Oscar Reinholdt Kirschke (1879-1962), Architect
Oscar Reinholdt Kirschke was born on December 19, 1879 to Sarah and Otto Kirschke. His father was a contractor in Grand Island, Nebraska for years before. Oscar became an architect who practiced independently as well as in partnerships in Grand Island. He was married to Katherine and had two daughters: Caroline and Cathryn.[5] In the late 1930s, Kirschke moved to Redondo Beach and other parts of California. After his first wife's death in 1953, he married Georgia Eppley in 1954. Oscar Kirschke died on January 26, 1962 in Los Angeles, California. [6]
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
Grand Island, Nebraska, 1908-1909, 1911-1913, 1915, 1917, 1934-1937
Educational & Professional Associations
1903-1904: architect and bricklayer, Grand Island, Nebraska.[a]
1905: No Grand Island directory.
1906-1907: bricklayer, Grand Island, Nebraska.
1908-1909: architect, 317 E 4th, Grand Island, Nebraska.
1908-1937: principal, O. R. Kirschke, Architect, Grand Island
1910-1911: architect and partner, Kirschke & Harrison, Architect, Grand Island, Nebraska.
1912-1918: architect, rooms 1-2 Ryan Building, Grand Island, Nebraska.
1919: No Grand Island directory, Grand Island, Nebraska.
1920: architect, Grand Island, Nebraska.[3]
1921-1922: architect and owner, Kirschke & Crocker, Architects, Grand Island, Nebraska.
1924-1925: architect and owner, Kirschke & Baker, Architects, Grand Island, Nebraska.
1926-1927: real estate, Grand Island, Nebraska.
1928: No Grand Island directory.
1929-1932: owner, Kirschke Concrete Well Co., Grand Island, Nebraska.
1933: No Grand Island directory.
1934-1935: architect, Office 308 Masonic Building, Grand Island, Nebraska.
1936-1937: architect, Office 305 ½ N Pine, Grand Island, Nebraska.[b]
Buildings & Projects
Liederkranz Club (1912, 1915), 401 W 1st, Grand Island, Nebraska. [4] (HL06-009)
Hooker County Courthouse (1912), ws Cleveland Ave. between Railroad and 1st Street, Mullen, Nebraska.[1] (HO02-010) National Register narrative
Elks Club (ca. 1916), Grand Island, Nebraska. [4][7][c] Demolished/Replaced.
Masonic Temple (n.d.), Grand Island, Nebraska. [4] [c]
Grand Island High School [later Walnut Junior High] (n.d.), Grand Island, Nebraska.[4][c]
Notes
a. First Grand Island directory listing, 1903. No Grand Island directories before 1903.
b. Last Grand Island directory listing, 1937.
c. Source [4] says that Falldorf and Otto Kirschke were the building contractors of these buildings, while Oscar was the architect who designed them.
References
1. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
2. 1910 United States Census, s.v. “Oscar R. Kirschke,” Grand Island, Hall County, Nebraska, accessed through HeritageQuestOnline.com.
3. 1920 United States Census, s.v. “Oscar R. Kirschke,” Grand Island, Hall County, Nebraska, accessed through HeritageQuestOnline.com.
4. "150: A Commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of Hall, County, Nebraska" (Grand Island: The Grand Island Independent, Morris Communications, 2007), 53 & 86.
5. "Policastro Family Tree: Oscar Reinholdt Kirschke, 1879-1962" accessed on Ancestry.com via https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/family-tree/person/tree/26460563/person/12472823546/story
6. "Oscar Kirschke, Ex-Islander, Dies" The Grand Island Daily Independent (January 29, 1962).
7. "Elks Building Committee Decides on Facing Brick" The Grand Island Daily Independent (June 1, 1916).
Return to Top of Page
Page Citation
D. Murphy, “Oscar Reinholdt Kirschke (1879-1962), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, September 29, 2017. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, April 20, 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.
