The Admiral

The Sokol Auditorium has been a beloved building in the city of Omaha for decades. It’s also a building that has been heavily battered due to the events, like gymnastics, concerts, and receptions, operated in it. It was a historic building stuck in time with minimal attention given to handicap accessibility and operational programming for artist performances. The renovation honors the iconic building while making it an enchanting experience for visitors. The local owners had a limited budget including the necessity to incorporate big ticket items like adding a HVAC system and expanding restrooms to the VIP 2nd floor. An elevator was added, and square footage was gained by maximizing the existing volume to provide more back of house spaces desperately needed for the venue. To do that, the northeast section of the building became two floors instead of one, and a new suspended steel bridge connects the back of house spaces north to south. A unique VIP experience was added by demolishing a portion of south auditorium wall to create a captivating VIP viewing platform. Care was taken to preserve the original wood flooring, deco-framed wood doors with glass panels, and terrazzo flooring at the main entry. A minimalistic color palette wraps the immersive space. The historic decorative mouldings on the proscenium and balcony are celebrated in an electrifying, rock yellow-gold color. The iconic art deco windows shape inspired the metal decorative face to the two new bars added to the facility. The cherished chandelier continues to dazzle alongside artist performances. Treasured energy of the old venue is now dancing and thriving at The Admiral.