Description
The Rogers House was built in 1914 by banker N.C. Rogers as a retirement mansion when he was 70 years old. Rogers moved to Lincoln from Minden, NE and had the following rooms built into his house: parlor living room, mahogany paneled dining room, library, three sun rooms, two master bedrooms, two guest rooms, three full and four half baths, maid's quarters, and third floor ballroom.
Rogers and his wife lived fifteen years more to enjoy the house. His daughter, Virginia, who was married to a doctor, then inherited the house and lived there until 1968. In 1968, the house became a fraternity house for five years. The fraternity disbanded in 1973, and for the next ten years the house was a group home for the mentally handicapped.
Finally, in 1983 Nora and two partners bought the house and began an extensive renovation. Period light and bath fixtures were restored, old carpet and wallpaper stripped away, wood refinished, and antique furnishings brought in. The Inn opened in 1984 with five guest rooms on the second floor. In 1987 the third floor renovation added three more guest rooms. Then in 1991 the Ricketts-Folsom House (The West House) next door went up for sale. The house was purchased, extensively renovated, and opened in 1995, adding four more rooms to the Inn.
The West House is older than The Rogers House, built in 1909. A.C. Ricketts was a prominent Lincoln attorney at the turn of the century. His descendants were the Folsom family who donated the Folsom Children's Zoo to the city (just five blocks east on 27th Street). The West House reflects a Frank Lloyd Wright/ arts and crafts influence. Beautiful golden oak trim, large windows and an inviting front porch beckon guests to pause and refresh. Both The West House and The Rogers House have the distinct honor of being declared local historic landmarks.Photos
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