Near North Side, Omaha

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Coordinates: 41°16′37″N 95°56′30″W / 41.27694°N 95.94167°W / 41.27694; -95.94167
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African Americans in Omaha

The Near North Side of

North Omaha area. Originally established immediately after Omaha was founded in 1854, the Near North Side was once confined to the area around Dodge Street and North 7th Street. Eventually, it gravitated west and north, and today it is bordered by Cuming Street on the south, 30th on the west, 16th on the east, and Locust Street to the north. Countless momentous events in Omaha's African American community happened in the Near North Side, including the 1865 establishment of the first Black church in Omaha, St. John's AME; the 1892 election of the first African American state legislator, Dr. Matthew Ricketts; the 1897 hiring of the first Black teacher in Omaha, Ms. Lucy Gamble, the 1910 Jack Johnson riots, the Omaha race riot of 1919
that almost demolished the neighborhood and many other events.

The vernacular term "North North Side" fell out of favor in Omaha in the 1970s when the

Urban League of Nebraska insisted the media and politicians stop using it, as it was a synonym for white misconceptions of Black people in Omaha. Today, it is not used within the city anymore. Instead, several smaller areas within the old boundaries are identified as neighborhoods including the Long School neighborhood, the Concord Square neighborhood and the Conestoga Place neighborhood. The 24th and Lake Historic District and the Nicholas Street Historic District are both within the former boundaries of the Near North Side, as well.[1]

History

North Omaha
at the heart of the Near North Side.

Bordered by several historic neighborhoods, including

Saratoga, the Near North Side is perhaps the oldest, and most significant, of each of these. The community was originally platted in 1855 as Scriptown and lots were awarded to Nebraska Territory legislators who voted for Nebraska statehood. Consequently, the area was developed quickly, and included a number of prominent homes.[2]

Ethnic history

Further information: Ethnic groups in Omaha, Nebraska

The area grew throughout the last half of the 1800s as Omaha's suburb, with the first streetcars running up and down its main thoroughfares of 24th and 30th Streets. After the

Omaha's Jewish community was founded by eastern European immigrants in the Near North Side neighborhood. Two Jewish synagogues provided social and cultural activities. Other families were secular and Socialist, as were renowned author Tillie Olsen's parents. Olsen worked in the meatpacking plant as a young woman and became a labor organizer in the 1930s before being able to write full-time. Holy Family Catholic Church served successive congregations of German, Irish, Italian and Czech immigrants in the area.[3] There was such a substantial community of Swedes in the area that a portion of the neighborhood was called "Little Stockholm."[4]

The bustling 24th Street corridor also served these communities, with mixed European immigrant communities mingling with the African American community. Many African Americans moved to Omaha from 1910 to 1950 as part of the Great Migration. St. John's African Methodist Episcopal Church and Calvin Memorial Presbyterian Church were among the churches founded to serve the black community.

1913 Tornado

North Omaha
after the 1913 tornado. More than 50 people died at this intersection.

The

Easter Sunday tornado of 1913 destroyed much of the Near North Side's businesses and neighborhoods.[5] The Idlewild Pool Hall at 2307 North 24th Street in the heart of the neighborhood was the scene of the greatest loss of life. The owner, C. W. Dillard, and 13 customers were killed as they tried to take shelter on the south side of the pool hall's basement. The victims were crushed by falling debris or overcome by smoke from fires begun when wood stoves used for heating overturned. The postcard image shows the slow process of removing the debris to recover the bodies. The victims were then removed to the Webster Telephone Exchange Building at 2213 Lake Street. More than 50 people died at one intersection during the storm.[6] One report identified this building as a central headquarters in recovering the community, as the many operators went to work despite the building missing all of its windows.[7]

Red Summer

In September 1919, after

Will Brown. The riot followed weeks of increasing tensions inflamed by local newspapers and vice boss Tom Dennsion. Brown's body was burned after his death. After the mob was done with Brown, they attacked police cars and blacks on the street. They were prevented from invading the Near North Side by soldiers called in from Fort Omaha.[8]
In addition, the military commander stationed troops in South Omaha to prevent any more mobs from forming.

Education

Throughout its history, students attended a variety of area schools, including Omaha High and Tech High, both just outside the community's boundaries.

Housing issues

After the riot, landlords and developers began using race-restrictive covenants. Properties for rent and sale were restricted on the basis of race, with the primary intent of keeping North Omaha "black" and the rest of the city "white". These agreements were held in place with redlining,[9] a system of segregated insuring and lending reinforced by the federal government. These restrictions were ruled illegal in 1940.

During the Depression, the federal government built the

Logan Fontenelle Housing Projects
in Near North Omaha to improve housing for working families. In 1938 it was a significant improvement over where most had been living, as was a counterpart project in South Omaha. The first residents were Eastern European immigrant families.

Hose Company #12, and later Hose Company #11, hired the first African-American

firefighters to serve the Near North Side. One of the two stations was located at 20th and Lake Streets.[10]

Golden years

During the height of the

Dreamland Ballroom
was the highlight of what is widely regarded as Near North Omaha's golden years. It was the largest venue for performances by local and national musicians. From the 1920s through the early 1960s, the neighborhood's cultural scene was vibrant. When the Dreamland Ballroom closed in the 1960s, it was an indication of changing tastes in music and the influence of television, but also of decline.

Wallace Thurman, widely considered one of the great writers of the Harlem Renaissance, grew up in the Near North Side, along with jazz saxophonist Preston Love, political leader George Wells Parker and military hero Alfonza W. Davis. Malcolm X's father Earl Little was a pastor in Near North Omaha when Malcolm was born there in 1926, but the family moved away when he was small.

Decline

The historic office of the Omaha Star.

The mid-century loss of 10,000 industrial jobs from restructuring of railroads and the meat processing industry meant increasing poverty among people who stayed. The demographics of the housing projects changed along with conditions in the city. By the late 1960s, the Logan Fontenelle Projects were inhabited almost entirely by poor and low-income African Americans. By the early 2000s both of the projects were torn down and replaced with other public housing schemes, including developments with a mix of market-rate housing.

In July 1966 the

Oscar award
for best documentary.

In April 1968, the National Guard quelled North Omaha riots that erupted after the

Vivian Strong in the back, in the Logan Fontenelle Projects. Three days of rioting effectively destroyed the Near North Omaha business area.[12]

Construction of the

North Omaha Freeway in the 1970s is regarded as having added to the decline of Near North Omaha. Research showed that the area experienced a 30 percent housing loss and major increase in crime following construction of the freeway, which broke up the neighborhood.[13] Additional street planning efforts to disrupt the community are believed to include the construction of a large hotel blocking 16th Street and the conversion of North 24th Street to only one-way traffic.[14]

In 1976,

Ken Vavrina
.

Present

Since 1975, the community's historic legacy and the larger story of African Americans in the Great Plains has been interpreted by the Great Plains Black History Museum, started by activist Bertha Calloway. This followed her founding of the Negro History Society in 1962. Her nephew has run the museum since Calloway's sickness has caused her retirement.

The bi-annual Native Omaha Days and the long-running Omaha Star newspaper continue to celebrate the community's culture.

Recently the

their own new stadium in the southern suburb of Papillion
in 2011.

Currently the neighborhood has a population of 37,727 and is roughly 65% African-American.

Historic landmarks

The City of Omaha has recognized many buildings and homes on the Near North Side as landmarks. Several have been recognized as nationally significant as well and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[17]

Name Year Location Notes
Memmen Apartments 1889 2214, 2216, 2218, and 2220 Florence Boulevard The earliest building included on the NRHP in this neighborhood
Broomfield Rowhouse 1913 2502-2504 Lake Street Built after the
Easter Tornado of 1913
.
Webster Telephone Exchange Building 1906 2213 Lake Street Site of the Great Plains Black History Museum.
St. John's African Methodist Episcopal Church 1921-56 2402 North 22nd Street
Calvin Memorial Presbyterian Church 1910 3105 North 24th Street
Dreamland Ballroom
 1923 2221 North 24th Street
Lizzie Robinson House 1910 2864 Corby Street
Holy Family Catholic Church 1883 915 North 18th Street
The Sherman 1897 2501 North 16th Street
Harry Buford House 1929 1804 North 30th Street
Zion Baptist Church 1913 2215 Grant Street Built after the Easter Tornado of 1913.

See also

References

  1. ^ Fletcher Sasse, Adam. (2015) "A History of Omaha's Near North Side Neighborhood". NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  2. ^ (n.d.)"Andreas' History of Nebraska: Douglas County".
  3. ^ "A Street of Dreams," Nebraska Public Media. Air Date, 08/01/1994. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  4. ^ Fors, J. (n.d.) "Immigrants in Nebraska" Archived 2010-06-22 at the Wayback Machine, Concordia College. Retrieved 11/21/10.
  5. ^ Sing, T (2003) Omaha's Easter Tornado of 1913. Arcadia Publishing.
  6. ^ (n.d.)1913 Easter Sunday Tornado Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Omaha Public Library
  7. ^ (n.d.)Omaha's Terrible Evening. Tragic Story of America's Greatest Disaster.
  8. ^ A Street of Dreams Nebraska Public Media.
  9. ^ A Street of Dreams, Nebraska Public Media.
  10. ^ (n.d.) History of African American Firefighters: Omaha.
  11. ^ (n.d.) National Guard Mobilized in North Omaha Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine. Black Facts Online.
  12. ^ Distilled in Black and White Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine Omaha Reader.
  13. ^ (2001) "State's top community development projects honored" Archived 2007-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, Nebraska Department of Economic Development.
  14. ^ Sarah Schindler, Architectural Exclusion: Discrimination and Segregation Through Physical Design of the Built Environment, 124 YALE L.J. 1934 (2015) citing Elia W. Peattie, Omaha’s Black Population: The Negroes of This City – Who They Are and Where They Live, in IMPERTINENCES: SELECTED WRITINGS OF ELIA PEATTIE, A JOURNALIST IN THE GILDED AGE 58 (2005).
  15. ^ 1954-1979. Omaha World Herald (Nebraska) June 13, 2004
  16. ^ (2006) A tale of two cities Archived 2007-04-06 at the Wayback Machine. At the Yard website. Retrieved 5/29/07.
  17. ^ "A History of the Near North Side", NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved February 9, 2018.

41°16′37″N 95°56′30″W / 41.27694°N 95.94167°W / 41.27694; -95.94167

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