First National Bank Building, Omaha

The First National Bank Building, now known as Farnam 1600, is a historic high-rise associated with Omaha’s growth as a financial and commercial center during the early 20th century. Constructed in 1916-1917 and opened in January 1917, it served as the headquarters of the First National Bank of Omaha while also providing retail space and professional offices.

The bank remained there until moving to the First National Center in 1971. The building was later rehabilitated as a mixed-use property with residences, offices, and commercial space. Designed by the Chicago firm Graham, Burnham & Company, the 14-story steel-frame building is an example of Late Renaissance Revival skyscraper design. Its U-shaped plan opens toward the principal façade, creating the appearance of two towers above the fourth floor. The exterior is faced with brick, terra cotta, and granite, with large windows, two-story pilasters, ornamental scrollwork, bead-and-reel moldings, decorative panels, wall cornices, and a pierced parapet. The original bank occupied the lower floors, where a two-story lobby featured a ribbed coffered ceiling, ornamental plasterwork, marble columns, benches, and trim. The building reflects the importance of banking during a period when downtown expanded rapidly. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

A renovation completed around 2000 converted the upper floors into condominiums while retaining offices and commercial uses below. Today, most of the building is privately occupied, although its historic façade, U-shaped form, and decorative upper stories remain visible from surrounding public sidewalks