2022 BLACKSTONE TOUR

Historic Blackstone Revealed

Historic Blackstone Revealed Tour logo

A tour of architectural gems reimagined for today.

In the Fall of 2022, the Blackstone Neighborhood Association (BNA) opened its doors revealing the architecture, history, and stories of its early 19th century properties to the public. More than 1500 people attended, enjoying the tour and the special events surrounding the experience. Sponsors and volunteers generously gave of their time and money to underwrite the costs. Together $50,000 was raised to help locally landmark properties in the neighborhood protecting them from major alteration or demolition. Together BNA will work to keep Blackstone’s historic character alive for decades to come. 

Below is access to the 36-page booklet highlighting the history of the tour properties and the neighborhood along with videos sharing Blackstone stories from those who lived it and behind the scenes accounts from the architect and developer who made the restoration of the former Blackstone Hotel happen. Enjoy! 

Preservation Project

DONATE TODAY

With exciting developments coming to our neighborhood, we can certainly expect change. Whether it is new buildings, a Streetcar, new residences, our sleepy part of town is fast becoming a hot spot.

And with that change, our Neighborhood Association must grow to meet the demand of our new neighbors.

Tour Sites

Brandeis Mansion
Brandeis / Millard Residence

500 S. 38th Street

Built 1904

Charles McLaughlin Home
Charles D. McLaughlin

507 S. 38th Street

Built 1905

Williams/Bostwick Home
Williams/Bostwick Residence

3722 Dewey Avenue

Built 1892 / Modified 1915

Metz Mansion
Charles E. Metz Residence

3708 Dewey Avenue

Built 1915

First Central Congregational Church

421 S. 36th Street

Built in 1922

Gottlieb Storz Residence

3708 Farnam Street

Built 1905

Dundee Bank
Dundee Bank

38th & Farnam Streets

Built 1930

Blackstone Plaza
Blackstone Plaza

3555 Farnam Street

Built in 1961

Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel

302 S. 36th Street

Built 1916

Tour Booklet

Pictures and details from the nine historic Blackstone properties, plus neighborhood history, highlights and other places of interest.

Historic Blackstone Revealed Videos

Memories of Omaha’s Gold Coast

Mary Creighton McDermott Maxwell shares her memories of The Blackstone Hotel, the Farnam Street Commercial District and the people who called Omaha’s Gold Coast home in the 1940s in this entertaining 20-minute talk in September 2022.  

The Schimmel Family and the Invention of the Reuben Sandwich 

In this October 2022 presentation, Mary Schimmel Bernstein shares memories of the Blackstone Hotel and her family who managed it from 1920 to 1968. Plus, she gives the definitive account of how the Reuben sandwich was invented at the Blackstone Hotel by her father, Bernard.

 

Using Historic Tax Credits to Restore the Former Blackstone Hotel 

Tom McLeay, owner and developer of the Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel, shares the story of restoring the former Blackstone Hotel, one of the last grand, historic hotels in Omaha. He explains why they did it, how they used historic tax credits and their commitment to making it a unique property. 

 

The Blackstone Hotel Restoration Story 

In this 18-minute presentation in 2022, Leo A Daly architects Dave Hawes and Martin Janousek share the research, discoveries, and challenges of restoring the historic Blackstone Hotel into the grand Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel we know today.

Tour Support Provided By

Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel

City of Omaha Mayor’s Grant

Steve Martin & Amy Haddad

Maser Family Foundation

University of Nebraska Medical Center 

Physicians Mutual

Midtown Neighborhood Alliance

Blackstone Business Improvement District

Dundee Bank

GreenSlate Development

John Fox Design

Lund Corporation

Mutual of Omaha

Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation

Noddle Homes

Security National Bank

Tim Reeder/Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate

Suzanne & Rudy Kotula 

 

Property Owners

The Stuberg Family

The Maser Family

The Banse Family

The Farho Family

Phi Chi Medical Fraternity

First Central Congregational Church

Dundee Bank

The Lund Company

Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel 

Historic Blackstone Revealed Steering Committee

Mark Maser, Co-Chair

Kristine Gerber, Co-Chair

Barb Farho, Sponsorships

Kate Grabill, Events

Nicole Malone, Logistics

Rhonda Stuberg, Logistics

Committee

Curt Snodgrass, Treasurer

Blackstone Neighborhood Association

Executive Committee

Mark Maser, President 

Ron Banse, Vice President

Catharine Fogarty, Midtown Neighborhood Alliance Representative

Jim Farho, President Elect/BBID Representative

Scott Jones, Secretary 

Curt Snodgrass, Treasurer 

Rhonda Stuberg, Membership/Beautification  

 

Events Committee

Kate Grabill, Chair 

Jennifer Bettger

Fatima Basith 

Kate Brownrigg 

Jessica Covi 

John Fox

Victoria Halgren 

Stephanie Hansen 

Angie Hempel 

Jeanie Jones

Suzanne Kotula 

Cydney Koukol 

Beth Kramer 

Gabby Mormino 

Karen Nelsen 

Christine Nikunen 

Rhonda Wachholtz

 

Logistics Committee

Nicole Malone, Chair

Judy Alderman

Dana Flint

Nathan King

Sherri Moore

Deb Peterson

Rhonda Stuberg

 

Marketing

Kristine Gerber

Rachel Bythwood

Jared Cloudt

Katie Foster

Teresa Gleason

Hanscom Park Studio

Melissa Obermier

Tim Reeder

Wendy Wiseman

Additional Thank Yous

Speakers

Mary Maxwell

Mary Schimmel Bernstein

David Hawes, AIA 

Martin Janousek, AIA   

Jay Lund  

 

Parking

Lund Corporation

Midtown Montessori

University of Nebraska Medical Center

 

Printing

Physician’s Mutual  

 

Volunteer Kickoff

B.G. Peterson Co.

Farnam House Brewing Co.

Nite Owl

 

Other Contributors

Infusion Brewery Company

Peggy Pavlik, Midtown Neighborhood Alliance

Diana Failla, Midtown Neighborhood Alliance

 

Tour Brochure Credits

Editor – Kristine Gerber

Design – Jared Cloudt

Historical Research – Kristine Gerber and Patrick Wyman

Copy Editing – Paul Ledwon

Current Photography – Nathan King, Rachel Bythwood, Tom Kessler and marketing photos from the Blackstone Plaza, Dundee Bank and the Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel  

Historical Photographs –From the Bostwick-Frohardt Collection, owned by KM3TV and on permanent loan to The Durham Museum.

Resources – National Register of Historic Places Nominations, The Omaha World-Herald Archives and Property Owner Interviews

GET INVOLVED

Become a member

Events

Volunteer

Facebook page

Contact Us

ASSOCIATION

NEIGHBORHOOD

Blackstone Neighborhood Association  • info@historicblackstone.com
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Brandeis / Millard Residence

500 S. 38th Street / Built in 1904

Nationally recognized architect Albert Kahn of Detroit, Michigan designed the home for Arthur and Zerlina Brandeis, members of the family that owned Brandeis department store. The home is a fine example of the Jacobethan style, and no expense was spared on either exterior finishing or interior detailing. In 1909, the home was sold to Jessie H. Millard as a residence for herself and her father, Senator Joseph H. Millard, a prominent political and business leader in Omaha. The Millard family resided in the home until 1950, and from that point had a mix of businesses and owners inside. In 2008 it was purchased by the Maser family and was sensitively restored and renovated throughout.

Charles D. McLaughlin

507 S. 38th Street / Built in 1905

Architect John McDonald designed this brick home for manufacturer Charles D. McLaughlin. The Colonial Revival style incorporates much of the period trend away from Victorian and more toward a classic American style inspired by early American architecture. The house is in very good condition and features period appropriate kitchen and bathroom renovations.

Williams / Bostwick Residence

3722 Dewey Avenue / Built in 1892 and modified in 1915

Architect Frederick A. Henninger designed the home in 1892. In 1924 the Walter Head family modified the house to resemble of French Huguenot mansion. Head was the president of Omaha National Bank and his daughter, Vernelle, employed Parisian French craftsman to install the paneled interiors. In the salon or drawing room, the fireplace enclosure, mantlepiece and wall paneling were removed from a home in Paris, France. President Calvin Coolidge dined and slept in the home in 1925. The house has had four owners in its 130-year history: Williams/Bostwick, Head, Baum/Allen and now the Farho family who purchased the home in 2002 and have lovingly restored the interiors and the grounds.

Charles E. Metz

3708 Dewey Avenue / Built in 1915

This impressive Gold Coast mansion was designed by George Prinz for Charles E. Metz, an owner of the Metz Brewing Co. Constructed on a grand and elegant scale, the home cost $175,000 in 1915. It is a fine example of the Georgian Revival style, which was a preferred design of wealthy families at the time. Within the house, there is extensive use of hand carved walnut paneling in the main hall and stairway.  The dining room walls are paneled, with hand tooled leather borders.  A solarium contains a marble fountain and is dominated by a large Palladian window. The basement features an original pub with hand painted murals, wood paneling and a built-in bar. The Phi Chi Fraternity of the University of Nebraska Medical Center has owned and occupied the house for many years and have been excellent stewards of the historic place.

First Central Congregational Church

421 S. 36th Street / Completed in 1922.

The church was designed by George Prinze in 1917 but construction was delayed due to World War I and was not completed until 1920. A merger occurred with St. Mary’s Avenue Congregational in 1916 and the first joint service was at the completed First Central in 1920. A 100 years ago on Easter Sunday the current sanctuary was completed and dedicated. On tour will be the sanctuary, library, and a smaller chapel.

Gottlieb Storz Residence

3708 Farnam Street / Built in 1905

Gottlieb Storz emigrated from his native Germany in 1872 to ply his trade as a brewer. During the next four years, he worked in New York and St. Louis, and finally located in Omaha to establish the Storz Brewing Co. Today, his elegant Gold Coast mansion designed by architectural firm Fisher and Lawrie in the Jacobethan Revival style is the last mansion that remains on Farnam Street. Constructed of beige brick with decorative limestone trim, the house features a red tile roof, steep gables, rectangular windows with stone mullions and transoms, all set in a symmetrical facade. Many of the exquisite interior features remain, including hand carved oak woodwork, and a solarium covered by a magnificent stained-glass dome. Both living room and dining room have distinctive mosaic fireplaces. Until 2002, only members of the Storz family occupied this home. After Art Storz could no longer stay in the home, Creighton University took over the residence before it was sold to its current owners, Wayne and Rhonda Stuberg who have done sensitive renovations to continue its legacy.

Dundee Bank

38th and Farnam Streets / Built 1930

Dundee Bank on the southwest corner of 38th and Farnam Streets was originally built as the White Rose Service Station in 1930 by the National Refining Company.  The service station’s design was very important and had to “fit in” to the suburban setting. The Tudor Revival architectural style, at the time nationally popular for residential home design, made the building more “homelike,” and thus, more palatable to both its suburban neighbors and to affluent travelers along the Lincoln Highway route. The property remained in use as a service station for more than 50 years. In 1984 Morley Zipursky purchased the property and opened an Italian restaurant, Villa Dino’s before closing in 1994. In Thomas Foster opened a vegetarian restaurant, McFoster’s Natural Kind Café, in the space. It operated for approximately 20 years before closing in late 2014. In April 2015, Foster sold the property to the owners of Dundee Bank who renovated it as a retail banking office while retaining many of its original historic details. The interior restoration work on the building received an AIA Nebraska Awards of Merit and in 2015 the Restoration Exchange Omaha preservation award for a commercial property. 

Blackstone Plaza

3555 Farnam St. / Completed in 1961

The construction was led by Peter Kiewit with Peter Kiewit Sons’ Company, Morris E. Jacobs with Bozell and Jacobs and Charles Durham with HDR. When opened, the main floor featured men’s and women’s clothiers Parsow’s and Topp’s plus The Fountain Room restaurant and Class A businesses and residential space. Today the 15-story building is owned by a group led by John Lund of Lund Co. The property is undergoing an extension renovation to modernize the spaces while keeping the buildings mid-century modern vibe. When complete, it will be the home to a mix of businesses and retailers including WOWT Channel 6 and Berkshire Hathaway. The top floor of the building, originally The Cloud Room, will serve as an exclusive space for tenants and their guests, offering panoramic views across the city.

Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel

302 S. 36th St. / Built 1916

The newly renovated and renamed Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel at 302 S. 36th St. was the former home of the neighborhood’s namesake – The Blackstone Hotel. The property was built in 1916 as a residential hotel. The interior was a mix of elegant appointments, with numerous ornate furnishings, a crystal chandelier and a marble grand staircase. The hotel was sold in 1920 to the Schimmel family and under their leadership the Blackstone became one the most successful elegant small hotels in the country for almost 50 years. The space closed as a hotel in 1976 and was redeveloped into the Blackstone Center as office space. After completing a $75 million renovation in 2021, the space is once again a hotel paying homage to its history but also adding modern, hip touches.