Now restored, it is owned and operated by a foundation as the Genoa U.S. Indian School Museum.

The facility opened on February 20, 1884, and, like other such schools, its mission was to educate and teach Christianity and European-American culture to Native American children for assimilation.

The village of Genoa, Nebraska was selected because the Federal Government already owned the former Pawnee Reservation property there; however, existing buildings at the site were unsuitable and in poor repair.

The pairs of tall windows and the strong horizontal lines across the front created a balanced composition.

[2] [3] The school expanded, eventually enrolling Native American children from ten states and over 20 tribes.