The Blackstone Hotel, currently known as the Blackstone Center, is located at 302 South 36th Street in the Blackstone neighborhood of the Midtown

Midtown Omaha

Midtown is a geographic area of Omaha, Nebraska that is a culturally, socially and economically important area of the city. It is home to major research centers, national corporations, several historic districts, and a number of historic residences.-About:...

 area in Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...

. Built in 1915, it was declared an Omaha Landmark in 1983 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1985.

About

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.

In 1920, the building was purchased by Charles Schimmel, an immigrant from Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

. 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

Lincoln Highway (Omaha)

The Lincoln Highway in Omaha, Nebraska runs east–west from near North 183rd Street and West Dodge Road in towards North 192nd Street outside of Elkhorn. This section of the Lincoln Highway, one of only twenty miles that were paved with brick in Nebraska, is one of the most well-preserved in...

. Among its amenities the hotel kept a small fleet of Pierce-Arrow

Pierce-Arrow

Pierce-Arrow was an American automobile manufacturer based in Buffalo, New York, which was active from 1901-1938. Although best known for its expensive luxury cars, Pierce-Arrow also manufactured commercial trucks, fire trucks, camp trailers, motorcycles, and bicycles.-Early history:The forerunner...

 limousines for visiting dignitaries who arrived in Omaha by train

Railroads in Omaha

Railroads in Omaha, Nebraska have been integral to the growth and development of the city, the state of Nebraska, the Western United States and the entire United States...

 and its own magazine, The Blackstonian; there were also a ballroom

Ballroom

A ballroom is a large room inside a building, the designated purpose of which is holding formal dances called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions contain one or more ballrooms...

, rooftop garden

Garden

A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...

s and award-winning restaurants. A restaurant called the Orleans Room was the Blackstone's most famous, and received Holiday Magazines "Award for Excellence" for 16 straight years. 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.

In September 2007, Peter Kiewit Sons, one of five Fortune 500

Fortune 500

The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...

 companies based in Omaha, announced it would buy the Blackstone. It was expected that the company will eventually utilize the entire building.

Construction

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

Terra cotta

Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...

 detailing.

Legacy

The Reuben sandwich

Reuben sandwich

The Reuben sandwich is a hot sandwich of layered meat, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese, with a dressing. These are grilled between slices of rye bread. The meat is either corned beef or pastrami, and the dressing is either Russian or Thousand Island dressing...

 was likely invented in Omaha by Reuben Kulakofsky. 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. Butter brickle

Butter Brickle

Butter Brickle was the registered trademark of a toffee ice cream flavoring and of a toffee-centered chocolate-covered candy bar similar to the Heath bar.-History:...

 ice cream

Ice cream

Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...

was also first introduced to the world at the Blackstone.