Fred Petersen (1886- ), Architect
Fred Petersen was born in Omaha on October 8, 1886 to Lena and William Petersen. His father was listed as an Omaha contractor in the 1910 U. S. Census when 23-year-old Fred was in his household, identified as an architect. He initially worked for his father (Petersen & Sons), then practiced both independently and in partnerships, designing houses. His WWI draft registration card of 1917 noted that he had a wife and child who relied on his support.[4] Fred, wife Lillian C., and daughter Margaret relocated to Wall Lake, Iowa by 1920; then to Los Angeles, California; Fort Myers, Florida; and Mrs. Petersen's hometown of Schuyler, Nebraska; then returned to California in the late 1920s. For several years they resided in Ventura, California. Ventura city directories reflect the family's presence as early as 1928, but in 1934 Lillian was listed, while Fred was not.[31][32] In 1935 he married Amalia Potter (nee Rohacek) in Glenwood, Iowa. The marriage record notes that this was a second marriage for both of them, that Fred resided in Omaha and he was an architect. Their marriage apparently was of short duration, ending before 1940.[6][33][c] Fred's WWII draft registration card listed "Board of Education" as his employer and the Omaha city directories listed him as a draftsman through 1942.[5] His place and date of death are currently unknown.
This page is a contribution to the publication, Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. See the format and contents page for more information on the compilation and page organization.
Contents
[hide]Compiled Nebraska Directory Listings
Omaha, Nebraska, 1909-1912, 1914-1917, 1940-1942
Educational & Professional Associations
1908-1910: architect, Petersen & Sons, 538 Paxton Blk, Omaha, Nebraska.[a]
1911-1912: architect, 311 Brandeis Theater Building, Omaha, Nebraska.
1912-1913: architect and partner, Petersen & Dodds, Omaha, Nebraska.[7][b]
1913: architect and partner with Max Rudolph Nippell, Architect.[2]
1914-1915: architect, 703 State Bank Building, Omaha, Nebraska.
1920: carpenter, Wall Lake, Sac County, Iowa.[41]
by 1923: family in Los Angeles area.[43]
1926-1927: Fred Peterson [sic], architect formerly of Omaha, recently of Fort Meyers, announces he will locate and practice in Schuyler, Nebraska.[43]
1927-1930: architect, San Buenaventura, California.[31][44]
1940-1942: draftsman, Board of Education, Omaha, Nebraska.
Buildings & Projects
House (1909), 1809 Spencer St., Omaha, Nebraska.[1] (DO09:0140-064)
Rowhouse (1909), 2744-50 S. 9th St., Omaha, Nebraska.[1] (DO09:0109-003)
House (1910), 1306 S. 9th St., Omaha, Nebraska.[1] (DO09:0117-143)
House (1911), 1926 Spencer St., Omaha, Nebraska.[1] (DO09:0140-020)
Three Residences for William C. Hansen (1911), Omaha, Nebraska.[3]
Prior to March 1915, "Mr. Peterson [sic]...has planned several of our finest buildings. Not only private residences, but the Kopac garage, the McKeod building, in which the post office is located, the building owned by Mrs. Dworak, in which the Schuyler Cigar Co. are located, the Schuyler Harness Co.'s building...," and also residences of Gerald Ehernberger, Anton Kopac and Mrs. Julia Dworak; and Michaelson Cafe and Daricek & Dudek Building; Schuyler, Nebraska.[37][43][e]
Jaroslav Folda house (1915), 905 Chicago, Schuyler, Nebraska. (CX06-074)[39]
"Tel. Jed. Sokol Turners' auditorium" (1915), Schuyler, Nebraska.[35][36][37]
"New modern cottage" for J. M. Simmons (1915), "on the lots just east of the O. J. Smith residence," Schuyler, Nebraska.[40]
Notes
a. First Omaha directory listing, 1908, with his father's contracting firm, William Petersen & Son (Fred). Not yet listed among Architects & Superintendents in 1908 Business Directory. Listed among Architects & Superintendents in 1909, employed by William Petersen & Sons.
b. Omaha Daily News frequently published residential designs by Petersen from 1910 to 1912. On May 5, 1912, the newspaper featured a wash perspective and floor plans of a Tudor revival style residence, credited to Petersen.[7] Two weeks later, the same newspaper began publishing a series of house plans by Petersen & Dodds as well as publishing advertisements for Petersen & Dodds as "associated architects."[8-29] The association was short-lived. The 1913 Omaha city directory listed Petersen and Dodds, and the associates published a house plan in an Omaha newspaper in early April of 1913. But later that same month, Petersen was advertising with Max Rudolph Nippell, Architect.[2][30]
c. The U. S. Census of 1940 listed Amalia Rohcek, age 49, born in Nebraska, as a divorced woman living in Omaha, working as a stenographer.[33] She died in 1974 in Omaha and her grave marker is inscribed "Amalia Petersen/May 23, 1890/November 9, 1974."[33][34]
d. Fred Petersen was listed as a draftsman for the Omaha Board of Education in city directories of 1940-1942. In the latter year his wife was listed as Mollie.
e. Fred Petersen's wife Lillian was daughter of Julia Dworak of Schuyler.[38] In 1915, Schuyler newspapers regularly reported that Fred would be spending Sundays at his home in Omaha, implying that his work-weeks were largely spent in Schuyler. In the early 1920s, Mrs. Dworak visited the Petersens several times in Iowa, then in 1923 a Schuyler newspaper reported that Mrs. Peterson [sic] and daughter Margaret would be leaving for Los Angeles "where they will join Mr. in making their future home."[42]
References
1. City of Omaha Planning Department, Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission, Database, Query on Architects, May 20, 2002; courtesy of Lynn Meyer, Preservation Planner.
2. Omaha World Herald (April 27, 1913), 3. (advertisement for "Nippell & Petersen Architects...Formerly: Nippell & Bellas...[and]...Petersen & Dodds").
3. "Omaha, Nebraska," American Contractor 32:21 (May 27, 1911): 63.
4. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, s.v. "Fred Petersen," [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
5. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, s.v. "Fred Petersen, b. 1886," [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
6. Ancestry.com. Iowa, U.S., Marriage Records, 1880-1947, s.v. "Fred Petersen," [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
7. "New Home Suggestions...Brick Veneer Residence," (wash perspective and floor plans of Tudor revival 2.5-story house by Petersen), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (May 5, 1912), 10.
8."New Home Suggestions...Design for a Shingle and Stucco House," (photo and floor plans of 2.5-story "four-square" house by Petersen and Dodds), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (May 19, 1912), 18.
9. "New Home Suggestions...Individuality in a Home," (photo and floor plans of steep 2.5-story house by Petersen and Dodds), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (May 26, 1912), 18.
10. "New Home Suggestions...Description," (elevation sketch and floor plans of two-story "square house" by Petersen and Dodds), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (June 2, 1912), 16.
11. "New Home Suggestions...Description," (photo and floor plans of two-story "square house" by Petersen and Dodds), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (June 9, 1912), 10.
12. "New Home Suggestions...Description," (perspective and floor plan of bungalow by Petersen and Dodds), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (June 16, 1912), 17.
13. "New Home Suggestions...Cobble Stones, Shingles and Stucco," (perspective and floor plans by Petersen and Dodds), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (July 14, 1912), 19.
14. "New Home Suggestions...An Attractive Square Residence," (perspective and floor plans by Petersen and Dodds), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (July 21, 1912), 24.
15. "New Home Suggestions...An Artistic Bungalow," (perspective and floor plans by Petersen and Dodds), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (July 28, 1912), 23.
16. "Fred Petersen and E. S. Dodds Associated Architects," Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (September 8, 1912), 32.
17. "New Home Suggestions by Omaha Architects...$6,000 will build this duplex dwelling," (photo and floor plans by Fred Petersen), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (April 4, 1909), 20.
18. "New Home Suggestions by Omaha Architects...This Modern House Can Be Built Complete for $2,000," (photo and floor plans by Fred Petersen), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (May 16, 1909), 58.
19. "New Home Suggestions by Omaha Architects," (photo and floor plans by Fred Petersen), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (April 24, 1910), 23.
20. "New Home Suggestions by Omaha Architects...Cottage Built in Omaha for $3,800," (photo and floor plans by Fred Petersen), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (June 26, 1910), 32.
21. "New Home Suggestions by Omaha Architects...A $3,800 Residence," (photo and floor plans by Fred Petersen), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (July 17, 1910), 27.
22. "New Home Suggestions by Omaha Architects...A Modern Residence," (photo and floor plans by Fred Petersen), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (April 23, 1911), 39.
23. "New Home Suggestions by Omaha Architects...A House of Brick," (photo and floor plans by Fred Petersen), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (May 7, 1911), 25.
24. "New Home Suggestions by Omaha Architects...Brick Veneered Cottage," (photo and floor plan by Fred Petersen), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (May 21, 1911), 19.
25. "New Home Suggestions...$1,250 will Build this Cottage," (perspective sketch and floor plan by Fred Petersen), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (June 4, 1911), 38.
26. "New Home Suggestions...An Example of Omaha Architecture," (photo and floor plans by Fred Petersen), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (June 18, 1911), 31.
27. "New Home Suggestions...A Modern Omaha Home," (elevation sketch and floor plans by Fred Petersen), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (July 2, 1911), 14.
28. "New Home Suggestions...Fine Exampole of a Modern Cottage," (photo and floor plans by Fred Petersen), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (July 16, 1911), 14.
29. "New Home Suggestions...A Beautiful Omaha Home," (photo and floor plans by Fred Petersen), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (August 13, 1911), 14.
30. "The Home Builders Page...An Attractive Square Residence," (photo and floor plans by Petersen and Dodds), Omaha (Nebraska) Daily News (April 6, 1913), 18.
31. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census, s.v. "Fred Peterson, b. Nebraska, architect," [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.
32. Ventura (California) City Directory, 1928, 1930, 1934.
33. Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census, s.v. "Amalia Petersen," [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
34. Ancestry.com. U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current, s.v. "Amalia Petersen," [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
35. "Some Omaha Architects Work Out In the State," Sunday Omaha (Nebraska) World-Herald (March 21, 1915, 8.
36. "The New Sokol Auditorium proposed for Schuyler, Nebraska," The Colfax County Press and the Clarkson (Nebraska) Herald Consolidated (June 15, 1916), 4 (illustrated with perspective).
37. "Building Committee Working on Plans--Sketches Have Been Drawn and General Idea of New Hall Outlined--Fred Peterson [sic] is Architect," The Schuyler (Nebraska) Sun (March 26, 1915), 1.
38. "Local and Personal...Fred Peterson [sic] and family of Omaha came to Schuyler...to visit with Mrs. Peterson's mother, Mrs. Julia Dworak," The Schuyler (Nebraska) Sun (January 2, 1914), 5.
39. "Local News...Fred Peterson [sic] and his father of Omaha were in Schuyler on Saturday on business relative to the erection of Jaroslav Folda's new residence," The Schuyler (Nebraska) Messenger (March 26, 1915), 6.
40. "Neighborhood News and Notes...J. M. Simmons has begun preparations for the erection of a new modern cottage...," The Schuyler (Nebraska) Sun (November 5, 1915), 2.
41. Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census, s.v. "Lyllian C. Peterson," [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
42. "Local News Notes...Mrs. Fred Peterson [sic] and daughter, Miss Margaret..." The Schuyler (Nebraska) Sun (October 18, 1923), 5.
43. "Fred Peterson [sic], Architect will locate in Schuyler," The Schuyler (Nebraska) Sun (August 19, 1926), 1; and same edition, page 5, adds Michaelson Cafe and Daricek & Dudek Building.
44. "Fred Peterson [sic] has arrived...at Los Angeles...and Mrs. Peterson will leave soon for that state, where they expect to make their home," The Schuyler (Nebraska) Sun (February 17, 1927), 1 (column 4).
Page Citation
D. Murphy & E. F. Zimmer, “Fred Petersen (1886- ), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, June 17, 2023. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, April 21, 2025.
Contact the Nebraska State Historic Preservation Office with questions or comments concerning this page, including any problems you may have with broken links (see, however, the Disclaimers link at the bottom of this page). Please provide the URL to this page with your inquiry.
