Built in 1858 by Omaha pioneer Dr. George L. Miller along with several associates, it was financed by the sale of city-donated land and a $16,000 loan.

[3] The hotel was originally named for Lieutenant William Lewis Herndon of the U.S. Navy whose exploration of the Amazon River in the early 1850s captivated the United States.

In 1858 Logan Fontenelle, Joseph LaFlesche, and a contingent including Standing Hawk, No Knife, Young Crane, Little Hill and others stayed at the Herndon for several days, bound for Washington, D.C. to see President James Buchanan.

[5] In 1860 the dining room of the Hendron House hosted for the first dramatic performance in Omaha, with a borrowed bolt of muslin for a curtain.

[8] On December 2, 1863, the hotel hosted a massive celebration, including a banquet and ball, for the first construction related to the development of the First transcontinental railroad, which began in Omaha.

In May 1867 eccentric railroad promoter George Francis Train was staying at the Herndon House when a windstorm hit the building.