To spot the Terminal Building, just look up for a tall, white-glazed, ten-story office tower with a flat roof and huge windows, standing proudly at the busy corner of 947 O Street-the white terracotta on its north and east sides almost glimmers in the Nebraska sunlight.
Now, let me take you back in time, right onto this very sidewalk! Imagine it’s the roaring 1910s: horses clop by, shopkeepers fling open their doors, and brand-new streetcars chug past, their bells cutting through the morning air. Just then, this impressive high-rise-the Terminal Building-began rising from the ground. It was 1916, and Lincoln was buzzing with ambition. Designed by the talented Paul V. Hyland (or was it Joseph G. McArthur? The world may never know-architect mysteries are the best kind), it was built to impress. Back then, ten stories felt like touching the stars, and this shining white landmark anchored the skyline.
But why “Terminal”? Well, picture crowds with suitcases, tiptoeing past the marble-floored lobby, a ceiling of fancy plaster moldings overhead, and polished mahogany storefronts gleaming under the lights. People bought tickets for sleek electric streetcars here, the engines that helped Lincoln hum. And while they waited, they browsed a snazzy appliance store set right here at street level. If the marble could talk, I’m sure it would gossip about office workers bustling up the stairs, or the ever-watchful “T” monograms on those fancy old French doors.
The Terminal Building was headquarters for the Lincoln Traction Company-the big boss of local streetcars. Before that, transit was a little more... dramatic. Out-of-state investors raised fares, the citizens revolted, and a local company popped up to challenge them. Eventually, the two companies merged (think of it as a high-stakes transit soap opera!), and pretty soon, streetcars became as common as cornstalks. Over 12 million passengers a year zipped through Lincoln on tracks powered by the company’s own electricity plant. They produced so much juice, they sold steam heat and electricity around town!
But change is always on the timetable. The First World War, cranky strikes, and the arrival of buses whittled away the company’s fortunes. By 1943, the clatter of streetcars had vanished-except for a few haunting rails unearthed during city projects now and then. The grand Terminal Building soldiered on, its marble lobby holding echoes of Lincoln’s streetcar past.
There’s even more to this building’s tale. In the dark early hours of February 19, 2018, flames roared on the eighth floor. Firefighters rushed in, water rushed down, and smoke swaggered where office workers used to sip their coffee. Thankfully, the precious lobby with all its historical charm came through nearly untouched-a survivor, like the city itself.
So, as you stand here looking up at that white terracotta shell catching the sunlight, remember: you’re gazing at a palace of progress, local drama, and one of Lincoln’s last links to its electric streetcar days. That’s quite a stop, isn’t it? And trust me, the marble is still eavesdropping. Shall we move on?
