Page not found - Old Omaha
Contents

Welcome to Tim’s Town

All are welcome here as my team and I take a deep dive into the rich history of Omaha. We will be posting daily about Omaha’s beginnings, neighborhoods, famous people of the region, private viewings into some of Omaha’s most loved buildings, real estate highlights, and so much more. I encourage you to follow along on Instagram and Facebook as we discover Omaha’s history together. If you want to add to something we’ve discovered, please message or comment. We are always grateful to learn more.

Here’s what you missed this week…

Omaha Map 1857 - Source- Omaha Library

The city of Omaha was established in 1857. The map shown above breaks down plots for homes. Settlers from the east during this time had just begun to discover the growing potential of the west. Omaha was dubbed the “gateway to the west” as it was conveniently located on the river, and soon after, a main hub for rail that would expand the city and the rest of the United States. The Nebraska Territory was booming.

In 1889, you could live in a high-society home in Bemis Park starting at a mere $3,000. That number doesn’t reach near as far today as you can’t even buy windows for your home for that price. Bemis Park was designed by a well-known New Yorker, Mr. Alfred R. Egerton. Our team thought about the amount of time it would take to travel for a job like that and we have no desire to make that rail commute to check on planning progress! However, we are grateful that he did.

Bemis Park is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Omaha. As an Old Home Expert, my friends and clients have found my knowledge on the area and home styles to be extremely helpful as they prepare to put their homes on the market. People looking to move into Bemis Park need to understand and appreciate these old homes for what they are and could be when properly restored. If you’re thinking about discovering a life in Bemis Park, I hope you reach out to me. I would love to speak with you!

This week, I also covered the planning side of Omaha’s park and boulevard system. You will not find a boulevard in Omaha that does not have a park nearby. Some of the original planning cannot be seen today, but I hope I offered a glimpse into the beautiful features of our city.

More to come,

Tim

 

 


Tim’s Town – DAY 1


Fall Off the Beaten Path

Fall is officially here, whether the temperature outside agrees or not! We’re here for all that autumn has to offer. During this season, we often find ourselves looking for anything to do outside. As everyone rushes to Vala’s Pumpkin Patch and other pumpkin related places, we thought we would remind you of some of the historic places you can visit in and around Omaha.

The Cornerstone Mansion

The Cornerstone Mansion

  1. Take a “haunted” driving tour with the help of some story tracking by the Haunted Rooms America blog’s feature of “Omaha’s Most Haunted Places.” Some say that these places have given them the goosebumps, provided extraordinary experiences, or just felt oddly cold. Drive by and snap a photo with them and let us know about your experiences (#OldOmahaTours). Maybe you too will see an unexplainable host about the grounds!
    • The Cornerstone Mansion140 N 39th St, Omaha, NE 68131 – Tim Reeder sold this home to new owners this past year. Take a look inside! It’s gorgeous and despite the tales of haunted experiences, it felt quite charming! Maybe it was the church who owned it previously that rid the home of the spirits. Go see it and stop by the Joslyn Castle for a tour next door.
    • Central High School124 N 20th St, Omaha, NE 68102 – It is rumored that one of the deans of students and a custodian have made appearances over the years or some odd noises. Students have reported cold spots in certain locations of the historic building as well as hearing a custodian’s bucket being pushed across the old wood floors. Do you know anyone that had a similar experience?
    • Hummel Park12447 N 36th Street, Omaha, NE 68112 – Sounds like a humbling place to spend an afternoon? The short answer is Maybe! People have reported many scary ritual sightings and theories about the place, but on a lighter note, it is said that the concrete staircase never has the same number of steps going down as it does going up? Try it out and let us know what your number was!
  2. Visit The Durham Museum – We are very excited about one of the current exhibitions! Drum roll please… It is the “Omaha Uncovered: Revealing History Through Art and Story” exhibit, focusing on uncovering the history of our city – some of the photos are incredible! You cannot miss this one. Don’t forget to stop at the soda fountain for a malt too.

    Cunningham Lake

    Cunningham Lake

  3. Explore some of Omaha’s best parks full of trees transitioning to their beautiful fall colors.
    • Memorial Park5700 Dodge St, Omaha, NE 68132 – Not only is this one close to our Dundee office, but it provides the perfect place for a long stroll through wooded areas, a play space for kids, many optimal spots to picnic, a memorial to pay your respects in peace, and some of the best sights in Omaha.
    • Cunningham Lake8660 Lake Cunningham Rd, Omaha, NE – This lake offers hiking, a marina, horse trails, camping, and just wide open spaces. The lake views are gorgeous as you trek through the winding paths to see fall unfold before your eyes.

Let us know which places you went off the beaten path this fall! Tag @OldOmaha so we can see where your #OldOmahaTours took you.

Cheers!


Omaha’s Oldest Home and a Little History Lesson!

We set out to discover Omaha’s oldest home and we think we found it, and some really fascinating history along the way. Let’s take this tour together! 

Most people in Omaha know that we call certain areas Benson, Dundee, Florence, Ralston, etc. by those names because at one time in the past, they were individual towns. 

We’ll save the backstory of Benson, Dundee, and Ralston for another day, but let’s talk about Florence. Did you know that Florence was named after a woman? That is not usually the case in most places. You go, Miss Florence Kilbourn! The village of Florence came after the Mormons (Latter Day Saints) settled in the region as a winter quarters, permission given by the U.S. Government, on their journey from Illinois to Utah in 1846, named Cutler’s Park. At this time, the land was Native American territory in which they had to seek permission (and toleration) from the Government as well as the native nations. We use the word toleration very loosely here for so many reasons.
 
Many people have driven by the Mormon Pioneer Cemetery, which holds nearly 16% of the Cutler’s Park pioneers. Extreme weather knocked out a large portion of this two-year-old community, so they left the village in 1848. The town was platted and renamed to Florence in 1854.
 
As the town of Florence struggled to gain notoriety as a city, settlers were moving in and staking land. Thus, gets us to our discovery of one of Omaha’s oldest homes, built in 1859 at a mere 800 square feet. Sitting at 162 years young, you can find this home at 8631 North 31st Street. It is a humble little cottage with a large yard, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a shared space for the kitchen, dining room, and living room. This does not seem like much space to us now, but at the time, 800 square feet with a roof, windows, private bedrooms, doors, and more was quite enough. 
 
We encourage you to go visit Florence to see one of Omaha’s oldest communities for yourself! Snap a photo of your exploration and tag @OldOmaha!
 
 #OldOmaha
 
Historical References: 
– National Register of Historic Places, Omaha, Nebraska, Listings
– NorthOmahaHistory.com
– HistoricalFlorence.org

Safety, Mama Bear, and Moving Forward at the Cornish Mansion

 The smoke alarms shrieked, residents ran to exit their apartments. As soon as they opened their doors, smoke conquered the space. The emergency lighting cut through the disorientation and led the way to a clear frozen lawn where Mary ensured everyone, who had been home, had made it out to safety.

Mary’s title is Property Manager, but Mama Bear fits her role just right. She lives in the Cornish House and knows every resident well. She knew who was home at that time and could account for every person. This was valuable, perhaps lifesaving, information for the firefighters.

Emergency lighting wasn’t the only important safeguard property-owner Gina Basile made for a worst-case scenario. Smoke alarms were on every level including the basement and in kitchens. Fire extinguishers hung on walls on every landing, the basement and laundry room. Firefighters used the fire extinguishers they found in the home which prevented more fire and water damage than was necessary. She also had insurance robust enough to cover such a major restoration. Gina does recommend that owners of large historic buildings include a special rider to their insurance to cover code upgrades.

The Cornish House is listed on both the National and Local Register of Historic Places. Therefore, Gina may be able to avail herself to tax credits and/or grants to help fund the restoration. An unexpected benefit of the Local designation was that the floor plan created for the Local Landmark status helped the engineer and architect stay true to the original interior plan during the restoration process.

Gina, Mary and their tenants are anxious for the work to be completed so they can return to their stately historic home, reunite with their neighbors and share impromptu gnocchi tomato sauce dinners at Gina’s place.

 

 

 

COMING UP…

Restoration is on schedule and moving quickly. Stay tuned for more updates and details about restoring a mansion like this!


The Cornish Mansion: The Restoration Team

With every great project, an even better team is behind the scenes. We have the pleasure of introducing the legendary team of professionals in the restoration of the Cornish Mansion. As many Omahans know, this historic landmark fell victim to a horrific fire at the beginning of 2021 in which the fire tore through all three floors desain interior. The owner, Gina Basile is beyond grateful to be working with such incredible professionals who truly value the preservation of a property with so much history and significance to the Omaha community. We humbly introduce you to the restoration team.

 

Architect – Mark Sanford | The Sanford Group 

Architecture of this era is not easy to replicate and restore. It takes a true expert in Second Empire architectural style to help in a restoration to this degree. Mark’s role is to interface with City Planning/Permits and Inspections as he produces plans for the restoration, applies for permits, and keeps everyone true to the historical integrity and preservation of the structure.

 

Attorney – Robert Sherrets | Sherrets, Bruno, Vogt

Bob’s role is to keep in close contact the Omaha City Code Inspection Division while the team restores the mansion to ensure all aspects of the restoration are fully met. 

 

Engineer- Tom Jizba | Atlas Engineering

With damage to all three floors, it was necessary to include a structural engineer. Atlas Engineering specializes in designing replacement systems and repairs after a building incurs damages. Tom’s role is to document the structural integrity of the building after the fire and to outline the needed repairs. His participation is essential to ensuring all aspects of the damage are fixed and restored so the Cornish Mansion can be utilized as a dwelling to tenants once more.  

 

Insurance Agents – Greg Vandervorst and Elizabeth Hovorak | Enlighten Insurance Agency

The Enlighten Insurance Agency is on board to help write a policy that covers the mansion in case of an unfortunate occurrence such as this and acts on the owner’s behalf with the insurance company.

 

Insurance Adjusters – Raquel Trevino and Douglas Partridge | Nautilus Insurance Company

Without the Nautilus Insurance Company, the restoration would not have the means to repair and restore the Cornish Mansion. In addition, Raquel and Douglas helped the owner locate reputable vendors in the area to help with the project.

 

Old Home Experts & Public Relations – Tim Reeder, Annika Phillips, Hannah Juracek | Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate | The Good Life Group | Old Omaha Vintage Real Estate Team

With a keen eye and appreciation for iconic dwellings, this team of old home experts, realtors, and a publicist are telling the story of the Cornish Mansion and its rescue. The Old Omaha team helps people buy, sell, admire, and preserve historic homes and neighborhoods. 

 

Restoration Project Managers – Jim Kealy and Scott Cooper | Carlson Restoration

This dynamic duo act as the general contractor and do everything from smoke remediation and cleaning. Additionally, they contract out the roof replacement, electrical, and plumbing.

 

Stay tuned! Restoration progress photos to come.


Restoring the Cornish Mansion

It’s rare that a home still stands after 135 years. Rarer still that it happens in Omaha. Nearly unheard of that a 135-year-old home is rescued after a significant fire. Just like its builder, Colonel Joel Cornish who survived the civil war, outlived his siblings and his wife, the Cornish Mansion is a survivor.

When we got news of the fire at the Cornish Mansion, lovers of Omaha’s history and architecture were distraught. Another historic building lost is an all too familiar grief. Thanks to the home’s owner, Gina Basile, this story will be about a triumphant preservation success. Not only will the Cornish Mansion still stand, but the historic fiber of the home will be restored.

Check back for updates on the work and photos of the progress. Below are some photos of where the work begins.

Photo credit: Weisbach Real Estate Photography (weisbachphotography.com)


With a Twist

The first thing every visitor to our 1895 Hanscom Park home says is, “What a cool door!”  The second thing they say is, “What’s that?” as they point to a metal tab that sticks right of the door’s center.  It looks a lot like the key on a wind-up toy surrounded by a brass Art Nouveau plate.

The cool door

Now, the fun starts – “Go ahead and turn it!”  At this point, they either refuse (why?) or gingerly give it a little half-hearted goose.  Then…nothing happens.  It doesn’t budge.  “Stand aside,” I say, and I give it a good, clockwise crank.

“What’s that?”

Buuurrriiiinggg!  There is something both gratifying and festive about announcing your presence with miniature fire alarm, don’t you think?  The bell is startlingly loud and satisfyingly mechanical.  There’s an echo and resonance to the sound it makes.  If you get a giddy smile on your face and immediately ring it again, I’ll know you’re my kind of person and that you’ll fit in just fine here.  If not, well…we’ll work with you.

Inside view

Mechanical doorbells are available from online sellers of reproduction hardware in varying degrees of fanciness, ranging from utilitarian to full-on Victorian whackadoodle splendor.  Some are operated with a twisty key (like mine) and some are operated with levers.  I’m most partial to the ones that have instructions, like ‘Turn’, cast into the outside plate for the operator.  Best of all, you don’t need wiring or mad skillz to install this type of bell – just the guts to drill a hole right through the middle of your antique door.   

Simple guts of our mechanical doorbell

For about the same cost as a modern doorbell kit, you can add an air of delight and authenticity to your entry.  You also get the added satisfaction of confounding rivals and strangers who drop by unannounced!  Win-win-win!

Do you have one of these on your Old Omaha home?  Or, do you have a mysterious hole or screw where one used to be?  Are your guests able to figure it out, or do they stand outside looking helpless until you open the door?  

Tag us on Facebook with photos of your cool door, confused guests, or any other mysterious or unique part of your vintage home.  We’ll be listening for the bell!


Steak & Potatoes

The Victorian Era was butter and bacon. Extravagance and decoration reigned in homes, food, and drinks.

This recipe for Omaha Steak & Potato exemplifies this era and is a nod to Omaha’s stockyards.  The stockyards grew to be among the largest in the country thanks to Alexander Hamilton Swan, a cattle baron, who beguiled Omaha’s leaders to go all in on bovines in the 1880s.

Steak & Potatoes

  • Your favorite steak: seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic and cooked medium or medium rare
  • Baby New Potatoes: halved, tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted 20-30 minutes at 450° F until tender
  • Horseradish Cream: sour cream mixed with horseradish to your taste
  • Chives and Parsley: chopped

Rest your steak for at least 5 minutes after cooking, then slice thinly.

Drizzle horseradish cream onto potato halves, top with sliced steak, drizzle again with horseradish cream and garnish with herbs.  Devour.

Recipe courtesy of the amazing Laura Doocy.  Photo by Avi Weisbach.


Just Add a Porch

 

Raspberry Basil Limoncello Cocktail

 

  • 1 pint fresh raspberries, plus more for snacking and garnish (or try with another berry, we won’t tell)
  • 12 fresh basil leaves, roughly torn, plus more for garnish (it’d be a weird snack, we’d judge)
  • 1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges, plus one more for garnish
  • 1/4 cup simple syrup, chilled (equal parts sugar and water, heated until sugar dissolves)
  • 2 oz. limoncello
  • 4 oz citrus vodka (or regular vodka)
  • 2 bottles prosecco
  • Crushed ice

Combine raspberries, basil, lemon wedges, and simple syrup in a jar and let marinate for up to 2 days in the ice box.

Strain raspberry mixture.

Shake together limoncello, vodka, and 2-4 oz. of raspberry liquid (to taste) with crushed ice.  Pour and float prosecco on top.

Garnish as you see fit.

Cheers.

Recipe courtesy of the amazing Laura Doocy.  Photo by Avi Weisbach


Photographing Old Houses

Photographing old houses, like photographing anything else, is the art or craft of using the light falling on the subject to evoke a feeling. It is similar to portraiture, but instead of trying to show the personality of a person, your goal should be to impart a sense of the home’s history and character.

Of course, like with any house, you need to show what the house looks like generally, the relationship between the various rooms, the quality of the finishes, etc. But it is equally important to show the patina of the beveled and leaded glass windows, light fixtures, door knobs, fireplaces, beautiful wood floors, beams, railings and built-ins.

And the light. Old homes have a unique quality of light that you just don’t find in newer homes. It’s not something I can explain but something about the designs, combined with the materials (old glass, old growth lumber, plaster, etc.) result in a quality of light that feels like ‘home’ to me, and imparts a sense of history, even a feeling of security.

Here are two sets of examples of photographs that I think do a good job of showing some the house’s ‘old home’ features, as well as showing the relationship between different areas in home.

  

    

 


Update on 3100 Chicago

I recently wrote about 3100 Chicago’s past and present here. I reached out to the McCarville family with a link and received additional information from Robert Taylor Day, Jr., Ms. McCarville’s great nephew.  He fondly recalled time spent at 3100 Chicago in the attic and on the fire escape (because those are naturally the best parts of a house for a little kid, my 7-year-old son confirms). Here is a photo from 1948, and you can see the original brick and stone behind, before it was covered at some later time, even though the photo is a little small.

We love interacting with history through you all! Don’t hesitate to reach out with your own old home story. Phase II of our site hopes to aggregate these memories by address for easy access to these rich traditions.  Stay tuned!


3100 Chicago

When I first started my adventure as a Realtor®, I had an interesting initiation into the business in the form of mansion turned fraternity house. Tim listed 3100 Chicago, also known as the Garneau-Kilpatrick House or the Thomas Kilpatrick House, in 2015. This home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also designated as an Omaha Landmark. I won’t bog you down with real estate details, but I had a role in attempting to get the house sold that was a difficult road, and I felt like I may have identified with some of the fraternity pledges who had graced the halls. Nevertheless, in the course of this interesting sale, I had the opportunity to review the home’s original abstract (chain of title documents), which sent me down the best kind of rabbit hole: one that involves a home whose walls probably have a dissertation waiting if only you could translate from lath and plaster. This is that story.

In 1889 the land on which 3100 Chicago is built was sold to Henry Yates, who built his own house in the area at 3100 Davenport. In 1890, the plot was sold to Joseph Garneau, Jr., who built the home. The style is Richardsonian Romanesque, which is characterized by masonry and curved arches with towers. At some point, the home’s exterior was plastered with stucco or concrete. Unfortunately, I was never able to find a picture prior to this change.

Garneau, Jr., founded the Garneau Cracker Company. He was also the Commissioner General of the Nebraska Exhibit of the Columbian Exposition in Chicago (also known as the Chicago World’s Fair, or the White City). According to the Nebraska State Historical Society the building was not well received. You have to love an era where the building was insulted by being called a cracker box. Garneau, Jr. did prepare a paper touting the wonders of Nebraska that is worth a read. Despite his kind words about this great state, there was some controversy that Garneau, Jr., was engaging in scurrilous cronyism, according to “History of the City of Omaha” by James Woodruff Savage and John Thomas Bell.

Garneau sold the finished home to Harriet Kilpatrick in 1903. Harriet Kilpatrick was married to Thomas Kilpatrick, so even though she owned the home, it was named for him. Oh history. Thomas Kilpatrick was a successful businessman who established department stores. You can read more about the home’s designation as an Omaha Landmark here.

This is a page from the January 20, 1916, Omaha Bee with an article about the Kilpatrick’s deaths.

The article reads:

Thomas Kilpatrick and Wife Both Have Left Large Estates

Estates of the late Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Kilpatrick will exceed $600,000, according to unofficial Information received in probate court. Of the total the greater amount belonged to the estate of Mrs. Kilpatrick, who was one of Omaha’s most wealthy women.

Mrs. Kilpatrick died November 12 and her husband, who was head of the big firm of Thomas Kilpatrick & Co., died January 11. Both were burled In Cleveland, their former home. In Cleveland, also, a large part of the holdings of the estate of Mrs. Kilpatrick are located.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Kilpatrick died without making wills and transfers of their holdings had been effected prior to their deaths, presumably to their daughter, Mrs. Florence Mixter of Moline, III. Inventories of the estates, however, will be filed in probate court and the amount of inheritance will be agreed upon according to the same plan which has been used in the cases of several other large estates of Omahans.

No statement regarding the estates could be secured from Attorneys Morsman and Maxwell, Omaha representatives, but it was said full details will be made public by the filing of inventories within a short time.

Thus, the home passed to the Kilpatrick’s daughter, Florence Mixter, and she conveyed it to Lida Richardson around 1920. The home was owned by a trust and also by a bank for awhile in the 1920s.

In 1930 the land was bought by Pearl McCarville, who appears to have owned the property until 1989. She was in real estate. You can read more about Pearl here and it is possible that the picture in the link, if you follow it, might very well be good ol’ 311 Chicago before the exterior was altered, but this is pure speculation on my part. Here are a few pictures from, perhaps, the 1960s of the house, with Ms. McCarville in front. Her relative graciously gave us these photos.

In 1977 the land was conveyed to Richard Kettles, but it was almost immediately conveyed to Mr. and Mrs. Jorez and Elinore Martin, and the Jorezes initiated the National Historic Register Application.

 

In the 1990s, the home underwent an extensive renovation, though many of the original details were retained. After the renovation, the home was used as a Pike fraternity house through 2015. That’s when Tim listed it. Here are some photos of when it was listed:

It was purchased by an investor who leases the space to a nonprofit organization called Year of the Startup. This organization fosters entrepreneurship by allowing folks with an idea for a startup an opportunity to live at low cost with other entrepreneurs to reduce overhead and increase idea capital by brainstorming together. Here is what it looks like now:

When I think of the life that 3100 Chicago has led, I feel like it has really come full-circle. It was built by a cracker entrepreneur, who sold it to a department store entrepreneur. Then a real estate entrepreneur lived there for years. Who knows how many fraternity brothers went on to foster businesses of their own after spending their college years there? And now it continues to foster a place for a new generation of businesspeople to find their success. Even though the physical look of the house has changed dramatically over the years, this common compelling thread of industry and business has persisted over its long life.


Researching your Old Omaha home

Did you know that for the price (free) of a library card, you can search the online archives of the Omaha World Herald? Simply access the archives via the Omaha Public Library site and enter your library card number.

I recently took a few minutes to get started researching my own home to see what I could learn. In just about an hour of research, I found out so much and identified some promising breadcrumbs that I plan to follow soon.

All you have to do is access the archives and search by your address in quotes. At a minimum, you may find out names of past residents from birth announcements or notices of auto accidents. From there, you can search those names to see where the history takes you. You may be lucky enough to find full articles about the home or prior inhabitants. It’s also fun to read old descriptions in real estate listings from the past.

My search uncovered some interesting nuggets. A dentist used to live in the house, having moved there after his wife was killed in a car accident. At the time of the accident, she was not living in the house, but her passenger did live there. The dentist must have purchased the property within a few years of the accident. He lived there with his three sons, one of whom was featured in a delightful article recounting his road trip with a friend to Ontario and back. The teens undertook the trip shirtless, which was big news in 1932. The dentist was featured in 1933 for having decorated the fireplace with stones found all over the country and dental inlay. Unfortunately, the decorations must have been removed by subsequent residents because none of the stones remain in our home today.

When you live in an old home, you live in history, and the archives are a great place to start uncovering your home’s past mysteries and wonders. Take a dive; you won’t regret it.


Renovation & Connection

You may have seen this story in the Omaha World Herald regarding the restoration of a beautiful Tudor Revival home on Mercer Park Road. The story of the renovation and the connection to the history of the house is really something else. It’s the holy grail of high-end historic home restoration.

I wanted to focus on what made the restoration so great from a real estate perspective. Ms. Derrick did three things in this restoration that made it ideal for resale: the attached garage, the drop-zone, and the en suite bathroom off the master bedroom. These are things that modern homeowners want, but don’t often get in older homes.

This is the photo’s caption.

Most homes of this age have a detached garage (or none at all). Bathrooms were also limited in older homes. Reverting the extra room into a garage made it appeal to more buyers (though rumor has it these lucky buyers turned it back into an extra room).

Another caption.

Choosing to restore a home that had an en suite master bath was a shrewd move. Often old homes are big on charm but short on bathrooms. Finding an en suite master bath is rare, and Ms. Derrick was smart to start with a home that had one. Adding one, if you can, is usually worth the cost as well.

Finally, making a space to transition from outside to in (HGTV cutely dubs these ‘drop-zones’) was a perfect choice to entice today’s modern family into yesterday’s beautiful homes. It goes a long way in preserving those floors (and, oh my what floors they are).

If you’re thinking of restoring your old home or taking on an investment restoration, keep in mind that bridging the years between the past and modern life is key to maximizing the return on your investment.