Jewell Building
Encyclopedia
The Jewell Building is a city landmark in North Omaha, Nebraska
. Built in 1923, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. Located at 2221 North 24th Street, the building was home to the Dreamland Ballroom for more than 40 years, and featured performances by many jazz and blues legends, including Duke Ellington
, Count Basie
, Louis Armstrong
and Lionel Hampton
.
The building has been designated a Landmark by the City of Omaha, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. It is an example of the kind of venue that was integral to the cultural transmission and interchange of musical styles and art, especially in the years before television. In addition such entertainment centers were the chief ways musicians, both local and national, earned enough to make livings.
neighborhood of Omaha
, the Jewell Building was built in 1923 by James Jewell, Sr., an influential man in the local African-American community. Architect Frederick A. Henninger designed the building in the vernacular Georgian Revival style. It originally featured commercial spaces on the first floor, as well as the Dreamland Ballroom on the second floor.
In 1945 Dreamland Ballroom was used as a USO center for African-American soldiers. It continued to be used for music performances until 1965.
The Omaha Economic Development Council restored the building in the early 1980s. It was designated a landmark by the City of Omaha on September 9, 1980, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1983. For several years, the Jewell Building housed OEDC's corporate headquarters and served as an office center for professional people and small businesses. Two private apartments were kept in the building.
The Jewell Building was converted to the Love's Center for Jazz and Art, which opened in 2008 in honor of local musician Preston Love
. In the 1940s he was recruited as a young musician by the nationally famous Count Basie
Band and played with them for years. The building will be used to help preserve jazz history, as well as promote new jazz and art activities. Dreamland Plaza is located adjacent to the Jewell Building at 24th and Lizzie Robinson Streets. It is the site of a recent $2 million investment by the city, including the addition of public art, a sculpture of three jazz musicians.
for big bands and jazz
in Omaha. James Jewell, Jr. booked the original Nat King Cole Trio for $25 a person for one show. Dreamland closed in the 1960s. Other performers included Dinah Washington
, Earl Hines
, Duke Ellington
, Count Basie
, Louis Armstrong
and Lionel Hampton
. A variety of Omaha music legends including Preston Love
, Anna Mae Winburn
and Lloyd Hunter
also played at the Dreamland.
An influential man in the black community, James Jewell invited activist Whitney Young
to speak in the 1950s at Dreamland Hall about the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Young started in Omaha and became the national director of the Urban League.
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. Built in 1923, it is 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...
. Located at 2221 North 24th Street, the building was home to the Dreamland Ballroom for more than 40 years, and featured performances by many jazz and blues legends, including Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
, Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
and Lionel Hampton
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
.
The building has been designated a Landmark by the City of Omaha, and is 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...
. It is an example of the kind of venue that was integral to the cultural transmission and interchange of musical styles and art, especially in the years before television. In addition such entertainment centers were the chief ways musicians, both local and national, earned enough to make livings.
About
Located at 2221-2225 North 24th Street in the Near North SideNear North Side (Omaha, Nebraska)
The Near North Side of Omaha, Nebraska is the neighborhood immediately north of downtown. It forms the nucleus of the city's African-American community, and its name is often synonymous with the entire North Omaha area...
neighborhood of Omaha
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...
, the Jewell Building was built in 1923 by James Jewell, Sr., an influential man in the local African-American community. Architect Frederick A. Henninger designed the building in the vernacular Georgian Revival style. It originally featured commercial spaces on the first floor, as well as the Dreamland Ballroom on the second floor.
In 1945 Dreamland Ballroom was used as a USO center for African-American soldiers. It continued to be used for music performances until 1965.
The Omaha Economic Development Council restored the building in the early 1980s. It was designated a landmark by the City of Omaha on September 9, 1980, and was 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 1983. For several years, the Jewell Building housed OEDC's corporate headquarters and served as an office center for professional people and small businesses. Two private apartments were kept in the building.
The Jewell Building was converted to the Love's Center for Jazz and Art, which opened in 2008 in honor of local musician Preston Love
Preston Love
Preston Haines Love was a renowned alto saxophonist, bandleader and songwriter from Omaha, Nebraska.-Biography:Preston Love grew up in North Omaha and graduated from North High....
. In the 1940s he was recruited as a young musician by the nationally famous Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
Band and played with them for years. The building will be used to help preserve jazz history, as well as promote new jazz and art activities. Dreamland Plaza is located adjacent to the Jewell Building at 24th and Lizzie Robinson Streets. It is the site of a recent $2 million investment by the city, including the addition of public art, a sculpture of three jazz musicians.
Dreamland Ballroom
Located on the second floor of the Jewell Building, the Dreamland Ballroom was the premier nightclubNightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
for big bands and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
in Omaha. James Jewell, Jr. booked the original Nat King Cole Trio for $25 a person for one show. Dreamland closed in the 1960s. Other performers included Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
, Earl Hines
Earl Hines
Earl Kenneth Hines, universally known as Earl "Fatha" Hines, was an American jazz pianist. Hines was one of the most influential figures in the development of modern jazz piano and, according to one source, is "one of a small number of pianists whose playing shaped the history of jazz".-Early...
, Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
, Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
and Lionel Hampton
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
. A variety of Omaha music legends including Preston Love
Preston Love
Preston Haines Love was a renowned alto saxophonist, bandleader and songwriter from Omaha, Nebraska.-Biography:Preston Love grew up in North Omaha and graduated from North High....
, Anna Mae Winburn
Anna Mae Winburn
Anna Mae Winburn, née Darden was an African American vocalist and jazz bandleader who flourished beginning in the mid 1930s...
and Lloyd Hunter
Lloyd Hunter
Lloyd Hunter was a trumpeter and big band leader from North Omaha, Nebraska. He led band across the Midwest from 1923 until his death. Hunter had also worked with Jessie Stone in Kansas City, Missouri.-Biography:...
also played at the Dreamland.
An influential man in the black community, James Jewell invited activist Whitney Young
Whitney Young
Whitney Moore Young Jr. was an American civil rights leader.He spent most of his career working to end employment discrimination in the United States and turning the National Urban League from a relatively passive civil rights organization into one that aggressively fought for equitable access to...
to speak in the 1950s at Dreamland Hall about the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Young started in Omaha and became the national director of the Urban League.
External links
- Dreamland Historical Project website to protect the Dreamland Ballroom in the Jewell Building.
- Modern photo of the Jewell Building
