LeRoy William (Bill) Hoffman (1926-2014), Architect & Engineer
DBA: Bill Hoffman
LeRoy William Hoffman was born in Norfolk, Nebraska on December 20, 1926 to Charles and Edith Hoffman.[2][4][5] They lived mostly in Beatrice. Hoffman was known for his work with the Pershing Auditorium, Memorial Stadium, Lancaster Manor, Lincoln City Libraries, and schools, churches, jails and several nursing homes in the Midwest.[3] Bill attended South Dakota State University for a year and a half until he entered the armed forces for WWII. He returned from the war in 1946, and worked 2 jobs for Davis & Wilson, Architects where Davis mentioned he could later be hired.[4] In 1947, Hoffman returned to study engineering and architecture at Kansas University, where he graduated in 1949.[2][4] Two days after his graduation, he went to work for Davis & Wilson, Architects.[4] Davis later requested that Hoffman study more engineering, so he did graduate work in Civil Engineering at the University of Nebraska. He later was registered by exam in Nebraska in architecture, structural engineering, and mechanical engineering, and later taught mechanical engineering to architecture students at the University.[4]
In 1963, Hoffman left Davis & Wilson, and began practicing independently. In 1970 he joined the consortium known as Aitken, Graf, Hazen, Hoffman & Hull in Lincoln. He was a member of the American Institute of Architects from 1960-1965.[2] Eventually, Hoffman did over 64 jobs for the Nebraska Department of Roads. Hoffman designed about 300 nursing homes, and was an owner of the Beatrice Manor Nursing Home as well as Hoffman Realty. He died on March 28, 2014, and was survived by three sons and two daughters.[3]
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
Lincoln, Nebraska, 1955-2000
Educational & Professional Associations
1944-1945: student, South Dakota State University, South Dakota.[4]
1945-1946: armed forces, WWII.[4]
1947-1949: engineering & architecture student/graduate, Kansas University.[4]
1949: B.A. and B.E., Kansas University.[4][5]
1950-1955: draftsman, Davis & Wilson, Architects, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1955: Registered Professional Architect, Nebraska, A-364; December 31, 1955.[1]
1956-1963: architect with Davis & Wilson, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1963: L. W. Hoffman, Architect, Lincoln, Nebraska.[2]
1964-1969: architect, 4040 Terminal Bldg, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1970-1971: architect and member of consortium, Aitken, Graf, Hazen, Hoffman & Hull, Architects, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1972-1973: architect and member of consortium, Aitken, Hazen, Hoffman & Hull, Architects, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1974: architect and member of consortium, Aitken, Hazen, Hoffman & Miller, Architects, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1975-1978: architect and member of consortium, Hazen, Hoffman & Miller, Architects, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1979-1999: architect and member of consortium, Aitken, Hazen, Hoffman & Miller, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Buildings & Projects
Dated
YMCA Bath House & Site Work (1960), South Bend, Nebraska.[2]
Nabity Shops (1961), Friend, Nebraska.[2]
Apartment building (ca. 1976), 1820 Knox St., Lincoln, Nebraska.[4]
Undated
Pershing Auditorium (n.d.), Lincoln, Nebraska.[3]
Memorial Stadium on UNL Campus (n.d.), Lincoln, Nebraska.[2]
Lancaster Manor (n.d.), Lincoln, Nebraska.[3]
Interstate Rest stops (ca. 1960s), Interstate 80, Nebraska.[4][a]
Numerous Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurants (ca. 1970s), Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska.[4][b]
Over 300 Nursing Homes (ca. 1970s-1980s), Nebraska.[4]
Notes
a. Hoffman completed the drafting, mechanical, & electrical engineering while Kenneth Hutchins Johnson, Architect did most of the architecture for the rest stops.[4]
b. Hazen designed the KFC restaurants while Hoffman did the mechanical and electrical engineering.[9]
References
1. Nebraska State Board of Engineers and Architects Website, accessed April 1, 2003, <http://www.ea.state.ne.us/search/search.cgi>
2. The AIA Historical Directory of American Architects, s.v. “Hoffman, LeRoy William,” (ahd1020127), http://public.aia.org/sites/hdoaa/wiki (accessed April 4, 2010).
3. Obituary, Lincoln Journal Star (April 2, 2014), B4.
4. D. Murphy, tr. "LeRoy W. "Bill" Hoffman, In conversation with David Murphy, Robert Ripley, and Thomas Kaspar" Nebraska State Historical Society Collections (April 10, 2003).
5. "Obituaries: LeRoy William "Bill" Hoffman" Beatrice Daily Sun (May 31, 2014). Accessed on January 9, 2019 via https://beatricedailysun.com/news/local/obituaries/leroy-william-bill-hoffman/article_2a0fa474-d3e5-5f5e-a146-9ae4678b4254.html
Page Citation
D. Murphy, “LeRoy William (Bill) Hoffman (1926-2014), Architect & Engineer,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, January 8, 2019. 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.
