Ottawa Block, The

The story

Written by AI from this property's National Register nomination and the record above; every sentence is checked against its sources before it appears here. Corrections: privacy@treealive.com

The Ottawa Block is a two-story, two-part brick commercial building at 2401 Farnam St. in Omaha, Douglas County, built in 1916 and listed in the National Register in 2013. John and Alan McDonald designed it in a mix of Commercial Style, Prairie School, Art Deco and Moderne styles, and J.C. Mardis built it.

Why it's listed

It was listed under criterion A, with local significance in commerce, and its period of significance runs from 1916 to 1948, when the Phelan & Shirley Company had offices there.

Physical character

The foundation is concrete, the walls are brick, and the roof is composition, with the brick facade marked by pilasters, a stretcher course topped by a rowlock course, and a parapet with two cornices. Inside, the original pressed tin ceiling and ceramic floor tile survive, including a section spelling out FISK, plus original wooden staircases and a freight elevator.

Historical context

Fisk Rubber Company was a tenant from 1916 to 1924, and Standard Bridge Company was there from 1933 to 1963. Edward Phelan died in 1932 and Michael Shirley in 1937; the Phelan & Shirley Company went out of business in 1948. Kenneth Wingo established the Downtown Boxing Club in the building in 1978.