The Nash Block, also known as the McKesson-Robbins Warehouse and currently as The Greenhouse, is located at 902-912 Farnam Street 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 ...
. Designed by
Thomas R. Kimball and built in 1907, the building is the last remnant of
Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east ...
's
Jobbers Canyon. It was named an
Omaha Landmark in 1978, and was 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 ...
in 1985.
About
The Nash Block was composed of two identical warehouse buildings, built in 1905 for one of Omaha's wealthy elite, Catherine B. Nash. Thomas R. Kimball designed the building as the first factory-warehouse in Omaha with the modern
fire protection
Fire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of potentially Conflagration, destructive fires. It involves the study of the behaviour, Compartmentalization (fire protection), compartmentalisation, suppression and inve ...
elements, including brick enclosures for stairs and elevators, fireproof doors and an automatic sprinkler system. The two buildings' first occupants relied on
the city's railroads, and the building's proximity to them.
The M. E. Smith Company was the largest and most important dry goods firm in Omaha at the turn of the century. The building was later occupied for many years by the McKesson-Robbins Drug Company, and is still often referred to by that name. The northernmost building was razed to construct the
Gene Leahy Mall and in 1989 the remaining building was renovated into
apartment
An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement (Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that ...
units known as "The Greenhouse."
[Spencer, J. (2003) ''Building for the Ages: Omaha's Architectural Landmarks.'' Omaha Books. p. 111]
See also
*
History of Omaha
References
External links
Nash Block- Historic photos of the Nash Block from the Library of Congress.
{{Omaha Landmark apartments
National Register of Historic Places in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha landmarks
Apartment buildings in Omaha, Nebraska
Commercial buildings completed in 1907
Thomas Rogers Kimball buildings
Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska
1900s establishments in Nebraska