The Innovation
When it opened in 1923, Whittier Junior High was the first school in Nebraska, perhaps in the nation, built specifically for teaching junior high students.
The innovative school opened with 46 classrooms, a library, an auditorium, separate gymnasia for boys and girls, and modern facilities dedicated to manual arts for boys and household arts for girls. The school also boasted a health clinic, complete with a surgery. It opened with 833 students, 43 full-time faculty, 10 custodians and two clerks. Lincoln High School played its basketball games in Whittier’s spacious gym.
Constructed for about $2 million, the school, designed by local architects Ferdinand C. Fiske and Harry Meginnis exemplified their signature style of bold central pavilions and grand entrances. Whittier features a magnificent terra cotta façade and staircase on its southern face, A grandstair case just inside the main doors leads to a central hallway on the main level. Whittier was built around two central courtyards that allowed natural sunlight and air to brighten and ventilate the building; these innovations reduced the need for electricity, itself somewhat of an innovation in the 1920s.
Whittier is named for poet and abolitionist John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892). Several other Lincoln schools of the era had literary ties, including Hawthorne, Riley and Irving. A Longfellow school was demolished. The new Ted Kooser Elementary school, named for U.S. Poet Laureate emeritus and UNL Professor Ted Kooser, continues the literary tradition.
Whittier closed in 1977 and in 1983, the University of Nebraska Foundation purchased the building. Since then, it has been used sporadically, but mostly, the building sat empty. In 2007, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved a $24 million project to renovate Whittier into research space dedicated solely for use by interdisciplinary research programs. Such programs bring faculty together from many disciplines to focus on large-scale challenges and projects. Approximately half the building has been renovated; the auditorium and gymnasia have yet to be renovated.
The Restoration
Restoration architects had access to the original plans for the building, giving them many clues to items that had been covered or changed. Whittier was among the first buildings in Lincoln to be built of steel-reinforced concrete. However, they used specifications applicable to older wood-beamed buildings, so it’s exceptionally well-built and stable.
The architects’ use of interior courtyards allowed for natural light and air, and less reliance on electricity in 1923. This early “green” design has been resurrected in the new building with formerly filled-in windows repaired, allowing natural light to flood the building.
The graceful archway on the top floor was the grand entrance to the original library, which was lighted by skylights. During the renovation, the skylights were converted to clerestory windows, which allow light but are more weather-tight.
One of the energy-saving features of the building is use of the geothermal heat pump as a green energy source. The Earth, which is warmed by the Sun, is a great insulator. Water from the building is pumped underground, which is a constant 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. This Earth-friendly energy source requires only electricity to operate the pumps, uses free renewable energy, and produces no emissions.
Renovation of the building has been conducted in a manner sensitive to the historical nature of the building. Exterior masonry, including terra cotta moldings, maintain the building’s grandeur. Window profiles mimic the originals. Key interior architectural elements and details in public spaces, such as the existing open stairs at the main entry, the east and west “interior” open public stairs, and the various ornamental plaster decorative moldings in the corridors, have been preserved. New exterior doors provide weather-proofing but the original interior doors were retained.
The renovation preserved unopened a time capsule placed by students in 1977, the last year Whittier served as a junior high. Items placed in the time capsule include sheet music, a broken egg, a broken director’s baton, a letter from then U.S. Sen. Ed Zorinsky and other items. The capsule’s sign, in the main hallway off the grand foyer, did receive a polishing.
Restoration of architectural details such as the decorative corbels in the main hallways, terrazzo marble flooring, installation of true linoleum and replastering of walls required the hiring of specialized artisans and craftspeople.
Whittier’s original “shops” were converted to the UNL Children’s Center, which opened in August 2009 and now serves up to 150 children. The innovative Children’s center serves faculty, staff, students and the community of Lincoln. Care is provided for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years of age during the academic year and extends up to age 8 in the summer. The Children’s Center is a very diverse community with children from many countries enrolled. The Center’s 10 classrooms are arranged as “families” and each family has an infant, toddler, and preschool room. Children stay in their family as they move up in the center. The teachers in the families work together as a team to have smooth transitions from room to room. Children will visit the other rooms in the family and the teachers will also visit the other classrooms.
Transformation
A landlocked campus experiencing severe space crunch required full use of under-utilized options. UNL’s research enterprise has grown by 180 percent since 2000 and dry lab space and space for faculty and support staff was particularly prized. Whittier’s location contiguous to the city campus offered an opportunity to maintain the campus transformation. Now, Whittier adds a highly attractive property to the university’s inventory and will be especially valuable as the university ramps up operations at the emerging Nebraska Innovation Campus.
The first occupants of the newly renovated and renamed Whittier Research Center are the Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research, the Nebraska Transportation Center and the new Water for Food Institute.
The Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research is a collaboration between the Nebraska Public Power District and UNL. Established in 2006, the center’s scientists conduct research on renewable energy sources, energy efficiency and energy conservation, and expand economic opportunities and improve quality of life for Nebraska and the nation. The Center supports basic and applied research and has a broad mandate to explore a range of renewable energy opportunities (including biofuels, wind, and solar energy), as well as opportunities for energy conservation.
The Nebraska Transportation Center develops new knowledge, innovative solutions, and the next generation of experts necessary to sustain the U.S. transportation system in the most safe, effective, efficient, and environmentally friendly manner possible. The Center was established in 2006 and brings together research programs including the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, the Mid-America Transportation Center, and the Center for Infrastructure Research.
The Water for Food Institute was founded in April 2010 with a gift commitment of $50 million from the Robert B. Daugherty Charitable Foundation. The Water for Food Institute will build on the university’s 60-year history of water research, an area in which the university is already recognized as a national leader, with many faculty working in a wide range of disciplines. The institute’s focus will be the strategic use of water for food production. Eventually, the Institute will move to Nebraska Innovation Campus.
Celebration
The completion of this phase of the Whittier renovation adds valuable space to the university’s research capacity and provides much-needed on-campus child care. But more importantly, a city landmark that once anchored a neighborhood has returned to useful and glorious stature. No longer an eyesore, or a white elephant, this beautiful and innovative building once again serves its original purpose—education and research. The university, the neighborhood, the wider Lincoln community and citizens of Nebraska will benefit from the transformation and restoration.
The following contractors, businesses and individuals were key to the successful renovation of the Whittier Research Center.
Ted Weidner, Director, UNL Facilities Management
Alan Wedige, Project Director, UNL Facilities Planning and Construction
External Contractors
A&J Construction
AAA Roofing Co. Inc.
Allied Survey and Mapping, Inc.
American Drywall
American Fence Co.
Arrow Striping Inc.
Building Components
Carpenter Masonry, Inc.
Chris High’s Painting
Commonwealth Electric
Concrete Industries
Continental Cast Stone
Continental Fire Sprinkler Co.
Cornhusker Tile
DeMarco Bros. Co.
Designer Woods Inc.
Emanuel CS
EPCO Ltd.
G&M
Gana Trucking and Excavating, Inc.
General Fire & Safety Equipment Co.
Glass Edge, Inc.
Grounds for Play
H&S Plumbing and Heating
Heartland Demolition
Here’s Your Sign Designs
HWS
Jurgen’s Brothers Construction
Lincoln Tent Inc.
Looptech
Lycos Inc.
McGill Restoration
Millard Lumber
Miller’s Custom Trim
Paul L. Kess, Inc.
National Concrete Cutting
North American Flooring LLC
Outdoor Recreation Products
Pioneer Overhead Door Inc.
Plasterglas Inc.
Pleskac & Pleskac Inc.
Ramark Steel
Sampson Construction Co. Inc.
Stephens & Smith Construction Co. Inc.
Stewarts LLC
Stutzman Sealants & Sons LLC
Tri-City Hardware
Window Option Specialists
