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Emiel J. Christensen (April 23, 1895 – May 1988) was an American
architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
, community planner, and professor at the
University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
whose work includes the Oak Ballroom in
Schuyler, Nebraska Schuyler is a city in Colfax County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,211 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Colfax County. The city (as well as the county) is named after former Vice President of the United States, Schu ...
, Eagle Creek Lodge in
Atkinson, Nebraska Atkinson is a city in Holt County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,306 at the 2020 census. History The first settlement at Atkinson was made ''circa'' 1875. Atkinson was platted in 1880, when the railroad was extended to that poin ...
, Izaak Walton League Lodge in Columbus, Nebraska. He also designed several homes in Columbus, the area where he lived. Christensen wrote "emphatically" on enviroethics. His son has spoken on his work since his death.Eric Freema
Columbus architect shared his vision in area
Columbus Telegram May 3, 2007


Background

Christensen was born in
Washington County, Nebraska Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 20,865. Its county seat is Blair. Washington County is part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. In the Nebraska l ...
on April 23, 1895 and received his architectural training from Washington University in St. Louis. After World War I he worked at architectural firms in
Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
and
Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
. Christensen came to Columbus from Lyons, Nebraska with his wife Clara in the summer of 1927 and worked for a local architectural company until "after a short time he purchased the business". The Oak Ballroom was one of his earliest works and remains one of his best known projects. He "also worked as the building foreman on the ballroom". His other work includes many family residences in Columbus that include a "distinctive use of red brick and stone exteriors". Christensen also designed the "old" city hall built in the 1930s, and he served as a technical adviser to the Columbus City Council where he "designed additions to the city's water and sewer systems". He served as the Columbus Red Cross disaster chairman "for many years" and "after World War II Emiel developed a reputation in community planning, and was invited to join the faculty of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln" where he taught classes in community planning and "became a leader in Nebraska's Community Improvement Program". In 1954 Christensen partnered with Elmer Bradley to develop PaWiTo, "a private venture in creative recreation" and a "nature-lover's paradise" consisting of of land "nestled in the bluffs south of Columbus... rich with wild fruits, creatures, 60 species of trees and over 100 kinds of birds. Christensen was Coordinator of Community Services at the University of Nebraska, a member of groups including the American Society of Planning Officials, a member of the
American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...
, and a
Rotarian Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and pe ...
. He died of pulmonary failure at 93.


Projects

Christensen's Oak Ballroom and Columbus Izaak Walton League Lodge are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. The designs are similar and the Oak Ballroom has striking exposed wood beams in its construction while the Columbus Izaak Walton League Lodge also uses wood and stone for a rustic look.


Eagle Creek Lodge

Eagle Creek Lodge is and features custom cedar logs cut from native Nebraska timbers. It includes four bedrooms, two and a half baths, a wet bar, billiard room, and was built in 1971. A fireplace made with petrified cottonwood from the banks of the nearby
Niobrara River The Niobrara River (; , , literally "water spread-out horizontal-the" or "The Wide-Spreading Water") is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. Many early settlers, such as Mari Sandoz, referred to the rive ...
is located in its "great room", which also offers panoramic views of a nearby lake and prairie. A real estate listing noted the building is on "with a 35 acre spring fed bass stocked lake" and that "upland waterfowl hunting is available on site with turkey and deer hunting nearby."Eagle Springs Lodge website
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christensen, Emiel 1895 births 1988 deaths 20th-century American architects University of Nebraska alumni People from Washington County, Nebraska People from Lyons, Nebraska