Leon John Jack Beers (1923-2010), Architect & Engineer
dba: Jack Beers
Leon John "Jack" Beers was born in Lincoln, Nebraska to Leon G. and Evelyn Beers. In 1940 his father was a cook and his mother was a waitress at their cafe in downtown Lincoln. Leon signed his draft registration card in 1942 as "Leon John Jack Beers."[a] He served as an aerial gunner in a Marine dive bomber air wing in the South Pacific in WWII. He attended University of Nebraska in the late 1940s and was a member of the Architectural Society. By 1950 he was a draftsman for Lincoln architect Fritz Craig and in 1951 was listed as an architect in Craig's office. While it is not clear that they associated as a firm or as partners, they shared that office until Craig's death in 1960. Jack Beers died in 2010 and was interred at Lincoln Memorial Park, where his gravestone is inscribed "Engineer & Architect 450 Churches."[[#References[1][2][[3][4][5]]]
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.
Contents
Compiled Nebraska Directory Listings
Lincoln, Nebraska, 1947-2000
Educational & Professional Associations
1941, member of state champion Lincoln High School football team.[5]
1943-1945, U. S. Marine Corps, honorable discharge as private first class (Air Medal with two gold stars).[6]
1947-1950, student, University of Nebraska & member of Architectural Society.[4]
1950, BA, Architecture, University of Nebraska.[8]
1950, draftsman for architect Fritz Craig, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1951, architect for Fritz Craig, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1952-1960, shared an office with Fritz Craig at Room 724, First National Bank Building, 10th & O Streets, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1956, founding member of S.A.R.A. (Society of American Registered Architects).[1][5][10]
1960-2010, engineer & architect, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Buildings & Projects
Dated Projects
Advertised "Complete house plans drawn for FHA approval or private use. Call Jack Beers" (1948).[9]
1951-1960
After being listed in the Lincoln city directory of 1950 as a draftsman for Lincoln architect Fritz Craig, Beers was listed from 1951 to 1960 as an architect with Craig, or both were listed at the same office (Room 724) in the First National Bank Building, through 1960, the year of Craig's death. While no indication has yet been found that they formally associated as partners or created a firm together, the projects that were credited to both of them are listed on a page for Fritz Craig & Jack Beers, Associated Architects.
1960-2010
Addition to Our Saviour's Lutheran Church (1963), 1200 South 40th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.[11]
First Church of the Nazarene (1972), 1901 South 70th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.[12]
Notes
a. Beers appears to have consistently used the name "Jack" in his architectural practice after 1951, but prior to that time "Leon," "Leon J.," and "John L." all appear in newspaper stories, NU yearbooks, or Lincoln city directories referring to the same individual, and "Leon" continued to be cited in newspaper mentions and legal matters after 1951.
References
1. Ancestry.com. U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current, s.v. "Pfc. Leon John Beers" [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
2. Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census, s.v. "Leon Beers," [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
3. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, s.v. "Leon John Jack Beers," [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
4. Cornhusker (yearbook), Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska, 1947, 252; 1948, 242; 1949, 204; 1950, 440.
5. "L. J. 'Jack' Beers," Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal Star (July 15, 2010), B-4.
6. "Leon Beers, Lincoln, Has Close Calls In Pacific; Now in U. S.," Lincoln (Nebraska) Star (May 23, 1945), 11.
7. "Leon Beers is out of marines," Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal (October 5, 1945), 4.
8. "Nebraska University Confers 1,799 Degrees...College of Engineering and Architecture," Lincoln (Nebraska) Evening Journal (June 5, 1950), 8.
9. Classified Advertisements--"Business Service...House Plans," Lincoln (Nebraska) Evening Journal (June 25, 1948), 15.
10. "About...SARA," on-line website of Society of American Registered Architects, accessed May 31, 2023 at https://www.sara-national.org/about
11. City of Lincoln Building Permit #84708, issued September 10, 1963; Jack Beers, architect; 150'x 85'.
12. City of Lincoln Building Permit #104177, issued April 10, 1972; estimated cost $175,000; Jack Beers, architect.
Page Citation
E. F. Zimmer, “Leon John Jack Beers (1923-2010), Architect & Engineer,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, May 31, 2023. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, May 16, 2024.
Contact the Nebraska State Historic Preservation Office with questions or comments concerning this page, including any problems you may have with broken links (see, however, the Disclaimers link at the bottom of this page). Please provide the URL to this page with your inquiry.
