Howard Walker
Some of the finest buildings in Omaha's history, the buildings of the Trans Mississippi and International Exposition, owe their splendor to Messrs. Walker & Kimball, a Boston based architectural firm. The firm was appointed Architects-in-chief of the Exposition, a World's Fair-like event planned for 1998 that would require the construction of many buildings.
Howard Walker was already a man of prestige and national reputation. He served as judge in competitions and architectural scholarships for schools including Columbia College, University of Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was also a professor at the Institute of Technology and at the Boston Art Museum.
In 1881, he spent two years on the American Archeological Expedition in Assos, Asia Minor. He conducted archeological research. In 1895, he was appointed as Director of the American School of Architecture in Rome.
Professionally he worked at high profile posts. He was architect of the Boston Park Commission and the Boston Monument Commission. He also assisted Frederick Law Olmsted on the layout of the Capital grounds in Washington, D.C.
The Walker and his partner, Kimball, as architects-in-chief for the Trans Mississippi and International Exposition, were responsible for the overall site development, including perimeter buildings. They designed several major buildings, some smaller structures and the Arch of States (a main entrance).
The buildings were constructed of strips of wood covered with a mixture of plaster and horsehair. They were temporary by design, built at about half the cost of permanent buildings. The lower the cost allowed the construction of larger structures. Nearly all of the structures were torn down a few years after the Exposition.
© 1998 Omaha Public Library
