Max Alexander Theodore Boehnke (1836-1903), Architect
Max Alexander Theodore Boehncke was born in Prussia, Germany, on September 13, 1836. He practiced architecture in Stettin, Germany for eighteen years, then came to the United States in 1880 and settled in Omaha, where he worked as an architect on the water works. Boehncke then worked as a civil engineer for the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad. In 1881, he began working as a draftsman for the Union Pacific Rail Road. He was a member and trustee of the German Presbyterian Church of Omaha.[1] He owned Omaha Terra Cotta Works for 25 years. Later he worked in California and was superintendent at brick kiln companies that used his patented kiln invention, a continuous "Common Sense" kiln.[3][4] He married his first wife, Francisca Boehnke, in 1868, and they had one child, Erica, before Francisca died in 1870. Boehncke married Hedwig Gotzhein in 1871, and they had two children, Paul and Charlie.[1] Boehnke died in 1903 in Los Angeles, California.[5]
This page is a contribution to the publication, Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. See the Format and contents of Nebraska architect entries page for more information on the compilation and page organization.
Contents
[hide]Compiled Nebraska Directory Listings
Omaha, Nebraska, 1884-1885
Educational & Professional Associations
1863-1880: architect, Stettin, Prussia.[1]
ca. 1875-1900: owner, Omaha Terra Cotta Works, Omaha, Nebraska.[4]
1880-1881: architect and partner, Boehncke & Bohmrich, Omaha, Nebraska.
1881-1882: draftsman, Union Pacific Rail Road, Omaha, Nebraska.[1]
1884-1885: architectural bridge dept, Union Pacific Rail Road, Omaha, Nebraska.
1886-1887: superintendent, Omaha Continuous Brick and Terracotta Co., Omaha, Nebraska.[3]
1888: architect and partner, Boehncke & Rohwer, Architects, Omaha, Nebraska.[a]
ca. 1888: owner, Centinela Brick-Kiln and Drier Company, Centinela, California. [3]
1888: Plant Superintendent, Continuous Brick Kiln Company of Inglewood, Los Angeles, California.[4]
1900: Los Angeles, California.[2]
1901: superintendent, Kern County Brick and Contract Company, Bakersfield, California. [3]
Buildings & Projects
Notes
a. Last Omaha directory listing, 1888.
b. Not found in 1880, 1890 Federal Censuses.
c. Thanks to architectural historian Catherine Cramer of Tucson, Arizona for References [3] & [4]
References
1. A. T. Andreas, "History of the State of Nebraska", (Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1882), 757.
2. 1900 United States Census, s.v. “Fran A. Boehnek,” Redondo Beach, Los Angeles County, California, accessed through Ancestry.com.
3. Dan Mosier, California Bricks: California Brick Kiln Company of Inglewood 2004. Accessed February 7, 2018 via https://calbricks.netfirms.com/brick.continuousbrickkilnco.html
4. "Pacific Coast News," The Clay Worker vol. 35 no. 1 (T.A. Randall & Co. Publishers: Indianapolis, Indiana, 1901), 314. Accessed February 7, 2018 via GoogleBooks: https://books.google.com/books?id=4UVPAQAAIAAJ&dq=max+boehncke&source=gbs_navlinks_s
5. "Max Alexander Theodore Boehnke" Belding III Family Tree, Ancestry.com Accessed February 7, 2018 via https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/family-tree/person/tree/8387056/person/-784777805/facts?ssrc=
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Page Citation
D. Murphy, “Max Alexander Theodore Boehnke (1836-1903), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, September 25, 2014. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, June 14, 2025.
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