Joslyn Castle
Omaha, NE
13,000 SF

The George and Sarah Joslyn Home (officially named “Lynhurst,” yet known locally as Joslyn Castle), is a mansion located in the Gold Coast Historic District of Omaha. Built in the Scottish Baronial style in 1903, the Castle was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and designated an Omaha landmark in 1979. In 1944, the structure became the headquarters for Omaha Public Schools and in 1986 the property of the State of Nebraska. In December 2010, Joslyn Castle was sold to the Joslyn Castle Trust, a private concern created for the purpose of maintaining the historic property.

In 2000, AO was retained by the Friends of Joslyn Castle (later renamed the Joslyn Castle Trust) to perform a multi-year restoration of the property. Assisting in the development of a Cultural Landscape Report and Historic Structures Report, the firm directed the restoration of the Morning Room, Gold Room, several rooms on the third floor, and the window renovation. All work was done in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Renovation of Historic Structures. Work included restoration of the floors, paint/stenciling, and restoring the wallcovering to its original color and texture. Exterior window work included restoration of the sashes and frames. The historic storm window sashes, found in the basement, were renovated, rebuilt as needed, and reinstalled on the building exterior. In 2008, AO directed the replacement of the slate roof and flashing, as well as replacement of the original limestone wall and wrought iron railing that had failed during a series of storms.

Most recently, AO studied how to replicate the original greenhouse structure, the Palm House, damaged in the 1913 tornado and removed by George. Using the few historical photos of the structure and the original foundation which is still intact, a design has been completed and is awaiting fundraising.





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