Browse Exhibits (2 total)

The Architectural Studies of H. A. Raapke

H. A. Raapke Architectural Sketchbook 001

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.

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Marlin "The Magician" Briscoe: The Legendary Quarterback of the University of Omaha

FB_Briscoe_Line Drawing_1966.jpg

In 1968, Marlin Briscoe was the first African American starting quarterback in the AFL. In Omaha, he is best remembered as a hometown hero, an exceptional athlete from Omaha South High School (1959-1963) who brought glory to the University of Omaha (the predecessor of the University of Nebraska at Omaha) (1963-1968).

At the Municipal University of Omaha (present day UNO), Briscoe flourished under coach Al Caniglia. He was an All-American quarterback who led the OU Indians to the CIC championship. He set 22 school records, including 5,114 passing yards and 53 touchdowns for his OU career.

Briscoe also played basketball for OU and was a member of the O Club, an honorary society for lettermen. He was also active in student government. He was the first black member of the OU Student Council, as well as the only "unaffiliated" student (meaning, not a member or a fraternity or sorority) elected that year, which highlights how greatly admired he was by his fellow students.

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