The Diner’s Corner Lot at 12th and Harney in the Old Market

Published August 27, 2023 | Updated October 7, 2026

August 27, 2023

The lot that had been the home to The Diner for 35 years always struck me as a little peculiar. As beloved as it was, I often found myself wondering how such a small restaurant came to occupy such a large lot in the heart of the Old Market.

A quick search through the newspaper archives reflects that its home on the southeast corner of 12th and Harney Streets dates back to the city’s founding. Laurence H. Frank, the city’s second postmaster following Alfred D. Jones, built a small cottage that served as the post office until 1857. The “post office” occupied the front room of the cottage. When William Wells Wyman took over as the city’s third postmaster, he expanded the structure by adding a room on each end.

1906 photo from the Durham Museum shows the residence of George B. Lake on this lot.

After moving to Omaha, Judge George Baker Lake, a future chief justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court, lived on the lot once Wyman moved the post office in 1857. He likely replaced the earlier cottage, as his home was considered quite grand for pioneer times. His residence was regarded as the center of social life, and his neighbors included some of the city’s most distinguished citizens including Ezra Millard, George W. Doane, and James Woolworth. In the early days, Harney Street as far west as 13th Street was considered the city’s best residential district.

1923 aerial photograph from the Durham Museum shows the filling station.

By the 1880s, many of the houses had been replaced, and the area developed into a produce hub. Lake sold his property to the Omaha Tent and Awning Company in 1910. The growing company had outgrown its location a block east at 11th and Harney Streets and planned to build a larger structure on this site, resulting in one of the few remaining houses in the area being razed in 1912.

After a merger with the Scott-Rawitzer Manufacturing Company, plans were announced for an 11-story structure on the site. The new building was to be state-of-the-art, featuring fireproofing, reinforced concrete, steel framing, and an exterior covered almost entirely in glass. Those plans never came to fruition, however, as the company’s owner, Albert Rawitzer, passed away in 1914.

1919 photo from the Omaha Daily News shows the L.V. Nicholas Oil Co. filling station.

The lot remained vacant for five years before being sold to the L. V. Nicholas Oil Company. Citing its location in the heart of the wholesale district and produce hub, and its proximity to retail areas, Nicholas declared it the best lot in the city for a filling station. He boldly proclaimed that the new station would be the best in the country, both in capacity and architectural design. It was also among the first to use electrically operated gas pumps.

The Diner at 12th and Harney at night before it was razed.

The station remained in use until at least the 1960s. After it was torn down, the prime location sat vacant for decades until Dean and Philip Drickey announced plans to open a roadside diner in 1983. Dean, the owner of Drickey’s Drive-In (present-day Homy Inn), and his son Philip noticed a lack of breakfast options for those working downtown.

The classic old-school interior of The Diner before it was razed.

To capitalize on the opportunity, they built the restaurant themselves and designed it in the style of an old-fashioned roadside diner. The exterior featured a neon sign and a clock above the entrance, while the interior included a black-and-white tile floor, red leather booths, barstools, chrome trim, and an old-fashioned cash register.

The Diner stationed in its familiar spot in the oversized lot in the Old Market.

Over the years, fuel had leaked into the ground, turning the site into an environmental hazard that proved difficult and expensive to clean up, likely thwarting any significant development. Even so, developer Michael Henery later purchased the land with plans to demolish The Diner and replace it with a six-story mixed-use building featuring condos, a restaurant, and underground parking. Those plans fell through, and the restaurant continued to operate until 2018, when the property was sold to another developer.

Omaha Exploration photo of the Moxy Hotel from Harney St.

Five years later, the 105-room Moxy Hotel will open its doors on this site. Despite being more than a century newer than most of its neighbors, its brick facade allows it to blend reasonably well with the historic Old Market buildings that surround it.

The article you just read was written by Omaha Exploration. If you enjoy what I do, consider signing up for email notifications on my website, where you’ll also find sources for this article and ways to support the project. Get out there and explore it for yourself!