Color postcard (13 1/2 x 8 1/2 cm) with a view of the new county courthouse looking southwest from the corner 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, Nebraska. From a drawing, this postcard shows pedestrians and early motorized vehicles on the street.
In July 1908, John Latenser was hired to design Omaha's third courthouse. Architectural plans were completed in 1909 and the Columbus, Indiana, firm of Caldwell & Drake were hired to construct it. The outside walls are Bedford stone. The courthouse is 6 stories high on the Harney street side and 5 stories on the Farnam side. A lawn with a semi-circular walk fronts the building on the north side. Interior halls have mosaic floors and marble wainscoting. Main, 2nd and 3rd floors housed county offices and the 4th floor courtrooms. The top floor held the county jail. Marble stairs or 4 elevators provide access to all levels. Offices were finished in hardwood and fireproof vaults preserved vital records. The Douglas County Courthouse opened October 1, 1912, and remains largely unchanged and in use to this day. Source: Wakeley, Arthur. Omaha: The Gate City and Douglas County Nebraska, Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, c1917, pp 131-33
