The 1898 Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition needed a place for manufacturers to show off their products to visitors. The Manufactures Building was constructed at North 19th and Pratt Streets with this in mind. It stood in North Omaha from 1897 to 1899, and this is a history of it.
Design
The Manufactures Building at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition was designed in 1897 by architect J. J. Humphreys of Denver, and built by Robert Strehlow of Omaha.
The building was 300 by 125 feet big with 37,500 square feet of space, and was 40 feet tall. It was made with a wood frame covered with slats and staff, and cost $56,256 to make.
The exhibits in the building cost manufacturers, and were given to states for free. The Trans-Mississippi Expo spent $5,200 on exhibits in the Manufactures Building. With 100-person committees judging the exhibits, the Manufactures Building won the most awards of any building at the Trans-Mississippi Expo wtih 17 of the highest award, and almost 1,000 gold, silver and bronze medals given to exhibitors.
Demolition
The building was obliterated, and today the site is covered three house lots, part of a street, and the tennis courts at Kountze Park.
Starting in October 1899, the buildings on the Expo grounds were demolished. There was nothing left there by January 1, 1900.
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MY ARTICLES ABOUT THE TRANS-MISSISSIPPI AND INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION
GENERAL: Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition | Greater America Exposition | Locating the Expo | Demolishing the Expo
BUILDINGS: Administration Arch | Machinery and Electricity Building | Manufactures Building | Girls and Boys Building | Old Plantation | Sod House | Mines and Mining Building
EVENTS: Congress of White and Colored Americans
RELATED: Lost Monument | Omaha Driving Park | Kountze Park | Kountze Place
Elsewhere Online
- Additional info on the Manufactures Building from the UNL Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition website
North Omaha History 