South Omaha, Nebraska

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Vanous Block, at 4833-35 S. 24th Street Omaha - 4833-4835 S 24 - Vanous Block.JPG
Vanous Block, at 4833-35 S. 24th Street

South Omaha is a former city and current district of Omaha, Nebraska, United States. During its initial development phase, the town's nickname was "The Magic City" because of the seemingly overnight growth due to the rapid development of the Union Stockyards. Annexed by the City of Omaha in 1915, the community has numerous historical landmarks; many are within the South Omaha Main Street Historic District.

Contents

Definition

The traditional borders of South Omaha included Vinton Street to the north, Harrison Street to the south, the Missouri River to the east, and 42nd Street to the west. [1]

History

The area that would become South Omaha was rural until the early 1880s when cattle baron Alexander Hamilton Swan decided to establish a stockyards operation just south of Omaha. The South Omaha plat was registered on July 18, 1884. Two years later, South Omaha was incorporated as a city. By 1890, the city had grown to 8,000 people, a rate of growth that earned it the nickname "The Magic City".

In less than 10 years, South Omaha had developed as a regional stockyards and meatpacking center. Its industrial jobs did not require high-level language skills, so it drew thousands of immigrant workers, mostly from eastern and southern Europe. This area of the city showed ethnic succession as different waves of immigrants established certain territories as their own during their first settlement. Some descendants moved out of the area into other parts of the city, and newer immigrant groups filled the neighborhoods behind them.

South Omaha was annexed by Omaha on June 20, 1915. At that time, it was 6.4 mi² and had 40,000 residents. [2] In 1947, there were 15,000 people working in meatpacking.[ citation needed ] Structural changes to the meatpacking industry in the 1960s, including decentralization of operations, cost the city 10,000 jobs.[ citation needed ]

Cultural diversity

South Omaha was, and continues to be, culturally diverse. Many residents are descended from the Czech, Irish, Italian, Latino, Lithuanian, and Polish immigrants who made up the original workforce in the meatpacking industry; they were primarily Roman Catholic in religion. In recent decades, South Omaha has seen an influx of new immigrants representing Hispanic and Sudanese populations.

Places of worship

The early diversity is evident in the variety of religious institutions established by the various ethnic communities, which established national Roman Catholic and other places of worship, including

Catholic Churches:

Orthodox churches:

In the late 19th century, a Jewish synagogue was established in South Omaha.

Periodicals

In addition to the churches, in the early part of the 20th century, the Lithuanian community published a newspaper, known as the Bell of the West.[ citation needed ]

Landmarks in South Omaha

Place nameYear builtLocationNational Register of Historic Places [3] Omaha Landmark [4]
Arthur G. Rocheford Building 19131717 Vinton StreetYesYes
Breckenridge-Gordon House 19053611 Jackson StreetNoYes
Broatch Building 18801209 Harney StreetNoYes
Center School (Omaha, Nebraska) 18931730 South 11th StreetYesYes
Columbian School 18923819 Jones StreetYesYes
Elsasser Bakery 19331802-1804 Vinton StreetYesYes
Epeneter House 1905502 North 40th StreetNoYes
Ford Hospital 1916121 South 25th StreetYesNo
Franklin School YesNo
Gallagher Building 18881902-1906 South 13th StreetYesYes
Georgia Row House 18901040-1044 South 29th StreetYesNo
Gottlieb Storz House 19053708 Farnam StreetYesYes
Grossman Apartment NoYes
Guy C. Barton House YesNo
Hanscom Park 1876NoNo
Hicks House NoYes
Hicks Terrace NoYes
Immaculate Conception Church and School YesNo
Joel N. Cornish House YesNo
Kimball House NoYes
Kuncl-Hruska House NoYes
Little Bohemia Bounded by South 10th Street on the east, South 16th Street on the west, Pierce Street on the north, and Martha Street on the southNoNo
Little Italy Bounded by Pacific Street on the north, Center Street on the south, South 10th Street on the west and the Missouri River on the east.NoNo
Livestock Exchange Building 19264920 South 30th StreetYesYes
Mason School 1012 South 24th StreetYesYes
Mason Terrace & Van Closter Residence NoYes
McLaughlin House NoYes
Megeath House NoYes
Monmouth Park School It was razed in 1995.YesNo
Neble House NoYes
Packer’s National Bank Building YesYes
Park School YesYes
Porter House YesYes
Prague Hotel YesNo
Robbins School NoYes
Rosewater School YesYes
Saint Joseph Parish Complex YesYes
St. John's Collegiate Church NoYes
St. Martin of Tours Episcopal Church YesYes
St. Matthias Episcopal Church YesNo
St Philomena's Cathedral and Rectory - now known as St Frances Cabrini ChurchYesYes
Slater House NoYes
South Omaha Bridge 1936Located on Hwys 275/92 over the Missouri RiverYesNo
South Omaha Main Street Historic District 1883South 24th Street between M Street on the north and O Street on the southYesNo
South Omaha Public Library 1904Razed in 1953.NoNo
Steiner Rowhouse No. 1 YesNo
Steiner Rowhouse No. 2 YesNo
Swoboda Bakery YesNo
Union State Bank Building NoYes
Vinton School YesYes
Vinton Street Commercial Historic District Along Vinton Street between Elm Street on the west and South 17th Street on the eastYesYes
Wattles House NoYes
Zabriskie House YesYes

Notable people

See also

References

  1. Omaha Heritage Preservation. "Maps 1901 Sanborn Vol 3 Key Map" (PDF). preservation.cityofomaha.org. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  2. "History of Nebraska - Chapter 35". Webrots.org. Archived from the original on September 28, 2002. Retrieved December 14, 2006.
  3. (2007) National Register of Historic Places - Nebraska, Douglas County. National Park Service. Retrieved 6/7/07.
  4. Omaha Landmarks. Omaha Landmark Heritage Preservation Commission. Retrieved 7/7/07.
  5. Carnegie, Dale & Thomas, Lowell (Introduction) (1964). "Introduction". How To Win Friends And Influence People. p. 9.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

41°12′38″N95°57′45″W / 41.21056°N 95.96250°W / 41.21056; -95.96250