Joel N. Cornish House
Encyclopedia
The Joel N. Cornish House is located at 1404 South 10th Street
in South Omaha
, Nebraska
. The 1886 construction is considered an "excellent example of the French Second Empire style." The house was converted into apartments after the Cornish family moved out in 1911.
joint construction, with the floor made of mosaic
tile. A broad central concrete stairway leads up to the front doors, and the exterior walls are load-bearing brick. The brick walls of the addition are broken up by small, evenly spaced, double hung windows in vertically parallel rows. The foundation is also brick, in places faced with rough-hewn sandstone blocks.
Two notable features of the house are the porches. The porch on the east facade is supported by triple wooden corner columns. The wooden porch on the south facade has been established as an original part of the building by a family photograph. Its ornate carving embellishes the tongue and groove joint construction in the floor and ceiling. French doors provided access to the house.
The slate mansard roof, with arched dormer windows is accentuated by cornices at its base and top. The slates are several different patterns set in rows of three; the central east facade of the roof is crowned by a wooden cupola
with windows and a spire. Double hung arched windows are arranged in horizontally and vertically parallel double rows equally spaced around the house. Two porches rise the entire height of the rectangular, three story addition to the original house.
Several alterations have altered the original appearance of the exterior. Some of the changes include the removal of a wrought iron fence crowning the entire roof and the small roof of the cupola. A small balustrade that was once located above the east porch between the two bay windows of the second floor was removed, as well. Several onion shaped ornaments no longer cap the dormer on the third story and the round windows in the roof of the cupola. Also, a small unornamented service porch on the south side of the southwest corner, has been removed, although the door still remains.
, roughly from Pierce to Dorcas between 8th & 11th Streets. Within the borders could be found the most elegant homes of many of Omaha's most successful citizens. Much of the land which had once belonged to the estate of Adolph Kountze and had been subdivided into the fashionable new Forrest Hills addition. It was here that Colonel Joel Northrop Cornish selected a site at 1404 South 10th Street for his home in Omaha. Colonel Cornish came to Omaha in 1886 from Hamburg, Iowa
but he was an easterner
by birth, and his new mansion was to reflect much of that taste.
The Cornish house was built in a period when Omaha was witnessing an influx of cultured eastern families who brought with them wealth and professional skills. Homes in this period were often designed by eastern architects who transplanted design forms of European origins. They added American touches of more elaborate millwork in the exterior detailing. The almost pure French Second Empire Cornish house was such a structure, but the front veranda shows a clear manifestation of the American taste in residential architecture. Each member of the family had his own sitting room attached to his bedroom suite. The fifteen-room mansion with its thirteen foot ceilings, beautiful floors bordered with parquet woodwork, and four fireplaces, was the showplace of an already elegant neighborhood. The third floor ballroom echoed with music and parties which included Henry Fonda
.
Colonel Cornish died June 7, 1908 at the age of 82. The family continued to maintain the house for awhile, but soon plans were drawn to convert the mansion to apartments. The huge kitchen with its pantries was partitioned off into smaller rooms. The first floors lavish rooms were converted into two separate apartments. Over the years an addition was constructed at the rear of the original home. There was no attempt to follow the style of the original architecture. The high ceilings in the main house were retained. the original Cornish house remained with the Cornish heirs until June 13, 1956, when Virginia Cornish Fischer sold it to Carl Meyers. On September 15, 1958 the house became the property of the Grace Bible Institute and is now used as apartments.
South 10th Street
South 10th Street is a two-way street that runs south-north from Downtown into South Omaha, Nebraska. With the street beginning at Dodge Street, the street immediately dissects Gene Leahy Mall and borders the ConAgra Campus and the Old Market. Its southern reaches are widely regarded as the heart...
in South Omaha
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. The 1886 construction is considered an "excellent example of the French Second Empire style." The house was converted into apartments after the Cornish family moved out in 1911.
Architecture
The house is a three story mansion with a full basement with an addition was constructed in 1911. The wooden roof consists of tongue and grooveTongue and groove
A strong joint, the tongue and groove joint is widely used for re-entrant angles. The effect of wood shrinkage is concealed when the joint is beaded or otherwise moulded...
joint construction, with the floor made of mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
tile. A broad central concrete stairway leads up to the front doors, and the exterior walls are load-bearing brick. The brick walls of the addition are broken up by small, evenly spaced, double hung windows in vertically parallel rows. The foundation is also brick, in places faced with rough-hewn sandstone blocks.
Two notable features of the house are the porches. The porch on the east facade is supported by triple wooden corner columns. The wooden porch on the south facade has been established as an original part of the building by a family photograph. Its ornate carving embellishes the tongue and groove joint construction in the floor and ceiling. French doors provided access to the house.
The slate mansard roof, with arched dormer windows is accentuated by cornices at its base and top. The slates are several different patterns set in rows of three; the central east facade of the roof is crowned by a wooden cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
with windows and a spire. Double hung arched windows are arranged in horizontally and vertically parallel double rows equally spaced around the house. Two porches rise the entire height of the rectangular, three story addition to the original house.
Several alterations have altered the original appearance of the exterior. Some of the changes include the removal of a wrought iron fence crowning the entire roof and the small roof of the cupola. A small balustrade that was once located above the east porch between the two bay windows of the second floor was removed, as well. Several onion shaped ornaments no longer cap the dormer on the third story and the round windows in the roof of the cupola. Also, a small unornamented service porch on the south side of the southwest corner, has been removed, although the door still remains.
History
In the late 1800s, the original "Gold Coast" area of Omaha lay south of the business districtDowntown Omaha
Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and is located in Omaha, Nebraska. The boundaries are 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline of Leavenworth Street on the south to the centerline...
, roughly from Pierce to Dorcas between 8th & 11th Streets. Within the borders could be found the most elegant homes of many of Omaha's most successful citizens. Much of the land which had once belonged to the estate of Adolph Kountze and had been subdivided into the fashionable new Forrest Hills addition. It was here that Colonel Joel Northrop Cornish selected a site at 1404 South 10th Street for his home in Omaha. Colonel Cornish came to Omaha in 1886 from Hamburg, Iowa
Hamburg, Iowa
Hamburg is a city in Fremont County, Iowa, United States, along the Nishnabotna River. The population was 1,240 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
but he was an easterner
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
by birth, and his new mansion was to reflect much of that taste.
The Cornish house was built in a period when Omaha was witnessing an influx of cultured eastern families who brought with them wealth and professional skills. Homes in this period were often designed by eastern architects who transplanted design forms of European origins. They added American touches of more elaborate millwork in the exterior detailing. The almost pure French Second Empire Cornish house was such a structure, but the front veranda shows a clear manifestation of the American taste in residential architecture. Each member of the family had his own sitting room attached to his bedroom suite. The fifteen-room mansion with its thirteen foot ceilings, beautiful floors bordered with parquet woodwork, and four fireplaces, was the showplace of an already elegant neighborhood. The third floor ballroom echoed with music and parties which included Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
.
Colonel Cornish died June 7, 1908 at the age of 82. The family continued to maintain the house for awhile, but soon plans were drawn to convert the mansion to apartments. The huge kitchen with its pantries was partitioned off into smaller rooms. The first floors lavish rooms were converted into two separate apartments. Over the years an addition was constructed at the rear of the original home. There was no attempt to follow the style of the original architecture. The high ceilings in the main house were retained. the original Cornish house remained with the Cornish heirs until June 13, 1956, when Virginia Cornish Fischer sold it to Carl Meyers. On September 15, 1958 the house became the property of the Grace Bible Institute and is now used as apartments.