Larson Building

The Larson Building combines retail, parking and housing into the first high-rise structure built in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska in over 20 years.

At 10 stories, the building provides nearly 20,000 sq. ft. of retail tenant space on the first level, 646 parking stalls on levels two through seven, and 51 residential units on levels eight through ten. Sinclair Hille Architects led the design team for this $24 million building.

For the exterior façade design, Sinclair Hille Architects drew inspiration from the architectural landmarks of the existing downtown financial district. The main entry doors into the building are emphasized by two-story precast, stone façades and colored awnings while storefront windows span the openings between the entrances. The top two housing floors are encased within a metallic exterior skin accentuated by lighted metal ribs that mimic the rhythm of the precast columns below.

Providing a secure housing complex with protected parking was a goal of the private developer. To accomplish this, a separate elevator accessed through a private corridor allows residents to gain entry onto the housing floors via card access. The garage is served by two separate elevators that do not extend to the housing levels of the building.

With a desire to provide environmentally sensitive design solutions for the building, the project partners requested the implementation of a green roof for the large south facing roof expanse that is surrounded on three sides by the three level of housing. Large paved patio areas for outdoor activities are available to the residents on this eighth level of the building and it creates a rare urban amenity not typically found in a midwestern city.