Peony Park
Location | 7910 Cass Street (original) 1620 County Road "L"(last) Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. |
---|---|
Coordinates | 41°16′00″N 096°02′24″W / 41.26667°N 96.04000°W |
Opened | 1919 |
Closed | 1994 |
Owner | Joe Malec, Jerry Malec and Charles Malec |
Slogan | The Place to Party!!! |
Peony Park was an
History
Peony Park was begun by local entrepreneurs Godfrey Malec, and brothers Jerry and Joe Sr. in 1919 with the help of investor Frank Srb, a family member and business man from Dodge, Nebraska. The brothers opened a gas station and restaurant on the
In the 1980s,
Segregation policies
The park was strictly
Continuing racial tension in Omaha led to youth activists leading protests which brought down the color barrier at the park and added to the civil rights movement in the city.[7][8] The Omaha Star newspaper made a name for itself during this period, mixing "light news" and entertainment with articles about the incident, segregationist policies around the city and the ongoing trial.[9]
Amusements
Soon after its founding, the private park included a
Water slides and pool
The pool and surrounding beach occupied 4.5 acres (18,000 m2) of the park. Holding approximately five million gallons of filtered, chlorinated water, the seven hundred foot-long pool was supplied by artesian wells. The depth ranged from one foot to 10 feet (3.0 m).[10]
Peony Park was home to three
Royal Terrace Ballroom
On the south side of the lake was the Royal Terrace Ballroom, which was billed as "1 acre under one roof."[10] Big name bands from the Swing Era played the ballroom on a regular basis. Columbus bandleader Bobby Mills played a record one year straight each weekend in 1957. Regional rock act The Rumbles reunited at the Royal Terrace in 1979.[12] The ballroom also hosted events with Metallica, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Replacements, Living Colour, 311, The Violent Femmes, and The Bangles in its later years.[2]
Royal Grove
An open-air stage and orchestra shell were covered with a white roof. Called Royal Grove, the area included an open-air dance floor that accommodated three thousand dancers.[10]
From 1978 through 1981, Omaha radio station
Additional structures
Originally, there was an open area to the west of Royal Grove with a softball diamond and picnic and recreation grounds. There were also bathhouses, service buildings and refreshment stands throughout.[10]
Peony Park Today
The park was put up for sale in 1993 due to dwindling revenue and high operational costs. Many attempts to save the park and keep it open failed. The park had too short a season and too small a population base to make a profit. A commercial land developer bought the land with plans to develop it into a shopping center. The park officially closed after the 1994 summer season.
Today, Peony Park is a mixed use development with free standing restaurants, a bank, grocery store and a apartment complex. The only remaining structure from the original park still standing today is the Keno parlor and a short section of the original fence surrounding the park, left by the property owners as a tribute.
Bibliography
- Jennings, C.D. (2001) Omaha's Peony Park: An American Legend. Arcadia Publishing.
- Jennings, C.D. (2002) They Call Me Peony: A Park Enthusiasts Stroll Down Memory Lane. BoringBio Productions
See also
- Krug Park (Omaha)
References
- ^ Palmer, J. (2004) "Cass Street area blooms", Omaha World Herald. June 24, 2004. Retrieved 3/30/08.
- ^ a b c Jennings, C.D. (2001) Omaha's Peony Park: An American Legend. Arcadia Publishing.
- ^ a b Schmittroth, L. (1994) Cities of the United States: A Compilation of Current Information. Gale Research. p 350.
- ^ "Peony Gardens", Nebraska Memories. Retrieved 3/30/08.
- ^ "Omaha Timeline" Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine, KETV.com. Retrieved 3/30/08.
- ^ Civil Liberties Docket. Vol. I, No. 2. December, 1955.
- ^ Hord, B. "Nebraska Cattlemen's new director is bullish on north Omaha", Omaha World Herald. Jan. 28, 2008. Retrieved 3/30/08.
- ^ Calloway, B.W. and Smith, A.N. (1998) Visions of Freedom on the Great Plains: An Illustrated History of African Americans. Donning Company.
- ^ Suggs, H.L. (1996) The Black Press in the Middle West, 1865-1985. Greenwood Publishing Group. p 239.
- ^ a b c d "Flying North Over Peony Park... 35 Acres of Wooded Playground" Omaha from the Air. Retrieved 3/30/08.
- ^ (1983) "UNO student splashes way into record book", University of Nebraska at Omaha Alumni News. October. Retrieved 4/5/08.
- ^ "History" The Rumbles. Retrieved 3/30/08.