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View from the east
(with Foster addition to the right--or north)
Dedicated to George Joslyn, the building faces downtown, the site of Joslyn's
empire. The building is clad with Georgia Pink (Etowah Fleuri) marble--overlaying
brick masonry.
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Although
the original design was a traditional Beaux-Arts classical building, even
as the structure was being built, modifications transformed the museum into
a "Moderne" style. Many of these changes were in architectural details.
Some decoration was eliminated from the original design, other decoration
transformed so that the museum is now seen as a classic of American Art
Deco. (See the thunderbird capitals below.) Two architects are credited
with this change: indirectly, Bertram Goodhue, the influential architect
of the Nebraska State Capitol, and directly, Herschel Elarth, the design
architect who was responsible for the actual decorative alterations. In
addition, the sculptor, John David Brcin, a Serb born in Croatia, designed
exterior sculptural decoration following a program conceived by Hartley
Burr Alexander.
The east portico (main entrance) and the north pair of doors (east portico) |
| McDonald,
Alexander, and Brcin worked out the program for the six east doors, each
of which was to represent a virtue of George Joslyn. This pair represents
Visio (Vision) and Spes (Hope). A lamp, representing foresight, is carried
by the personified Vision while a burning torch and crystal ball are carried
by Hope. |
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The
south side and south entrance
Note the
sculptured panels at the far west top corner (left image). See the reliefs
panels on the upper corners of the building by John David Brcin. Entrances
on the south, north,and west facades have inscriptions honoring first, the
Native Americans, then the Spanish inhabitants, and finally the prospectors
and farmers. The inscription at the right reads: "In the morning of time
they came / Their drums were beating / Their hearts were high / The land
summoned them and they loved it." Medallions depicting the heads of Indians
flank this inscription.
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