Omaha has many religious places of worship, but only one Temple of Beauty. Windowless walls of pink Georgia-marble reach high into the air as if to both catch as much sunlight as possible while also protecting that which it both dearly covets, but also freely shares from its vaults. On an inscription that has been hewn by stonemasons of the 1930’s into the inner wall of the old entryway a quote – or maybe it’s a resolution lays bare the intentions of the builders:

                  Come with clean offering into the temple of beauty,

                  She will not neglect even the lesser things,

                  She will fulfill gladness, she will assuage sorrow,

                  Illume with grace, console with understanding.

Recalling back to when I was a child and my grandmother would take me to the Joslyn Museum, ever the dreamer I would make sure to hold myself still before entering each time she brought me and then read those etched lines. What I made of it then, I cannot say, but they always seemed to invoke a sleeping chamber of depth inside me. Then to enter I would have to face art-deco, bronze doors with heavy Native-American influence ingrained into them. Passing through those heavy gates I would be transported right into one of my picture books about knights and the crusades to a Spanish courtyard, where beautiful arches and smooth walls surrounded a Byzantine fountain.

It was a place of majesty that had declared itself open and welcoming to all who sought the treasures within. That continues to this day, remaining free to those who seek beauty (besides special exhibits and of course, the food in the grand corridor). Children will generally perpetuate in their life the things they are surrounded by: hate begets hate, and love – love. So often around us in this modern world are ugly buildings that looked like they were designed by toddlers stacking shapes (and then they pat themselves on the back afterwards), but the Joslyn Museum stands out as a place to to inspire those same children to not just give freely as does the Temple of Beauty, but to perpetuate better architecture.

Far from resting on its earned and earnest laurels, the Joslyn has expanded twice, first in 1994 in the Scott Pavilion, and then yet again it was expanded in 2024 with the Rhonda and Howard Hawks Pavillion. Whereas the original and most architecturally inspiring part of the museum (started in 1928, finished in 1931) holds the oldest of the paintings – some from famous painters like Rembrant – and even relics which are thousands of years old from ancient Egypt, the newer pavilions hold art that is more contemporary.

In the newest addition classrooms and community rooms were added to the structure – what a grand thing to do: what if the classrooms for our children were made of stone and vaulted ceilings? That they were to dream next to Byzantine fountains in the marble halls of some ancient Spanish courtyard? That the spanning archways of their minds would grow to match those around them, instead of the white-walled and chilled chambers that they are shipped off to to learn each day?

In 1938 the Joslyn was recognized as one of the one-hundred finest buildings in the United States, and I would wager that it may still hold if compared today. Sure there are buildings that are taller and broader and have gold-plated door handles, (some of which would somehow make it onto the list even though they look like toddler-blocks haphazardly stacked atop each other). But the Joslyn has what all others don't: it is free to all who wish to enter and has beauty that humanity has painted, drawn, and sculpted over the past five thousands years – over twelve thousand artifacts with not enough room to display them all. 

Many places in the world could claim to have the title, “Temple of Beauty,” but would likely fall short due to not meeting the two requirements needed, both of which are described well by the Roman emperor and stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius: 

“Anything in any way beautiful derives its beauty from itself and asks nothing from beyond itself."

The Joslyn Museum meets that standard.

At the old, gorgeous front entrance on the other wall, opposite of the etched lines about the Temple of Beauty reads,

In remembrance of George Alfred Joslyn,

1948 - 1916, Alert Citizen,

Builder of the Press, Patron of Liberal Arts,

This building is given for the public of Omaha,

By Sarah Joslyn, his wife.

For the public, a temple of beauty.

Also, holy-moly, can I take a second to remark on the fact that that’s an incredible amount of love from his wife?

As a child, I learned to love the Joslyn, and it is my wish that others to bring their selves and their children to a place that was built in another age of mankind, beauty that was built out of love, for everyone.

Austin Petak is an aspiring novelist and freelance journalist who loves seeking stories and the quiet passions of the soul. If you are interested in reaching out to him to cover a story, you may find him at austinpetak@gmail.com.