Pioneer Information
A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, Herminghaus completed his horticultural studies at the University of Nebraska before studying landscape architecture at Harvard University. He returned to Lincoln in 1915, where he opened the first landscape architectural practice in the state, designing parks, boulevards and housing subdivisions in the Beaux-Arts style. After serving as a civilian planner in World War I, Herminghaus worked with fellow Harvard classmate Tell W. Nicolet on subdivision layouts in Pennsylvania, and then returned to Lincoln to re-engage his own practice. In 1922 he was hired by real estate developer Woods Brothers Silo and Manufacturing Company to design housing projects in Lincoln, including the Woodsshire and Rathbone subdivisions. He also designed Pioneers Park and the landscape for Bertram Goodhue’s Nebraska State Capitol building. During the Great Depression he joined the faculty of the Architectural College at the University of Nebraska, teaching landscape history and design. In 1939 Herminghaus moved his practice to Omaha, where he primarily designed residential gardens. He served as a site engineer for various projects during World War II, and then returned to Lincoln as superintendent of parks. He also continued to consult on housing projects for the military until he retired in 1955.
