Difference between revisions of "Felix A. Lorenz (1892-1984), Contractor and Architect"

Latest revision as of 13:42, 4 December 2023

Felix A. Lorenz, 1937

Felix A. Lorenz was born Battle Creek, Michigan on May 5, 1892 to (Volga) Russian-born Fredrick Lorenz and his wife Dorothea (nee Heiness).[1][2] His parents were involved in the original creation of Union College and College View, Nebraska in the early 1890s. The family lived in New York State in 1900 and in Oklahoma in 1910 before returning to Lincoln in the 1910s, where Felix attended Union College and his sister Dorothea worked as a nurse at Nebraska Sanitarium on the college campus.[3][4] On his draft registration form in 1917-18, Felix identified himself as a theological student at Union College and claimed a draft exemption as a Seventh-Day Adventist.[5] Felix and Amanda Olga Lorenz married around 1922 and had two sons (Felix Jr., born in Kansas, 1922 and Everett, born in Nebraska, 1924).[a] In Lincoln Felix worked for his younger brother Henry's real estate and construction firm (H. P. Lorenz Co.) and both were producing single-family homes in Lincoln by the mid-1920s, apparently working both jointly and separately.[6][7] Henry relocated to Colorado in 1927; Felix continued house-building in Lincoln through about 1940.[8] Initially, most of his homes were modest, single-story frame residences, many seemingly influenced by the published cottage designs of Omaha architect Everett S. Dodds. In the later 1920s and 1930s, Lorenz designed and built more varied structures including larger masonry homes, some in Period Revival styles, as well as an automotive service station and the Art Deco Christian Record Building (1936). In 1939, Lorenz advertised that he had built 125 houses in Lincoln during the past twelve years.[20]

Felix Lorenz's close connection to Adventist education was lifelong. After WWII, he and Amanda worked in Adventist colleges or academies. In 1950 they were in Takoma Park, Maryland; by 1959 they were both teaching and she was also in charge of the cafeteria at an Adventist college in Madison, Tennessee, and then at the Madison Sanitarium.[9][10] Mrs. Lorenz was a dietitian at a Virginia hospital when she died in 1962 at age 64.[11] Felix remarried Lauretta in 1964 in Baltimore. They moved to California in 1968 where he taught at Sacramento Academy. Felix Lorenz died in California in 1984 at age 92.[1]

This page is a contribution to the publication, Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. See the format and contents page for more information on the compilation and page organization.

Compiled Nebraska Directory Listings

Lincoln, Nebraska, 1914, 1922-1940

Educational & Professional Associations

1910s: attended and graduated from Union College, College View (now Lincoln), Nebraska.[1]

Attended seminary at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan.[1]

1945-1946: "Adventist architect and builder," Rolla, Missouri.[12][13]

Other Associations

1950s, head of religion department, Madison (Tennessee) College.[10]

1968, taught religion at Union Academy, Sacramento, California.[1]

Buildings & Projects

Representative Nebraska projects

Over 100 houses in Lincoln built by Felix Lorenz between 1926 and 1941 have been identified through City of Lincoln building permits, along with a couple dozen more built by his brother Henry P. Lorenz between 1921 and 1926, when Felix was a "superintendent" in H. P. Lorenz Company. A sampling of those projects are included below, including the earliest and latest identified, and several for which Felix applied for building permits both as "Architect" and "Contractor."[15][b]

Single-family residence (1926), 924 Elmwood Avenue, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15]

Single-family residence (1928), 1434 Sioux Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15]

Brick residence for Mark Doran (1928), 3353 M Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15][21]

Brick, Colonial revival two-story residence (1932), Lincoln, Nebraska.[15]

Single-family residence (1935), 2101 S. 48th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15]

Single-family residence (1935), 1611 Sioux Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15]

Single-family residence (1936), 1943 Pawnee Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15]

Christian Record Building (1936), 3705 South 48th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.[14][22][c]

Single-family residence (1937), 1601 Sioux Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15]

Linus Burr Smith house (1937), 2929 Georgian Court, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15][20][f]

Single-family residence (1938), 1935 High Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15][d]

Single-family residence (1938), 1625 Sioux Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15]

Frank C. Foster house (1938), 2935 Cedar Avenue, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15][20]

Jesse W. Todd house (1938), 2850 Cedar Avenue, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15][20]

Single-family residence (1939), 1625 Arapahoe Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15]

Single-family residence (1939), 3355 Grimsby Lane, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15][d]

Single-family residence (1940), 1645 Arapahoe Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15]

Redwing Service Station (1940), southwest corner of South 48th and O Streets, Lincoln, Nebraska.[18]

"'The Builders Nine' Model Radio Home" (1940), 1650 Van Dorn Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.[19][e]

Single-family residence (1941), 1855 High Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15][d]

Notes

a. Felix A. Lorenz, Jr. (1922-2013) had a long and varied career as an itinerant musician, preacher (in both Adventist and UCC pulpits), and magician. For a lengthy summary of his life, see "Felix Alfred Lorenz, Jr.". His brother Everett (1924-2008) was residing in Nashville at the time of their father's death in 1984, but earlier his name appeared on building permits for houses in Lincoln, such as 3225 Sheridan Blvd. of 1951. He was identified as an architectural designer (in "private business") on the 1950 U.S. Census and later practiced as an architect in Nashville.[16][23][24]

b. The Historic Preservation program of Lincoln/Lancaster County Planning Dept. holds additional information on Lorenz houses in Lincoln.

c. The Christian Record Building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986. See the Register nomination.

d. These houses are within the Woodsshire Historic Residential District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. See the Register nomination.

e. The small brick house at 1650 Van Dorn Street in Lincoln was built by "nine young manual training students from Lincoln schools" under the supervision of Felix Lorenz. The student-builders acquired the house lot and built the house as a partnership.[19]

f. A Lincoln newspaper published a large advertisement for Lorenz in early 1939, including photos of three houses. 2929 Georgian Court is captioned "Home of Linus Burr Smith, Prof. of Architecture, U. of N. (Designed by Prof. Smith--Built by Lorenz."[20]

References

1. "Elder Felix A. Lorenz" (obituary), Napa Valley Register (Deer Park, California) (May 18, 1984), 2.

2. "Memorial Services" (obituary of Fredrick A. Lorenz (1862-1926), Lincoln (Nebraska) State Journal (February 7, 1926), 9.

3. Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census, s.v. “Phelix Larenz [sic],” [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

4. Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census, s.v. “Felix Lorenz,” [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

5. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, s.v. “Felix Lorenz,” [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

6. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census, s.v. “Felix Lorenz,” [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.

7. Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census, s.v. “Felix A. Lorenz,” [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

8. "College View Notes," Lincoln (Nebraska) Star (October 23, 1927), 26.

9. Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census," s.v. “Felix A. Lorenz,” [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2022.

10. “Here and There on the Hill...A visitor in Angwin this week was Mrs. Felix Lorenz of Madison, Tennessee...,” St. Helena (California) Star (August 20, 1959), 6.

11. Ancestry.com. Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014, s.v. “Felix A. Lorenz,” [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

12. "Defense of Home-Building Industry" (lengthy letter to editor), St. Louis (Missouri) Post-Dispatch (June 9, 1945), 4.

13. "Adventists Buy College Ave. Church Building," The Democrat-News (Fredericksville, Missouri) (September 27, 1945), 1.

14. Bronze plaque/cornerstone on building; and City of Lincoln Building Permit 24836, issued 1936, and associated drawings.

15. Database of Lorenz houses in Lincoln, Nebraska, based on City of Lincoln Building Permits, on-file Lincoln/Lancaster County Planning Department.

16. Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census, s.v. "Everett H. Lorenz," [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2022.

17. "College View Business Men Lead the Way in 1937 for a Greater College View," Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal and Star (February 28, 1937), 40 (illustrated with 48 photo portraits).

18. "Grand Opening...48th and 'O' Sts. Redwing Service Station...Designed & Built by Felix A. Lorenz Home Builders...," Lincoln (Nebraska) Star (July 12, 1940), 2 (illustrated with photo).

19. "Model House Open to Public Sunday--Constructed in Three Months by Lincoln Manual Training Students," Lincoln (Nebraska) Star (October 6, 1940), 7 (with photo of house).

20. "Felix A. Lorenz--Home Builders...Quality--Style--Economy," Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal and Star (January 29, 1939), 42 (illustrated with photos of 2935 and 2850 Cedar Avenue, and 2929 Georgian Court for architecture professor Linus Burr Smith).

21. "Home of Mart Do Ran [sic, should be Mark Doran], 3353 M Street," Felix Loren advertisement, Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal and Star (February 28, 1937), 47 (illustrated with photo of house; shares page with feature story on Christian Record Building).

22. "The Christian Record Brings Cheer to the Sightless," Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal and Star (February 28, 1937), 47 (illustrated with photos including exterior of Christian Record Building).

23. "Housing Complex is Begun Here...comprised of 125 units...," (Murfreesboro, Tennessee) Daily News Journal (October 20, 1968), 1.

24. Legal Notices...Advertisement for Bids" (pertaining to renovation and addition to Richland Park Branch Library), The (Nashville) Tennessean (August 21, 1978), 24.

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Page Citation

E. F. Zimmer and D. Murphy, “Felix A. Lorenz (1892-1984), Contractor and Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, December 4, 2023. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, May 16, 2024.

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