National Register of Historic Places

Whitehall

Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska
Listed
October 29, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82000610

About this property

Whitehall is an historic house in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was built in 1910 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since October 29, 1982. Whitehall was built in University Place, which was an incorporated community at the time, but was later annexed by the city of Lincoln. Whitehall is located about one-half mile from the campus of Nebraska Wesleyan University, with which the home shares several connections. The mansion was built for Olive Johnson White (1848-1935), 15 years after the death of her husband, Charles Clarke White (1843-1895). Mrs. White was the daughter of Nebraska homesteaders Andrew and Mary A. (Lytle) Johnson,) who settled near Valparaiso, Nebraska, in 1865. She and her husband were married in 1868 by judge Luke Lavender in what was likely the first wedding in Lancaster County. During the time that Mrs. White lived at Whitehall, she hosted many social events in the house. Mr. and Mrs. White were both significant supporters of Nebraska Wesleyan University in its first two decades. Mr. White, a successful mill owner, was on the university's original board of trustees. Mrs. White, an active member of the Women's Wesleyan Educational Council (WWEC), made substantial financial contributions to reduce the university's debt and increase its endowment -- the latter in response to a matching gift challenge from Andrew Carnegie. Support from the WWEC and from Mrs. White also made it possible to erect a music building on campus that was named in memory of C.C. White. The house was bought by the state of Nebraska in 1927 to serve as a home for children, and in 1981 it was owned by the Department of Public Welfare of the state. New housing for children is located on the property (not included in this nomination), and the house is used as offices. The house was designed in the Classical Revival architectural style. Design features of the two and one-half story house include "a foundation and trim of light Bedford stone and a large frontal porch of reinforced concrete," as well as six Ionic columns in the front.

Location

5903 Walker
Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska
40.83626, -96.63998

Categories

ARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity House
Industrial
0.3 mi
Beattie, James A., House
Industrial
0.5 mi
Old Main, Nebraska Wesleyan University
Industrial
0.5 mi
University Place Historic Residential District
Listed
0.5 mi
First State Bank of Bethany
Industrial
0.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Whitehall listed on the National Register?

Whitehall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 29, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Whitehall?

Whitehall is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Whitehall?

The period of significance for Whitehall is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Whitehall?

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