William LaBarthe Steele, Jr. (1907-1980), Architect
William LaBarthe Steele, Jr. was born on August 25, 1907 in Sioux City, Iowa. He was the son of William, a well-established architect, and Maryana Steele. He was married in 1940 to Virginia Mullen and had three children: a daughter Sidney, and sons William LeBarthe III and John. Employed by his father’s firms and others, Steele Jr. soon became a respected architect in Nebraska as well. He was a member of Omaha’s City Planning Commission and City Building Review Board in addition to his work in many Omaha architectural firms.[2] Steele Jr. died on June 18, 1980 in Omaha at the age of 72. [3][7]
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
Compiled Nebraska Directory Listings
Omaha, Nebraska, 1938-1974
Educational & Professional Associations
1927-ca.1931: student, Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa.[8]
1931-1935: draftsman, Kimball, Steele & Sandham, Architects, Omaha, Nebraska.
1935: head draftsman, Steele & Hilgers, Architects.[2]
1935-1936: student, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska.[2]
1936-1941: head designer and superintendent, Kimball, Steele & Sandham, Architects, Omaha, Nebraska.[#References|[2]]]
1938: Registered Professional Architect, Nebraska, July 19, 1938, expired December 31, 1980, A-70.[6]
1941-1946: government construction projects.[2]
1946-1956: architect and partner, Steele, Sandham & Steele, Architects, Omaha, Nebraska.[2]
1956-1963: architect and president, Steele, Sandham & Weinstein Company, Architects, Omaha, Nebraska.[2]
1964-1969: architect and partner, Steele, Weinstein & Associates, Architects, Omaha, Nebraska.[2]
1970-1971: architect and president, Steele & Associates, Architects, Omaha, Nebraska.[2]
1972-1973: vice-president, McGaugh Marshall McMillan & Backlund, Architects, Omaha, Nebraska.
1974: senior architectural consultant, McGaugh Marshall McMillan & Backlund, Architects, Omaha, Nebraska.
1975-1979: Not listed in Omaha city directory.
1980: Listed as retired in Omaha city directory.
Principal Works
- Much of Steele's work was done while working for several architectural firms. See the pages Steele, Sandham & Steele; Steele, Sandham & Weinstein Company; Steele, Weinstein & Associates; and Steele & Associates for more buildings and projects.
St. Vincent’s Home for Aged (1952), Omaha, Nebraska.[2]
Agronomy Science Building – Keim Hall (1952), University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska.[2]
Synagogue (1953), Omaha, Nebraska.[2][b].
St. Philip Nero Church (1954), Omaha, Nebraska.[2]
Jefferson School (1954), Omaha, Nebraska.[2]
Benedictine Seminary (1956), Elkhorn, Nebraska.[2]
Student Health Center (1958), University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska.[2]
Federal Building and Court House (1958-1960), Omaha, Nebraska.[2]
Behlen Laboratory of Physics (1961-1965), University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska.[2][a]
Pius X Church (1964), Tulsa, Oklahoma.[2]
Honors & Awards
1954: AIA Award of Merit, St.Vincent's Home for Aged.[2]
1954: Hospital of Month, Modern Hospital Magazine, St. Vincent's Home for Aged.[2]
Notes
a. Architect of record, Steele, Sandham & Weinstein Company.[2]
b. Steele, Sandham & Steele supervising architects; Kivett & Meyers, architect of record.[2]
References
1. Biography in Nebraska State Historical Society file (The Prairie School in Iowa, Wilson & Robinson, Iowa State Un. Press, Ames, 1977) FIX
2. The AIA Historical Directory of American Architects, s.v. “Steele Jr., William L.,” (ahd1042847), http://public.aia.org/sites/hdoaa/wiki (accessed April 5, 2017).
3. “Steele, William L.” Omaha World-Herald (June 20, 1980): 36:2
4. Lincoln Evening Journal (June 10, 1961): 1.
5. “Dedication Program,” December 2, 1965. In Behlen Manufacturing Company collection, Nebraska State Historical Society, MS1595 Box 5.
6. State of Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects, “Professional license results: William L Steele Jr.,” Accessed September 10, 2013. http://www.ea.ne.gov/search/search.php?page=details&lic=A70
7. Ancestry.com. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
8. Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
Page Citation
D. Murphy, “William LaBarthe Steele, Jr. (1907-1980), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, April 5, 2017. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, November 22, 2024.
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.
