Omaha Exploration

Located in the Flatiron District, the building that is now the Magnolia Hotel first opened as Aquila Court in 1924. Built by Chester and Raymond Cook, it was a multi-use property that provided office and retail space in addition to apartments. 

The land was first acquired by Aquila Cook and then handed down to his children George and Ira. It wasn’t until Aquila’s grandsons acquired the land that they decided to build the first of many other buildings across the country. 

Located at 1615 Howard Street, they advertised the area as “destined to be the Michigan boulevard and the Fifth avenue of Omaha’s shopping life.” Hailing from Chicago, the Cook’s hired architectural firm Holabird & Roche to design it. Raymond insisted that the two buildings be constructed around a central courtyard so it resembled similar structures in his hometown. In order to build it, the also hired many specialized craftsman from Chicago. 

The U-shaped building with the faces of Aquila and George on the front was inspired by the Bargello in Italy. Its exterior was faced with Bedford limestone while the interior walls inside the courtyard were red bricks creating a warmer atmosphere. An arcade encompassed the courtyard which served as a screen and protected walkway for the surrounding businesses. The courtyard itself resembled an Italian formal garden with stone paths, pools with goldfish, canals and numerous plants. Raymond personally supervised the layout and plantings. 

The interior of the building used luxurious materials including mahogany woodwork, terrazzo marble flooring, black marble and imported Travertine. It also included modern amenities such as electric elevators and steam heating. The building was both a symbol of innovation and craftsmanship. 

The structure stood out from others in Omaha due to its unique layout in which the northern and eastern building contained retail and offices while the southern building contained apartments. Along Howard and 16th Streets, the northern wing had 18 street level retail stores and 240 offices on the upper floors. The stores had entrances not only facing the street but also the interior courtyard. The offices attracted professionals including physicians, dentists and even artists. Each of the the upper floors had a different motif ranging from Spanish on the second, French Provincial on the third and Mediterranean on the fourth.

The southern building, meanwhile, contained 19-two story studio apartments which included a bedroom, living room and balcony overlooking the courtyard below. The wing also included a tea room and four specialty shops. The apartments were accessed from inside the courtyard which had an entrance along 17th Street. The courtyard was not only a tranquil oasis but also a buffer between the two buildings. 

The Cook family maintained ownership of the building until 1956. It was first sold to Omaha Aquila, Inc and then then to Fred Winkelmann of Union Casualty Company which utilized a portion of the building as its offices.  The building was renovated in the 1970s which included the removal of the pools and canals in the courtyard and covering the area with marble slab, fountains and the installation of an ornamental waterwheel. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. 

The building was acquired by real estate developer David Slattery in 1993. After it was utilized as Omaha’s Symphony Designer Showhouse, he started a nearly three year project to convert it into a hotel. At that time, it was the last of four Aquila Court buildings built across the country. The others were located in Chicago, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. After a $10M renovation, it opened as the Westin Aquila in 1996. 

During the renovation led by Alley Poyner Architecture and Lund-Ross Constructors, a long hidden mezzanine was discovered above what would become the registration desk and piano area. Other discoveries included a roster of former tenants on a wall connecting the lobby to guest suites and a brass and glass mail slide that was visible from elevator area on each floor as well as a a chandelier.

At the time it was just the third Four Diamond hotel in Nebraska with the others being the Omaha Marriott and the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln. It was featured in Forbes and Great Hotels and Resorts magazines as well as the USA Today, New York Times and inducted in the Historic Hotels of America program. The lounge was named Dr. Eugene’s Pub for David’s grandfather who had an office at the building for more than 40 years. It also featured a full service restaurant called E. David’s. 

The hotel became a part of the Sheraton chain in 1999 and then Magnolia starting in 2006. The 145-room boutique hotel also had 21 suites in addition to a Presidential suite, bar that provided live entertainment as well as a library where guests could select books, use a computer or hold small meetings.

Today the Magnolia Hotel with its courtyard is popular for weddings and other events. It was named as a runner-up for Best Hotels in the 2025 Omaha Metropolitan Area Tourism Awards. It features Olive & Ira’s restaurant and bar which features weekly live music, transportation to the airport and downtown, on-site gated parking with valet service, meeting space, free dry cleaning, daily cookies and milk in addition to a fitness center.

Content written by Omaha Exploration. Feel free to leave a comment or a suggestion. Until then, keep exploring!

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