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46-526: Today the boulevard navigates the neighborhoods of the Near North Side including Conestoga Place , and goes north through Kountze Place , Miller Park , and the southern end of Florence , where it merges with J.J. Pershing Drive. Originally called "The Prettiest Mile in Omaha Boulevard,", it was renamed after the construction of other boulevards throughout the city. Sharing its name with

92-545: A 103 degree day, a crowd of African Americans gathered in the evening at the intersection of North 24th and Lake Streets, the heart of the Near North Side. When police demanded their dispersal, the crowd erupted, quickly demolishing police cars and destroying neighboring businesses. The crowd then roamed the North 24th Street business corridor for hours, firebombing vacant buildings and demolishing storefronts up and down

138-649: A mix of market-rate housing. In July 1966 the National Guard was called in from Fort Omaha to quell two days of rioting in North Omaha after local youth burnt down several area businesses along the 24th Street corridor. That same year A Time for Burning , a documentary featuring North Omaha, was filmed. Later it was nominated for an Oscar award for best documentary. In April 1968, the National Guard quelled North Omaha riots that erupted after

184-414: A mob of white ethnics, chiefly immigrants and immigrant descendants from South Omaha , lynched an African-American worker named 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

230-690: A number of synagogues, churches, and mortuaries along the street. In the 1910s, author Tillie Olsen 's father worked in a confectionery along North 24th Street. The 1913 Easter Sunday tornado devastated the North 24th Street corridor, causing a great deal of death and destruction along its route. In the aftermath of the lynching of Will Brown in 1919 , Omaha's African-American residents increasingly encountered redlining against investment in their neighborhood. In addition, race-restrictive covenants prevented their moving to other areas. Accompanied by earlier white residents moving to other areas as population increased, these economic and social restrictions led to

276-415: Is Pearl Memorial United Methodist Church , located at North 24th and Odgen Avenue, and further still is Miller Park . The Fair Deal Cafe , once known as Omaha's "Black City Hall", is being revitalized, as is the city's first African American banking institution, Carver Savings and Loan Association . Both sit along North 24th. Love’s Jazz and Art Center, named in honor of North Omaha native Preston Love ,

322-528: Is a two-way street that runs south–north in the North Omaha area of Omaha, Nebraska , United States. With the street beginning at Dodge Street , the historically significant section of the street runs from Cuming Street to Ames Avenue. A portion of North 24th near Lake Street is considered the " Main Street " of the Near North Side , and was historically referred to as "The Street of Dreams." The corridor

368-665: Is happening particularly in the wake of the recent redevelopment of the neighboring NoDo area of Downtown Omaha . The plan includes the continued expansion of Creighton University and the development of a "dual gateway" at 24th and Cuming, with the southern side of the intersection providing an ornamental entrance to Creighton, and the northern side becoming a "retail village" that opens up to North Omaha. Along North 24th to Parker Street, there could be townhouses and other new housing developed. The area around North 24th and Lake Streets would emphasize arts, entertainment, and culture. The plan takes advantage of Love's Jazz and Art Center and

414-584: Is located at 2510 North 24th Street. The Native Omaha Club is located at 3819 North 24th Street. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cornerstone Memorial, installed in 2006, is located at the intersection of North 24th and Lake Streets. The Dreamland Plaza, installed in 2004, is a tribute to the Dreamland Ballroom and is located at North 24th and Erskine Streets. The bi-annual Native Omaha Days parade has been held along North 24th Street since

460-543: Is widely considered the heart of Omaha's African-American community . North 24th Street first became prominent as a center of Jewish life in Omaha in the 1870s and '80s. During that period, Jewish settlers opened a variety of shops along the strip to serve other new immigrants to Omaha . Located immediately north of Downtown Omaha , North 24th Street was the location of dozens of businesses, including bakeries, clothiers, groceries, drug stores, and laundries. There were also

506-477: The Dreamland Plaza . A new theater and a financially viable African-American museum near the intersection could enhance it as the cultural center of north Omaha. The City of Omaha is supporting this effort with the North 24th Street Historic Jazz District Project, focusing on the street between Ohio and Cuming Street. Funded by nearly $ 2 million in city and federal grants, the total estimated cost of

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552-408: The Near North Side becoming exclusively African American. North 24th Street and the neighborhood surrounding it became the nucleus of Omaha's most significant African-American neighborhood . During the 1920s, a number of African American-owned businesses and cultural establishments developed along the street as population increased and thrived. The Dreamland Ballroom , where events were held marking

598-563: The Nicholas Street Historic District are both within the former boundaries of the Near North Side, as well. Bordered by several historic neighborhoods, including Bemis Park , East Omaha , Kountze Park and 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,

644-661: The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. In the summer of 1969, riots broke out after a white Omaha police officer fatally shot a 14-year-old girl named Vivian Strong in the back, in the Logan Fontenelle Projects. Three days of rioting effectively destroyed the Near North Omaha business area. Construction of the North Omaha Freeway in the 1970s is regarded as having added to the decline of Near North Omaha. Research showed that

690-703: 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

736-519: The Near North Side by soldiers called in from Fort Omaha . In addition, the military commander stationed troops in South Omaha to prevent any more mobs from forming. Throughout its history, students attended a variety of area schools, including Omaha High and Tech High , both just outside the community's boundaries. After the riot, landlords and developers began using race-restrictive covenants . Properties for rent and sale were restricted on

782-514: 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

828-672: 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 Omaha Storm Chasers proposed building a $ 54 million stadium as part of a $ 170 million redevelopment near the Near North Side Omaha's Qwest Center and Creighton University . However, while

874-802: The Storz Expressway, the street travels through the Miller Park neighborhood and then the Minne Lusa neighborhood , ending at Read Street. In 2006, the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce launched the North Omaha Development Project in order to secure strategic business, cultural, and social investments in North Omaha . Planners seek to create a self-supporting private market and a neighborhood setting rewarding to its citizens and businesses. This

920-511: The area experienced a 30 percent housing loss and major increase in crime following construction of the freeway, which broke up the neighborhood. 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. In 1976, Omaha Public Schools began court-ordered busing to achieve integration, which led many Near North Omaha students away from their community for

966-526: The area was developed quickly, and included a number of prominent homes. 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 Trans-Mississippi Exposition occurred just north of the area in 1898, Kountze Park was developed to serve the area's widely varied racial and ethnic populations. Omaha's Jewish community

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1012-702: The area. There was such a substantial community of Swedes in the area that a portion of the neighborhood was called "Little Stockholm." 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

1058-606: 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 , 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

1104-433: The beginning of the "black movement" in Omaha, smaller musical establishments, several movie theaters and new churches were all built up along the street. Business and culture along North 24th continued to thrive into the 1950s, as many African Americans made progress in gaining higher skilled industrial jobs and some went on to higher education. July 4, 1966, marked the first of several riots along North 24th Street. After

1150-569: The churches founded to serve the black community. The Easter Sunday tornado of 1913 destroyed much of the Near North Side's businesses and neighborhoods. 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

1196-433: The entire 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

1242-554: The first time. This period of social activism was when another generation of leaders emerged, such as Ernie Chambers , Brenda Council and Rev. Ken Vavrina . 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

1288-552: The future location of Miller Park. In 1897 an existing linear road configuration along 19th and 20th Streets between Chicago and Ames was improved with landscaping and the addition of land. The Omaha Park Commission took authority of the boulevard in 1897, and the strip became the south part of Florence Boulevard. In 1912 the city spent almost $ 6,000 on expenses related to the maintenance of Florence Boulevard, which then commenced at North 19th and Chicago Streets, went west to 20th Street, north to Ames Avenue, and north to Miller Park. It

1334-500: 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. The mid-century loss of 10,000 industrial jobs from restructuring of railroads and

1380-481: The heart of North Omaha and the city's African American community. North 24th continues to Binney Street, which is the southern boundary of the Kountze Place neighborhood. The intersection of North 24th and Ames was once an important commercial district, along with the intersection with Fort Street, approximately two miles to the north. The area in between is the historic Saratoga neighborhood. After crossing

1426-554: The length nearest to Miller Park, and the boulevard became known as "The Prettiest Mile". Because of its level construction and absence of street car rail tracks intersecting it, Florence Boulevard was also called "the only suitable driveway in Omaha." On October 10, 1892, the City of Omaha started building Florence Boulevard. The initial stretch of the Boulevard was constructed north from Ames Avenue to just north of Kansas Street, near

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1472-420: 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

1518-529: The neighborhood has a population of 37,727 and is roughly 65% African-American. 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 . 41°16′37″N 95°56′30″W  /  41.27694°N 95.94167°W  / 41.27694; -95.94167 North 24th Street North 24th Street

1564-415: The northern section of Florence Boulevard. Notable sites along Florence Boulevard include King Science and Technology Magnet Center and Morrison Stadium . Near North Side (Omaha, Nebraska) The Near North Side of Omaha, Nebraska is the neighborhood immediately north of downtown. It forms the nucleus of the city's historic African-American community, and its name is often synonymous with

1610-624: The project is $ 3.5 million to $ 4.5 million. Several important Omaha Landmarks are located along North 24th Street. They include the Calvin Memorial Presbyterian Church , built in 1910 at 3105 North 24th Street; the Jewell Building , built in 1923 at 2221 North 24th Street; and the Redick Mansion , originally built in 1875, which became the first home of Omaha University in 1909. It

1656-674: The riots; however, new investments by the City of Omaha have shown "promising returns" since 2000. North 24th Street begins at Dodge Street in Downtown Omaha . Going from south to north, the street immediately travels underneath I-480 and through the Creighton University campus in the NoDo neighborhood. The Near North Side begins after crossing Cuming Street, with the intersection of North 24th and Lake Streets serving as

1702-531: 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. 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. In September 1919, after Red Summer ,

1748-561: The stadium plan went through, the Storm Chasers chose to pull out of the project, feeling that the capacity of 24,000 was too large for the team's needs. The new TD Ameritrade Park Omaha , opened in 2011, will now be used primarily for the College World Series , and as the new home for Creighton's baseball program. The Storm Chasers opened their own new stadium in the southern suburb of Papillion in 2011. Currently

1794-457: The street. Millions of dollars in damage was caused to businesses. The riot continued unabated for three days. Within a month, the street was again aflame. On August 1, riots erupted after a 19-year-old was shot by an off-duty white policeman during a burglary. Three buildings along North 24th Street were firebombed, with more than 180 riot police involved in quelling the crowd. On June 24, 1969, an African-American teenager named Vivian Strong

1840-663: The town of Florence located north of Omaha, both were named after Florence Kilbourn, a niece of a settler who helped organize the Florence Land Company in 1854. Florence Boulevard was originally designed to connect the city's new Miller Park with the rest of Omaha, and was designed to capture the best views of the Missouri River valley. Florence Boulevard was popular for recreational drives, first by carriage and bicycle and later by car. Tall sycamores, attractive homes and elaborately flowered medians lined

1886-545: 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. During the height of the Jazz Age , the Dreamland Ballroom

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1932-486: 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

1978-399: Was located at 3612 North 24th Street. The Paul Street School was built at 1311 North 24th Street in 1892; in 1952, it was replaced with Kellom Elementary School . The Omaha Star building at 2216 North 24th Street was a mortuary and social hall before becoming home to the historic Omaha Star . The notable Druid Hall is located at 2412 Ames Avenue just off North 24th Street. Further north

2024-405: Was reported that year that Florence Boulevard was the first roadway in Omaha to be fully lit with electric lamps . The boulevard remains today, although minus the park-like setting for the majority of its length. The last remainder of the landscaping remains from Fort Street north to Read Street. The City of Omaha has recently been the target of criticism over a poorly redesigned intersection along

2070-493: Was shot and killed by police officers in an incident at the Logan Fontenelle Housing Projects , which were located along North 24th. Young African Americans in the area rioted in response to the teenager's death, with looting throughout the entirety of the North 24th Street business corridor. During this initial surge, eight businesses were destroyed by firebombing or looting. Events went on for several more days. The business district along North 24th Street has not recovered since

2116-443: 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

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