Omaha daily bee., 1915-02-28
ARCHITECT OMAHA PRODUCT
Thomas R. Kimball Works Out Mag
nifieent Hotel Plans with Reg
ular office Force.
SPEAKER AT THE OPENING

Thomas r. Kimball, architect for the
Fontenelle hotel is an Omaha product.
having lived in Omaha from his early
boyhood. He was educated In the Uni
versity of Nebraska, the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. and i'm the uni
versities abroad where he studied for a
nical training.
Mr.. Kimball is the first vice president
Of the American Institute of Architects
He Is a director of this institute, and
4 stands high among the architects of the
country. Since he finished his education
! lie has had offices In Omaha and for a
time had offices also in Boston. when the
firm was that Of Kimball & Walker,
which was later dissolved
Previous to drawing tho plans for this
magnificent hotel. Mr.. Kimball counted
among his achievements the planning OF
a number of notable buildings in Omaha
and elsewhere. besides great many Of
lesser Importance. He was architect for
s. Cecelias cathedral in Omaha. lie was
, architect for the Burlington station in
Omaha. which is a noteworthy piece of
architecture, both from the standpoint of
artistic design and utility. He designed the
plans for the city library. for the M. f.
Smith warehouses He designed the Meth
odist hospital in Omaha. and the Battle
Mountain sanitarum hospital at Hot
Springs. S. D., the government hospital,
which is one of the structures at that
p place that attracts the attention of tour
fists every summer.
Together with his former partner, c.
Howard Walker he was the architect-in-
chief for the Transmississippi exposition
in Omaha in 1898; and, again jointly with
Mr.. Walker he was the architect of the
Electricity building OF the Louisiana Pur-
chase exposition at st. Louis, being one
of the architectural advisers
II was some years before this that
Kimball & Walker had conducted a part
nership business and had maintained Of
fees at both Omaha and Boston. 1t was
shortly after the exposition in Omaha
that the partnership was dissolved, when
Mr.. Walker accepted a position in an
eastern school of technology as an in
structor. The partnership was Temporal
rily renewed Just for the ST. Louis job,
as the two worked together on the design
for the Electrical building there.
The Fontenele hotel job, though 1t was
a big one, an important one and a man
sized job, was done in Mr. Kimball's Of
flee with what the office considers its
normal or average office force. The
work was carried on with the force that
month in and month out the year round
is to be found in this busy office at sos
McCague building. often it is customary
for architects to hire o number of extra
craftsmen for large job of this kind,
but the regular run of workers was able
to bring out this highly technical and
complicated job on time.
Consulting engineers, to be sure, helped
in the consultation work. Mr.. Kimball
had as consulting, engineers for this job
the firm of Neiler, Rich & Co, mechan-
ical engineers, and Westcott Rome
berg, structural engineers.
Mr.. Kimball, besides being hard work
ing man in highly specialized and
highly technical line, takes great deal
of interests in civic affairs, in art societies
and is a member of numerous social
clubs of the city. He has been active In
the Civic league and is prominent In the
Omaha Society of Fine Arts.
At the banquet at the new F'ontenolie
hotel to be given on the occasion of the
formal dedication, the evening of Febru-
ary Is, Mr. Kimball is to be one of the
speakers.