Thomas R. Kimball to Join Nebraska Hall of Fame

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The Thomas Kimball Bust selection committee has chosen the sculptor, John Lajba, from Omaha to design and sculpt the life-size bust of Kimball. His bust will be located in the Nebraska State Capitol along with twenty-five other famous Nebraskans, including William Jennings Bryan, Chief Standing Bear, Willa Cather, and others.
Firms and individuals will soon be contacted for donations to assist with raising $35,000 for the design and construction of the bronze bust.

Donations should be made to the Architectural Foundation of Nebraska, 335 N. 8^th Street, Ste. A, Lincoln, NE 68508. Online Donations can be made via Paypal or contact Sara Kay, sara@aiane.org, (402) 858-1929. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

Thomas Rogers Kimball (April 19, 1862 – September 7, 1934) was an American architect in Omaha, Nebraska. An architect-in-chief of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in Omaha in 1898, he served as national President of the American Institute of Architects from 1918 – 1920 and from 1919 – 1932 served on the Nebraska State Capitol Commission

Kimball was credited with pursuing 871 commissions, which included designing 167 new residential buildings and 162 new non-residential structures, served as architectural adviser to commissions responsible for erection of Missouri and Nebraska state capitols, the Kansas City Liberty Memorial, and the Indiana state war memorial in Indianapolis, and was member of national council of fine arts established by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt to evaluate all plans for public buildings, monuments, and statutes.^[2]^[3]^[4]

In the media:
Thomas Rogers Kimball, the Omaha architect whose buildings changed the city’s skyline and graced the landscape of Nebraska, will be the new inductee into the Nebraska Hall of Fame.

The Nebraska Hall of Fame Commission selected Kimball from a list of 12 finalists during a meeting Wednesday at the State Capitol.

Kimball’s designs became St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha, the Hall County Courthouse in Grand Island, the Holdrege Public Library, Hastings railroad depots, the Paddock Hotel in Beatrice and the carriage house at Arbor Lodge in Nebraska City.

Kimball served as national President of the American Institute of Architects from 1918 – 1920 and from 1919 – 1932 served on the Nebraska State Capitol Commission.

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