sleeping rooms, and a beautiful ballroom on the top floor could all be found there.
The three largest meatpacking centers in the history of the nation were Chicago, Kansas City and Omaha. In 1955 Omaha reached a long time goal, becoming the largest stockyard and meat processing center in the country. By 1957, the livestock industry employed half of Omaha's workforce.
Designed as a multi-purpose building, the Livestock Exchange Building housed not only offices but a bakery, cafeteria, kitchen, soda fountain, cigar stand, telephone and telegraph offices, apartments and sleeping rooms, a clothing store, ballrooms and a convention hall.
Stylistically, the Livestock Exchange Building is an eclectic mix of the Romanesque revival style and the northern Italian Renaissance revival. Sitting like an island in the center of what were once expansive stock pens in South Omaha, the building retains an autonomous and imposing position over this section of the city.
As a competent of the grand Stockyards East Redevelopment Plan, NuStyle Development Corporation has renovated the building into 102 apartments, commercial space and two ballrooms.
Peter Kiewit and Sons Construction Company built the Livestock Exchange.
Construction began in 1924, with completion in 1926.
Besides all of the luxuries the Livestock Exchange Building had, its main purpose was the buying and selling of livestock. Today, the Livestock Exchange Building still overlooks whats left of the stockyards in South Omaha
Although the building is not in use, it plays an important role in Omaha History. Without our huge cattle market Omaha probably would not have become a large metropolitan area.
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