-
8:30-9:00: Check-in
You won't want to miss a second of conference day! Come early to choose your afternoon session of choice. While you wait, tour the iconic Mid-Century Modern architecture at Leo A Daly, including the rarely-shown apartment of Leo A. Daly II. Mingle with other like-minded preservationists before the day starts.
-
9:00-9:45: Aaron Pattee, Keynote Speaker: From the Inter-War to the Post-War: The Origins of Mid-Century Modern
Aaron Pattee is currently a Lecturer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Architecture. He will speak on the origins and history of Mid-Century Modern architecture.
-
10:00-10:45: Matthew Averett, Professor of Art History at Creighton University: From Eames to the Everyday: Mid-Century Modern Interior Design
This talk explores the look and influence of mid-century modern interior design, from the work of major figures such as Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen, and George Nelson to the ways their ideas entered ordinary American homes, offices, and public spaces. It will consider the furniture, materials, forms, and artworks that helped define the modern interior, while also tracing how elite design ideas were adapted, reproduced, and translated for a much wider public. Rather than treating mid-century modernism as a rarefied style, the talk examines how it became part of everyday visual culture in the decades after World War II.
-
11:00-11:45: Barbara Ingram, LEED AP, NOMA-NE, and Owner/CEO of Rare Bird Innovations, LLC: The Work of Golden J. Zenon, Jr.
Barbara Ingram will share, educate, recognize, and celebrate the background and distinguished architectural legacy of the late Golden J. Zenon Jr., FAIA, a renowned African American architect in Omaha during the Mid-Century Modern era. Zenon's design work includes the College of Nursing building on the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus, the W. Clarke Swanson Branch Omaha Public Library, UNO's Strauss Performing Arts Center, and Salem Baptist Church in North Omaha. Additional projects designed by Zenon will also be discussed. This talk will focus on Zenon's significant contributions as a young designer, a Design Director, and as an architecture firm Founder/Principal to the built environment of Omaha. This is in addition to his background, challenges that he faced and overcame, his education, his professional architectural journey as a designer (i.e., Leo A Daly, DLR, etc.), and becoming a Principal at ZBA/ZBM Architects. Zenon's lasting legacy has significantly impacted the City of Omaha, other African American architects, and the architectural profession.
-
12:00-12:45: Lunch and Ask Jeremy and The Jo(h)ns
Over the lunch hour, Preserve Omaha's Jeremey & The Jo(h)ns will have an informal presentation on the work they completed and are actively engaged in at their homes, around Elmwood park, and at the Creighton Phi Chi House at 40th and Dewey. Jeremy, John, and Jon will also answer your questions regarding window repair, your house projects, and help you decide which professional to call. They will even set up a time to give you a second set of eyes to look at a problem at your house. Join us for a conversation about the DIY mindset of older home maintenance, repair, and renovation.
-
1:00-1:45: Kristine Gerber, Author, Educator, and Omaha Historian: Discovering the History of Your Home
Have you ever wondered who lived in your home before you, or who designed that beautiful house you walk past every morning? Uncover those stories and more. Join local preservationist and historian Kristine Gerber for an interactive workshop and learn how to research the history of a home or building. Gerber has spent more than a decade uncovering the hidden histories of Omaha’s homes, neighborhoods and commercial buildings in Omaha. During this engaging workshop, Gerber will walk participants step-by-step through how to research the history of a home or building using easily accessible sources such as historic land plats, Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, city directories, architectural surveys, newspaper archives and photographs. Attendees will leave with practical tools, research tips, and inspiration to begin—or deepen—their own discoveries.
-
2:00-2:45: Katie Anania: Above the Sofa: How Visual Art Shaped Midcentury Architecture
How did visual art keep pace with and respond to midcentury architecture? This session will take a close look at the artworks commonly found inside midcentury homes, from kitschy framed drawings by popular artists to the epic canvases of Abstract Expressionist painters. The talk will move through major commissions from well-known architects but also touches on how works of art lived inside of the midcentury buildings accessible to larger swaths of the population. Examples from North and South America will show how ideas about decoration, human-object relations, and complex philosophies of living emerged through the relationships between painting, sculpture, and midcentury design.
OR
-
2:00-2:45: Soly Harrison: Mid-Century Modern Interiors: Preserve, Refresh, & Reimagine
Mid-Century Modern Interiors: Preserve, Refresh & Reimagine explores how to honor the character of an MCM home while making it work for contemporary life. Discover practical approaches to furniture, materials, color, lighting, and fixtures that complement original architecture without creating a “museum” interior. A contemporary Omaha case study demonstrates these principles in action, followed by a simple Preserve, Refresh, or Replace? framework to guide thoughtful renovations.
-
4:00-5:00: Cocktail Hour at Voyage, 505 Ridge Road Bellevue, NE 68005
Following the conference, guests will have the opportunity to tour one of Omaha's most distinctive Mid-Century Modern residences, a Googie style home by architect Willis Regier. Originally nicknamed the "Flying Nun House" and now dubbed Voyage, this Mid-Century marvel on the bluff is one you won't want to miss.
