History of the house George W. Frank House

1 history of house

1.1 1886-1900
1.2 1900-1907
1.3 1907-1911
1.4 1911-1972
1.5 1972-present

history of house
1886-1900

the house s design first conceived in 1885 architecture firm of frank bailey , farmer. george william frank, youngest son of george washington frank, in charge of firm. designed house gift parents. construction on house began in 1886 , completed in 1889. george washington frank , wife phoebe moved home in 1890, possibly waiting large louis comfort tiffany designed window on second floor landing installed. main floor of home includes library, grand reception hall, front vestibule, drawing room, kitchen, range room, butler s pantry, dining room, 2 bathrooms, , george , phoebe s private quarters. each of these rooms, except kitchen, range room, , butler s pantry, complete own hand carved fireplaces imported tile both netherlands , new jersey. house first west of missouri river wired electricity during construction. frank entertain numerous investors @ house, hoping draw attention businesses , success in kearney. draw attention success in generation of hydroelectric power, , installation of electric streetcars in kearney, light fixtures in home based around incandescent electric light bulb. light fixtures featured little intricate detail, , original dining room fixture 4 light bulbs @ end of wire. while entertaining, franks hire famous opera singer sing guests arriving @ house. harpist play in dining room during of meals, , electric buzzer located under dining room table summon servants when next course meals needed brought table. library of house rarely, if ever, used library. george frank bring many investors , guests room show them out window. large window in library looked east across grounds of house, , 1 see frank s power plant , skyline of kearney before subsequent planting of trees , establishment of kearney state normal school east of house in 1905. frank used drawing room private office , kept large oak desk in center of room, taken down local pharmacy pay medication phoebe. drawing room housed largest fireplace mantle out of ten fireplaces located in home. george , phoebe s private quarters located on main floor. private chambers on main floor of home considered scandal in late 1800s, george , phoebe in late 60 s when moved in , did not want bother stairs. second floor included numerous guest rooms , bedroom franks head cook , chief of staff, eliza galloway. eliza freed african american slave maryland , had met george washington frank s brother augustus in new york. when frank lost house in 1900 gave silver , china collections start own catering company. third floor used servants quarters, , @ peak have held estimated 47 staff members. basement of home furnished , home wine cellar, billiards room, , bedroom of franks coachman, john dallas sauders. 1900, grieving loss of wife, , facing financial difficulty brought on over-extension , panic of 1893, frank forced leave home bank.

1900-1907

by 1900, of franks furnishings publicly auctioned, including light fixtures. house changed ownership numerous times according buffalo county register of deeds. in 1901 camp family purchased home , lived there until 1906. complained house had fallen disrepair, , daughter continually mentioned in private diary ceilings leaking , balconies structurally unsound use. 1906 camps had left , house again cycled through owners until 1907.

1907-1911

in 1907 home purchased $16,000 ole , georgina grothan. began hefty process of renovating home fit needs of private medical clinic , sanitarium, known kearney new sanitarium, located on second floor of home. tile roof replaced, along gas lines ran throughout house. drawing room converted used waiting room patients, , large leaded glass window on south wall of room replaced glass french doors still exist in room today. grand reception hall split in half wall provide more privacy grothans living quarters. ole not doctor, state senator. ole , georgina unable have children did end adopting daughter. in july 1911, after marital disputes, grothans divorced , georgina sold house state of nebraska $24,000. ole attempted sue repossession of home lost.

1911-1972

in 1911, nebraska state hospital tuberculosis founded , officially opened in 1912. frank house s grounds purchased state of nebraska $40,000 included necessary renovations house itself.  1 ⁄2-story pavilion built north of house in 1912 , served first hospital building , staff pavilion. in 1914, larger brick building built accommodate more patients. today building known communications building on university of nebraska @ kearney s west campus. frank house turned staff residence hall, medical superintendent housed on main floor, matron, or head nurse, housed on second floor along staff commons area, , various nurses housed on third floor. numerous alterations , renovations took place @ house in period. house s porte cochere converted 2 car garage. porch of home removed , windows screened. 5 of chimneys removed along tile roof being replaced asphalt shingle. front veranda filled in storm windows , turned living space. inside, walls , of original woodwork painted white make house sterile. kitchen , library turned bedrooms , franks private dressing room converted used kitchen. on second floor, woodwork , walls painted white, followed ceilings getting replaced 1950s acoustic tile. 1 bedchamber on second floor converted 2 rooms , hallway , used apartments. 1925 new hospital building known east sun building had been built southeast of frank house. went through subsequent additions in 1930s , 1940s , today known west center, , houses university of nebraska @ kearney s business , technology department. george washington frank s son augustus ii s home purchased , used nurse s pavilion. torn down in 1950s make way greer cottage, present day welch hall. better treatments emerging tuberculosis, hospital s populous began dwindle sixteen patients in 1971. @ point hospital ordered close , officially closed doors in 1972. grounds of hospital turned on kearney state college, university of nebraska @ kearney.

1972-present

from 1972 1973 house sat abandoned nothing wicker furniture stacked in master bedchamber. in fall of 1973 marian johnson, elementary music teacher in gibbon, nebraska, , husband halvin invited luncheon kearney state college president macdonald. college, informed them, hoped save house. various groups on campus suggested using frank house faculty club while others believed adapted college dorm. proposal called demolishing historic building. president macdonald asked if marian , halvin move in , direct restoration. aware of renewed interest in local history, evidenced kearney s recent celebration of 100th birthday in 1973, when frank house utilized historic site centennial. in same year, house listed on national register of historic places. on february 1, 1974, johnsons hired mover relocate them second floor of historic home , begin run main floor museum. immediate attention called tiffany window restored , first restoration project completed @ home. 1976, house officially opened museum. johnsons left home in 1990 after living in , restoring sixteen years. virginia lund next curate historic house , oversaw restoration of victorian gardens outside home. in 2006 virginia retired , curatorship passed krisann sullivan. sullivan oversaw completion of restoration of master bedchamber , of northeast bedchamber on second floor. sullivan discontinued having curators live on second floor , opened third floor public well. in 2012, sullivan retired , house under management of museum of nebraska art (mona), local art museum administratively affiliated university of nebraska @ kearney.