Omaha is a city soaked in history and fascinating stories, dating all the way back to its origins in the 1840s. While we love the flashy and new buildings that are popping up as the city’s population rapidly grows in number, we appreciate and respect this city’s past. One way to ensure that we honor Omaha’s history is by preserving, restoring and celebrating its historic buildings.
Thankfully, there are organizations in place who fight for that very thing. Restoration Exchange Omaha is a non-profit organization that educates and motivates the area public to restore and preserve older homes, buildings and neighborhoods.
Because we love real estate in both residential and commercial settings, this is an exciting and important business mission to us. There’s something so special about breathing new life into old homes and buildings, rather than tearing down and replacing them altogether. Here are a few photos that show Omaha back in the day. As you can see, we’ve come along way as a city!
Photos from left to right: Old Market courtesy of Omaha By Design, The Woolworth’s Store in Downtown Omaha in 1938 and Downtown Omaha looking east from North 30th and Farnam Streets in 1914 courtesy of Wikipedia, Neneman’s Bakery in the South Omaha Main Street Historic District courtesy of City of Omaha, Old Market’s Hotel Howard in 1901 courtesy of Omaha Magazine.
If you were paying attention to the news towards the end of 2015 and beginning of this year, you’ll remember that the Omaha Performing Arts Center backed off a deal that involved purchasing three historic downtown buildings for their expansion. This was a huge success for those concerned with preserving old buildings, as it means they will stand in their rightful place for years to come.
You might also remember that downtown staple M’s Pub tragically suffered a massive fire at the start of this year. There was a chance that this historic building would not make a comeback due to extensive damage, but engineers soon after declared that the structure can in fact be salvaged.
On a lighter note, let’s look at a few of Omaha’s buildings that have been renovated and turned into new businesses as we celebrate our city’s rich history!
From Train Station to News Station: KETV’s 7 Burlington Station
In November 2015, KETV’s Burlington Station found a new home in an unlikely place. KETV purchased the Burlington Station in 2013, with hopes of transforming it into a functional state-of-the-art media and broadcast facility. After two and a half years of careful restoration, 7 Burlington Station officially opened on November 18, 2015, and KETV began broadcasting from their new space on October 28, 2015.
The before-and-after photos of this transformation are amazing, as it is always exciting to see a space’s original purpose completely change but still possess some of the same unique characteristics. For instance, in 7 Burlington Station’s new lobby, you can still see the original quirks and markings on the building’s distressed brick walls — and even some preserved graffiti in the employee breakroom!
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s take a look at this restored building’s past. The Burlington Station served as a rail station for the Omaha area as part of the Trans-Mississippi International Exposition until it closed down in 1974. At that point, the station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It sat unused for decades, with a few unsuccessful attempts to repurpose this space into business offices, a warehouse, and even some private residences.
Before and after photos courtesy of KETV.
It wasn’t until KETV’s intervention that this building was restored to its former glory and brought back to life, taking it from a train station to a news station. Take a look at these before-and-after photos, debuting the grand hall from several angles, the east lobby, the ceiling, the general manager’s office, and the track level transformed into KETV’s newsroom.
You can also embark on an interactive tour with videos talking about the major spaces that underwent renovation in 7 Burlington Station.
What other renovations have taken place or will take place in and around the city? Let’s take a look…
From Boiler Room to Upscale Restaurant
The home of the Boiler Room Restaurant was once an actual boiler room, as can be implied by the name. The space provided heat for the 120-year-old Bemis Bag Building, and was constructed in a manner that completely fireproofed the room.
The restaurant capitalizes on the rustic, stained, chipped and imperfect ruins left behind when they took over the space. They carefully repaired original elements in the building rather than replacing them, consciously welcoming their historic value.
We love the Boiler Room Restaurant’s juxtaposition of the worn-down former boiler room with the crisp, clean feel of their restaurant’s vibes.
Photos courtesy of Omaha Magazine and Boiler Room Restaurant.
40th Street Theatre Restored to Its Former Glory
John Hargiss and his girlfriend purchased the 110-year-old 40th Street Theatre building on the corner of 40th and Hamilton Streets in January 2013, expecting a year-long process of renovations. But after a few years of archaeological digging and restoring, the theater is back in action.
During their “digging,” they uncovered an old public telephone attached to the wall under 10 inches of plaster, a secret basement room that had the theater’s original light fixtures, and many more hidden gems.
The space is now used for music shows, plays, meetings, weddings and various events for community groups and individuals.
Photos courtesy of 40th Street Theatre.
Omar Baking Building Turned Into Meeting and Event Space
The Omar Baking Building once housed a thriving bakery business, as the name implies. You will notice as you approach this building that now lacks the smells of freshly baked bread, it currently serves a different purpose in the community.
In 2008, the building was restored and repurposed into an office and event space for the arts, physical fitness, corporate business offices, and one of the city’s largest event venues.
Thankfully, the restoration did not remove all of the structure’s original features, such as delivery doors and the ladder used by bakery employees to add flour to the giant dough mixers. And today, the building displays a beautiful blend of the building’s past and its modern-day functionality and style.
Photos courtesy of Omar Baking Building.
Omaha has plans to renovate several other recognizable landmarks. A couple of our favorites include:
The Colonial Hotel Will Return to Fancy Origins
The historic Colonial Hotel in midtown Omaha’s Blackstone District is getting a much-needed face-lift that will transform its 100 boarding rooms (that go for about $100 per week) into 40 upscale apartments that will range in rent price from $850 to $1,400.
The $8.2 million project will help the building return to its roots as the fancy Renaissance Revival-style apartment complex it was when it opened in 1910. Additionally, the Red Lion pub that has been used for storage in the corner of the hotel will be restored as a commercial bar and grill.
Photos courtesy of the Omaha Record-Herald.
Renovations to Come for Pedestrian Bridge at Memorial Park
The iconic steel pedestrian bridge over Dodge Street at Memorial Park is set to receive an upgrade in 2017 just in time for its 50th anniversary celebration in 2018. This 1968 structure is an official historical landmark, and was named the “Most Beautiful Bridge” in the country by the American Institute of Steel Construction in 1969. It is still an important and well-known structure for the community, and provides safe passage over the busy street below for students, walkers, joggers, and cyclists.
The renovation will simply make the bridge more presentable, and a new coat of paint will replace the rusty surface with peeling paint. But don’t worry! The new paint will be the same color, maintaining the original aqua-green look of this historic bridge.
Photos courtesy of the Omaha Record-Herald.
What restored Omaha buildings do you know about?
We’re always hunting for a good preservation or restoration project in the area!