Immigrant architect Rafael Guastavino primarily worked with tiles to craft detailed, self-supporting arches and domes inside of buildings, including the Nebraska State Capitol.
Journal Star file photo
Artwork in the Nebraska Capitol is celebrated in a new video unveiled Wednesday by first lady Susanne Shore.
Journal Star file photo
A copy of "Immigrant Architect: Rafael Guastavino and the American Dream" was placed in all 41 elementary schools at Lincoln Public Schools. The children's book features a piece of the story of the Nebraska State Capitol.
Thanks to a Lincoln volunteer group, students at every Lincoln Public Schools elementary school will have access to a children's book about the architect who helped craft one of Nebraska's most well-known monuments.
Lincoln Center Kiwanis Club and Foundation donated the funds needed to provide all 41 elementary schools in the district with a copy of "Immigrant Architect: Rafael Guastavino and the American Dream."
Published in 2020, the book tells the story of Rafael Guastavino, an architect who immigrated to the United States from Spain in 1881 and contributed to many buildings across the world, including the Nebraska State Capitol.
Guastavino primarily worked with tiles to craft detailed, self-supporting arches and domes inside of buildings. Many of his designs can be found in New York City, but according to the book, the Nebraska Capitol building was his most spectacular piece of work.
"This building represented the height of achievement as a company," says the book, which was written from the perspective of Guastavino's son.
The Capitol was one of Guastavino's largest projects ever, using more tile than any of his other works and lasting more than a decade. His work can be seen throughout the building.
Because the book has been placed in every elementary school, LPS will be able to write curriculum around it, and the opportunities for lesson plans are endless, said Chris Haeffner, the district's director of library services.
"It will be really fun to see what kind of instruction is built around it," she said. "I can see it in a lot of STEM-related activities and Nebraska history and things like that."
When Russ Dantzler first heard about "Immigrant Architect," he purchased a copy for all of his friends and family hoping to spread a piece of the story of the Capitol's history.
Dantzler, who grew up in Lincoln and now lives in New York City, had a father who worked on and inside of the Capitol building, creating a deep appreciation for the monument.
It was Dantzler who passed the story along to Dave Merrill and the rest of the Lincoln Center Kiwanis Club, a volunteer group that focuses on helping children, sparking the idea to donate copies of the book to LPS.
"Because it involved our Capitol, which I really love, I just thought it needed to be in every school in Lincoln," said Merrill, a 35-year member of the organization. "I think it's so easy to take for granted what an architectural marvel it is."
The Capitol building is an integral part of Lincoln's skyline and is something children in Lincoln and across the state have grown up with, said Haeffner, who feels it's important for students to learn about the landmark's history.
"Kids are naturally curious and the Capitol is such a part of their lives. We drive by it, we see it in horizon. It's something very recognizable to every kid in Lincoln," Haeffner said. "To be able to learn that unique history, I think kids will really have fun with it."
Immigrant architect Rafael Guastavino primarily worked with tiles to craft detailed, self-supporting arches and domes inside of buildings, including the Nebraska State Capitol.
Russ Dantzler, originally from Lincoln, helped place a copy of "Immigrant Architect: Rafael Guastavino and the American Dream" in all 41 elementary schools at Lincoln Public Schools. The children's book features the Nebraska State Capitol.
A copy of "Immigrant Architect: Rafael Guastavino and the American Dream" was placed in all 41 elementary schools at Lincoln Public Schools. The children's book features a piece of the story of the Nebraska State Capitol.