Mendelssohn, Fisher and Lawrie
Encyclopedia
Mendelssohn, Fisher and Lawrie was a significant architecture
firm in early Omaha, Nebraska
.
in Downtown Omaha
. The following year Mendelssohn left Dufrene to partner with George Fisher, with whom he operated a firm until 1886. Fisher was born in Michigan in 1856, and graduated from the University of Michigan
in 1880 with a degree in civil engineering
. Eventually Harry Lawrie, born in Glasgow, Scotland in est 1858, had nine years of experience in Glasgow and Edinburgh
before immigrating to Chicago
in 1883. He moved to Omaha and joined the firm in 1887. During Omaha's building boom in the 1880s and 90s the firm designed several significant buildings. Mendelssohn left in 1893, leaving Fisher and Lawrie to continue until 1913.
Fisher died in 1931, and Lawrie died in 1935.
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
firm in early 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...
.
History
Louis Mendelssohn was born in Berlin, Germany in 1842, and studied in New York City, New York before forming the partnership of Dufrene and Mendelssohn in Omaha in 1881. The pair were responsible for designing the 1884 Christian Specht BuildingChristian Specht Building
The Christian Specht Building is located at 1110 Douglas Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. It is the only existing building with a cast iron facade known in Nebraska today, and one of the few ever built in the state...
in Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and is located in Omaha, Nebraska. The boundaries are 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline of Leavenworth Street on the south to the centerline...
. The following year Mendelssohn left Dufrene to partner with George Fisher, with whom he operated a firm until 1886. Fisher was born in Michigan in 1856, and graduated from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1880 with a degree in civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
. Eventually Harry Lawrie, born in Glasgow, Scotland in est 1858, had nine years of experience in Glasgow and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
before immigrating to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1883. He moved to Omaha and joined the firm in 1887. During Omaha's building boom in the 1880s and 90s the firm designed several significant buildings. Mendelssohn left in 1893, leaving Fisher and Lawrie to continue until 1913.
Fisher died in 1931, and Lawrie died in 1935.
Notable designs
- G.C. Moses BlockG.C. Moses BlockThe G.C. Moses Block is a historic building located in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska....
- Built in 1887, it was added to the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(NRHP) in 2000. - Mason SchoolMason SchoolMason School is located at 1012 South 24 Street in south Omaha, Nebraska. Designed in the Richardson Romanesque style and built in 1888, the school was closed in the late 1970s and converted into apartments...
- Built in 1888, it was added to the NRHP in 1986. - Bemis Omaha Bag Company BuildingBemis Omaha Bag Company BuildingThe Bemis Bag Company Building is located at 1102-1118 Jones Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1887 in a commercial style, the building was designed by the prolific Omaha architecture firm of Mendelssohn and Lawrie. It was designated an Omaha Landmark on September 12, 1978, and was added...
- Built in 1887, it was added to the NRHP in 1985. - Christian Specht BuildingChristian Specht BuildingThe Christian Specht Building is located at 1110 Douglas Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. It is the only existing building with a cast iron facade known in Nebraska today, and one of the few ever built in the state...
- Built in 1884, it was added to the NRHP in 1977. - Hicks TerraceHicks TerraceHicks Terrace is located at 3005-3011 Pacific Streetand 1102 South 30th Avenue in South Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1890, the structure represents the Queen Anne style of architecture. Designed by the early Omaha firm of Mendelssohn, Fisher and Lawrie, the building was constructed in 1890, and...
- Built in 1890, it was named an Omaha Landmark in 1981. - Bemis Bag Company Building - Built in 1887, it was named an Omaha Landmark in 1978.
- Broatch BuildingBroatch BuildingThe Broatch Building is located at 1209 Harney Street in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1880 with an 1887 expansion, it was designated an Omaha Landmark on December 20, 1983 and is a contributing building to the Old Market Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic...
- Built in 1880 and 1887, it was named an Omaha Landmark in 1983, and was added to the NRHP. - John A. Horbach Building - Built in 1894, it was named an Omaha Landmark in 1979, and was added to the NRHP.
- Sacred Heart Catholic ChurchSacred Heart Catholic Church (Omaha, Nebraska)Sacred Heart Catholic Church is located at 2206 Binney Street in the Kountze Place neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1902 in the Late Gothic Revival Style, the City of Omaha declared it a landmark in 1979, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.The...
- Built in 1900, it was added to the NRHP in 1983. - Old Library - Located on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, it was built in 1895 and added to the NRHP in 1975.
- Minne Lusa Pumping StationMinne Lusa Pumping StationThe Minne Lusa Pumping Station was located along John J. Pershing Drive in the Florence neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska. The station, which was surrounded by settling basins, was the main source for pumping, filtering, and distributing Missouri River water throughout the City of Omaha...
- Built in 1886, this classically styled building was demolished in the 1960s.