Union Station (aka - the Durham Museum)

When I was in high school, we put together an original show called Union Station to Tokyo Bay as part of the Victory 95 celebration commemorating the end of WWII.  We performed it at the old Firehouse Dinner Theater in the Old Market.  (The Firehouse closed a couple of months later - no fault of ours, I'm sure!)  For that weekend in September, my friends and I basically lived downtown.  We arrived early to get ready for the matinee, then walked the cobblestone streets and explored the shops until it was time to go back for the evening performance.  I'd been to the slides at the Gene Leahy Mall with my family before, but this was my first time really exploring the Market, and I loved it. 

I had no idea that Union Station was just a few blocks away.  Looking back, I'm not sure whether the "Union Station" in the show's title was a reference to the one in Washington D.C. or the one right here in Omaha.  Our teachers picked it, and I never thought to ask.  Maybe it was both.  

 

Built by Union Pacific, the building at 10th and Leavenworth opened in 1931.  It was designed as an art deco show piece, fitting for a station that was so close to the company's headquarters.  

When rail travel was at its peak, this was one of the busiest terminals in the country.  On an average day, 10,000 passengers came through this particular Union Station.  Intricately detailed bronze sculptures give us a glimpse back into that time. 

The best history lessons are the ones you can climb right into - literally.  Like this train car.

Or this streetcar.  You can even take a turn at the controls. 

Omaha started out as a "Walking City."  But when streetcars began to run, the "Streetcar Suburbs" developed - like Fontenelle and Benson.  The cars ran in a big loop, connecting each part of the city, with gardens and parks built in between.  When you sit in this streetcar, you can look out the windows and see a little bit of what those passengers might have seen. 

It's too bad you can't climb into these cars.  Still, they're fun to look at.  Which one do you like the best?  Personally, I'm a big fan of the old convertible.

Or maybe you prefer really old convertibles?  If you can tear yourself away from the trains and cars, there's a pretty neat display that helps show how people first arrived in Omaha.

No McDonald's along the way?  No problem.

Pop quiz - how do you keep your eggs from breaking on a long, bumpy journey?

Houses like this came long after the time of covered wagons, but before those modern marvels of air conditioning and indoor plumbing.  Well, it kind of had air conditioning - if there was a nice breeze.  I wonder if that's why so many people had rocking chairs - to stir up a little extra air?

They found ways to entertain themselves without television.

And they made good use of every inch of space.

Omaha is well-known for its medical centers today, and that tradition goes back to its early history.  Clarkson Hospital was founded in the early 1900's.  But privacy laws regarding health information are relatively new.

Here's a closer shot of the same page.   I wonder what "Acute Plumbism" was?  Sounds painful...

An early wheelchair, which could also double as patio furniture.  (Just kidding.)

This last photo really has nothing to do with the rest of the blog, but it was too good to leave out.  Cudahy's was one of the big meat packing plants in town.  And here was one of their specialty items...

I know you're hungry now!

Hello, South 24th Street

When you think about south Omaha, what comes to mind?  Before taking my Geography of the City class, my mental picture was of a mostly run-down area with a large Hispanic concentration.  I wasn't completely wrong.  But I wasn't right, either.

A hundred years ago, South Omaha was a city unto itself - a boom town with three of the top five meat packing plants in the nation drawing workers with the promise of good-paying jobs.  Immigrants of many ethnicities moved into the area.  In fact, South Omaha was growing so fast that it could have annexed Omaha instead of the other way around.  West of the stockyards on 24th, "Sheelytown" was home to many Polish immigrants.  South of the stockyards, Little Bohemia had a large Czech population.  (The Bohemian Cafe is still a popular spot on South 13th Street.)  A Jewish temple was established at Park Avenue and Jackson.  Little Italy developed south of the Burlington building and what's now the Durham Museum.  And many Germans settled the area west of Rosenblatt. 

South Omaha had its own City Hall and Police Court at 24th and O Street.

The Roseland Theater provided entertainment.  It only had one movie screen, but you won't see detail this intricate adorning our modern multi-plexes.

You can see what drew people to the area reflected in the building below - Packers National Bank.  Today, it's an immigration office.  That seems appropriate somehow.

The building below hasn't been as well preserved or restored, but it shows again that intersection of the past and present.  It has a Czech name inscribed on top - J.V. Vacek - but the first floor has been converted into a clothing store.

El Vaquero Imports has transformed this building, giving it a southwest flavor.

A beautification project completed recently gave the sidewalks a pretty amazing new look.  

The community has a positive atmosphere.  Many people of different ages were out and about doing their shopping or enjoying a tasty lunch at El Alamo.  The wait staff at the restaurant was very friendly, and we were able to communicate in spite of their broken English and my very broken Spanish.  Oh - and the Burrito Colorado was incredible!  Pictures don't do food any justice, but I'll put one up anyway.

I was also amazed by the murals lining a series of buildings on N street just east of 24th.  The following photos show sections of the mural. 

One last photo.  This is a small mural on a building across the street from the ones above.

The neighborhood is still in transition, but it's looking good.  I admire all the hard work that's gone into revitalizing the area.  Way to go, South O. 

The Old Market in a New Light

The Old Market is one of Omaha's best-known hot spots.  Its brick streets and buildings create an inviting atmosphere for many unique shops, local art galleries, great restaurants, and live music.  You can go for a ride in a horse-drawn carriage or get your caricature drawn by an artist on the street.  The Gene Leahy Mall and the Heartland of America Park provide beautiful places to relax or go for a walk.  You can even take a gondola ride on the lagoon.

But as I learned this past week, the Market hasn't always been this way.  It's gone through several evolutions over time.  In fact, forty years ago it was a ghost town of empty buildings with a high crime rate.  It's come a long way since then.  But how did it begin?

In Omaha's early days, it was a farmer's market.  The ghost signage on the buildings reflects this early business.

The cast iron grates and doors on the ground near many buildings in the Market cover old cellars that were used to store produce before there was refrigeration.

Bill Paxton was a successful entrepreneur involved in many businesses.  One of his companies created the iron grate above.  Take a look as you walk around the Market.  You'll see his name all over.

Most of the buildings were constructed of brick, which is strong and fire resistant but doesn't allow for large windows to be put in.  Since the area was a produce market, stores needed large windows to display their goods and attract customers.  The solution was to use cast iron for the building fronts.  Cast iron is also very strong and made it possible to have large, colorful displays.

If you look closely, you can still find banana hooks in some of the original ceilings.  Unloading bananas from rail cars used to be one of the most dangerous jobs you could get since eight-legged passengers often hitched a ride up from South America.

The Upstream Brewery is housed in the old fire station.  The large windows in front used to be doors for fire carriages.  In one of life's great ironies, the third floor of the station was destroyed by - you guessed it - a fire.  The firemen were sitting outside when it happened and didn't know until someone came running to tell them.  

"A fire?  Where?" they asked.  

Boy, were they surprised.  

The top story was never rebuilt.

One of the most beautiful places in the Old Market used to be nothing more than an alley between two buildings.  Add a skylight and lots of beautiful plants, and you have the Passageway.

The Passageway has two levels with art galleries, restaurants, and other shops.  It's also a popular spot for taking senior pictures.

Another great place for photos is the Burlington Place.

Built in 1879, the top floors served as headquarters for the Burlington and Missouri River Railroads.  The first floor was used by a wholesale grocer.  Thomas Kimball was asked to renovate the building in 1899.  He took out the center of the building, installed a skylight, and put in a floor of glass bricks to allow light into the basement.

The elevator and the ironwork were also Kimball's doing. 

The railroad vacated the building in 1966, and it sat empty until 1983, when it was restored for use as office space.

 It's wonderful to see how old things can be made new again.