Burlington Headquarters Building, Omaha

The Burlington Headquarters Building, also known as Burlington Place, is a historic office building closely connected with Omaha’s development as a railroad and commercial center. Constructed in 1879, it originally served as the headquarters of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad Company. The building began as a three-story structure, with a fourth floor added in 1886 to provide additional administrative space. The railroad continued using it until 1966, after which the property was preserved and adapted for modern commercial use.

Architect Alfred R. Dufrene designed the original building in the Italianate style, using load-bearing brick masonry on a limestone foundation. In 1899, architect Thomas R. Kimball redesigned it in the Renaissance Revival style to resemble the Chicago headquarters of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. Architectural features include arched windows, decorative brickwork, an ornamental cornice, and a central atrium with a skylight that brought natural light into the office spaces through interior galleries and cast-iron staircases. The building illustrates the importance of rail transportation during a period when railroad companies shaped regional trade and economic growth. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and designated an Omaha Landmark in 1978.

A major rehabilitation completed in 1983 converted the former headquarters into commercial office space while preserving significant exterior and interior features, including the central atrium, balconies, and portions of its cast-iron façade. Today, Burlington Place remains an active office building and an important surviving example of 19th-century railroad architecture in the region.