Blake & Zander, Architects
Partners:
J. S. Blake, Omaha, Nebraska
Ozias M. Zander, Omaha, Nebraska
Blake & Zander was a short-lived architecture and superintending partnership, formed by two carpenter-builders who had independently moved into architectural practice prior to coming to Omaha. Blake arrived in 1887, and Zander in 1890; the partnership was formed on November 13, 1890. J. S. Blake apprenticed as a carpenter and builder in Vermont, then studied architecture for two years in New York. He opened offices in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1868, before relocating to Omaha. O. M. Zander was born in Milwaukee, and had twenty-two years of experience as a carpenter and builder prior to arriving in Omaha. He identified as an architect and builder while in Minneapolis in 1880.[1][2][6] In an 1892 publication, the partners proclaimed themselves the "leading firm of architects and superintendents in Omaha...."[1] Based on building permits, the partnership lasted until 1895.
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, 1891-1894
Lineage of Associations
Blake, Miller & Company, Architects, Omaha, Nebraska, 1887.
Blake & Company, Architects, Omaha, Nebraska, 1888-1890.
Blake & Zander, Architects, Omaha, Nebraska, 1890-1895.
Buildings & Projects
Dated
Emery house (ca. 1892), Omaha, Nebraska.[2]
P. G. Karbach & Sons Carriage Factory - Western Newspaper Union Offices - Scott Omaha Tent & Awning Company (1893), 1501 Howard, Omaha, Nebraska.[5] (DO09:0121-055)
Rocco Brothers Commission House-Craftsmen Guild Building (1895), 511 S 11th, Omaha, Nebraska.[3][4][5] (DO09:0121-020)
Undated
Baptist State University (n.d.), Des Moines, Iowa.[1]
Courthouse (n.d.), Guthrie, Iowa.[1]
Soldier's Home (n.d.), Marshaltown, Iowa.[1]
Women's Industrial Home (n.d.), Milford, Nebraska.[1][2]
Murray Hotel (n.d.), Omaha, Nebraska.[1][2]
Superintendent Work
Boyd's Opera House (n.d.), Omaha, Nebraska.[1][2][a]
Notes
a. O. M. Zander, superintendent of construction.[2]
References
1. “Blake & Zander,” Pen and Sunlight Sketches of Omaha and Environs (Chicago: Phoenix Publishing Co., 1892), 135.
2. John Lethem, “Blake & Zander,” Historical and Descriptive Review of Omaha (Omaha: John Lethem, [1892?]), 112.
3. Landmarks, Inc. "An Inventory of Historic Omaha Buildings". Omaha: City of Omaha and Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission, 1980, p. 45.
4. Chatfield, Penelope, Daniel Kidd, and D. Murphy, “Old Market Historic District,” "National Register of Historic Places, Inventory-Nomination Form". Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, January, 1979.
5. City of Omaha Planning Department, Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission, Database, Query on Architects, May 20, 2002; courtesy of Lynn Meyer, Preservation Planner.
6. 1880 United States Census, s.v. “Ozias M. Zander,” Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, accessed through HeritageQuestOnline.com.
Acknowledgements
Compilation of this page benefited from research contributed by Patrick Thompson, architectural historian, Restoration Exchange Omaha, May 16, 2016.
Page Citation
D. Murphy, “Blake & Zander, Architects,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, May 28, 2016. 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.
