The Architectural Studies of H. A. Raapke

The Architectural Studies of H. A. Raapke comprise the surviving works produced during H. A. Raapke's student years, circa 1899-1907. Many of these drawings were part of his coursework for two schools in Paris: Atelier Préparatoire D'Architecture and École Nationale des Beaux-Arts. The collection comprises 53 large drawings (on sheets approximately 18.5" x 24.5" in size) and 6 small drawings (taken from a 9.5" x 7.5" sketchbook).

Henry A. Raapke (1876-1959) was an architect for fifty years with his own practice in Omaha, Nebraska. He was the son of Louis and Auguste Raapke, and he had a brother, William C. Raapke, and two sisters. He attended Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri; the Building School in Hamburg, Germany; Atelier Préparatoire D'Architecture in Paris, France; and École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. After working with T. R. Kimball, he opened his own office in Omaha in 1908. He married at age 32 and had no children. He designed numerous buildings in Omaha and around Nebraska, including the Doctors Hospital in Omaha, the Renaissance Mansion in Omaha, the North Star Theatre in Omaha, and the New Moon Theater in Neligh, Nebraska. As the architect of the Center Theater in Omaha, he introduced innovations such as a reverse pitch auditorium floor, a wheelchair section, and a glassed-off room for mothers with young children. He was a member of the American Institute of Architects from 1918 until 1923. He is buried in Omaha. (Citation List.)

During his student years, he experimented with his signature, trying out various lettering styles and artistic flourishes. For a time, he added an accent mark to Raapké. He also briefly shortened his name to Rapké. For his later professional work, he wrote his name with six letters and no accent marks: Raapke.

The individual file names and identifiers within the set of large drawings only end in odd numbers. Missing even numbers do not indicate missing images. All extant images are presented here.

Funding for Criss Library Archives & Special Collections Online Exhibits hosted by Omeka.net made possible through the generous support of the John and Gloria Barton family.

Credits

This online exhibit is curated by Angela Kroeger, Criss Library Archives & Special Collections. The drawings in this exhibit are entirely the work of H. A. Raapke.