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Blackstone Hotel
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Omaha Landmark
Front view of the Blackstone; 2010
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Interactive map showing the location of Blackstone Hotel
Location	302 S. 36th St., Omaha, Nebraska
Coordinates	41°15′26″N 95°57′59″W / 41.25722°N 95.96639°W / 41.25722; -95.96639
Area	1.5 acres (0.61 ha)
Built	1916
Architect	F.W. Fitzpatrick
Architectural style	Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Second Renaissance Revival
NRHP reference No.	85000067
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	January 11, 1985
Designated OMAL	April 12, 1983

The Blackstone Hotel is a historic hotel located at 302 South 36th Street in the Blackstone neighborhood of the Midtown area in Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1915, it was declared an Omaha Landmark in 1983 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

History

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. 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. Among its amenities, the hotel published its own magazine, The Blackstonian, and kept a small fleet of Pierce-Arrow limousines for visiting dignitaries who arrived in Omaha by train. There were also a ballroom, rooftop gardens, and award-winning restaurants. The Orleans Room was the Blackstone's most famous restaurant; it received Holiday Magazine's "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, Kiewit Corporation, one of five Fortune 500 companies based in Omaha, bought the Blackstone. Kiewit sold the property in 2017 to local investors Clarity Development Co. and Green Slate Development, who restored it as a luxury hotel, at a cost of $75 million. It opened in November 2020 as the Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel, operated by the Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group The original name can no longer be used due to legal issues.

Construction

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

Legacy

The Reuben sandwich was likely invented in Omaha by Bernard Schimmel for local grocer 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 ice cream was also first introduced to the world at the Blackstone.

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. ^ Omaha Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission. "Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission – Landmarks". ci.omaha.ne.us. Archived from the original on 2013-10-16. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
3. "Peter Kiewit Sons' Inc. Buying Blackstone".
4. Historic images
5. ^ Gerber, K.; Spencer, J. S. (2003). Building for the Ages: Omaha's Architectural Landmarks. Omaha: Omaha Books. p. 146. ISBN 0-9745410-1-X.
6. ^ "Blackstone Hotel" Archived 2001-11-23 at the Wayback Machine, Omaha Public Schools. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
7. "More tax incentive program projects in Douglas County." Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved 9/30/07.
8. "Great indoors", Omaha City Weekly, Retrieved 9/31/07.
9. "Omaha's Blackstone Hotel: The Resurrection of a Landmark". 7 May 2019.
10. "'Bringing back an icon': $75 million plan to revive Blackstone Hotel, a former hangout for Gold Coast elite".
11. "Kimpton Debuts Nebraska Hotel". 20 November 2020.
12. "Historic Blackstone Hotel renamed amid $75 million renovation". 19 November 2019.
13. Horan, Judy (May 28, 2014). "Crystal and Corned Beef". omahamagazine.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
14. Weil, Elizabeth (June 7, 2013). "My Grandfather Invented the Reuben Sandwich. Right?". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
15. (nd) History of the Reuben Sandwich What's Cooking America? website. Retrieved 6/9/07

• Hotel buildings completed in 1915
• Omaha landmarks
• National Register of Historic Places in Omaha, Nebraska
• Defunct hotels in Omaha, Nebraska
• 1915 establishments in Nebraska
• History of Midtown Omaha, Nebraska
• Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska