Historic Victor Anderson Building in Stromsburg, Nebraska, a small farming community 20 miles north of I-80 at the York interchange on Highway 81. Stromsburg was settled in the mid 1800s by Swedish immigrants. In 1966 Nebraska governor Frank Morrison proclaimed Stromsburg the Swede Capital of Nebraska. The Victor Anderson Building was built in 1912 by local businessman Victor Anderson. The 19,000
square foot building opened in 1913 as a mortuary and furniture store. The building, hailed as fireproof, is constructed of structural steel and poured concrete, and is still the only building of its kind in downtown Stromsburg. Almost 100 years later, the Victor Anderson Building was declared a public nuisance and was deteriorating rapidly with birds flying freely throughout. That’s when Bob Berggren, proprietor of the Rose Colored Glass, purchased the building and took on the task of restoring it. Doing most of the work himself, the building’s first floor was almost completely restored within a year and reopened in 2011. To attract people to the building, Berggren incorporated the wine tasting room with retail shopping spaces. Located around and adjacent to the Rose Colored Glass is The Townhouse, a popular home décor and gift shop, and Frocks and Flowers, a women’s clothing boutique and flower and garden shop. A central foyer connects all spaces in the building to provide a number of options for each visitor.
