The Buildings on the Northeast Corner of 36th & Farnam

History – Part I John Beshilas bought the northeast corner of 36th and Farnam Streets across from the iconic Blackstone Hotel across the street in 1924. Located at 3572 Farnam, Mary Ann Sweet Shop, was likely named after the founders daughter. It offered lunches, dinners, soda fountain, candy, cigars and curb service. The owner and…

September 18, 2023

History – Part I

John Beshilas bought the northeast corner of 36th and Farnam Streets across from the iconic Blackstone Hotel across the street in 1924. Located at 3572 Farnam, Mary Ann Sweet Shop, was likely named after the founders daughter. It offered lunches, dinners, soda fountain, candy, cigars and curb service. The owner and his family lived on the second floor in the apartment above the restaraunt. The restaurant did well and expanded by its third anniversary. It was so busy, in fact, that it received complaints of boisterousness and excessive noise from guests staying across the street. Things would take a turn for the worse as the decade wore on and John suffered from a prolonged illnes. He filed for bankruptcy in 1937 and closed the doors to his beloved restaurant.

May Ann Sweet Shop on the NE corner of 36th and Farnam in 1927. Crescent Moon is located on this corner today.

Mary Ann Sweet Shop and Northrup-Jones on the corner of 36th and Farnam in 1931. On the far left you can see the second level where the Beshilas family lived. Crescent Moon is located on this corner today.

Irving Freedman operated the Blackstone Phamarcy on the opposite side of the street until 1945 when he relocated to this more prominent corner. The move paid off as he remained located here for the next 30 years before it moved west to 72nd and Pacific. Popular sandwich chain Lox, Stock & Bagel moved in and stayed here a few years until a fire destroyed both it and the lounge to the east in 1979.

Blackstone Pharmacy at the corner of 36th and Farnam with Purcello’s Lounge next door. No date given but maybe the 1950’s.

A new building was constructed in place of the old one in 1981 at which point the address changed to 3578 Farnam. The new building didn’t enjoy the same consistency its first 15 years. It started as Bernigan’s Food & Spirits before becoming Julie’s Sports Corner and Bull’s Eye Lounge among others. The revolving door stopped in 1996 with the opening of the craft beer bar, Crescent Moon. On its way to becoming one of the top 100 bars in America, Bill Baburek’s bar introduced many of us to craft beer over the years. In 2005, the basement was converted into a German bier hall called Huber Haus which is known for its large Oktoberfest celebrations. The following year Max & Joe’s was opened next door to Crescent Moon.

Aerial view of the buildings in 1948. Blackstone Pharmacy is on the upper corner in the former location of Mary Ann Sweet Shop. Next door is Tony Purcello’s Cocktail Bar in the former Northrup Jones. The Blackstone Hotel is across the street.

Omaha World-Herald photo of the 1979 fire that destroyed the buildings on the corner of 36th and Farnam.

Next door to the Mary Ann’s was a well-loved bakery and restaurant called Northrup-Jones. Yes, I know it sounds more like a law firm. The popularity of its first location at 16th and Farnam resulted in opening a new second location a few miles west. The bakery operated out of its new location at 3570 Farnam for eight years before relocation to 50th and Dodge in 1934. The opening provided Tony Pirrucello the opportunity to open Purcello’s Cocktail Lounge by 1940. It’s probable that he used an altered version of his last name to make it easier to pronounce. The long running bar was remained a popular spot among residents and nearby employees and was a fixture on Farnam until it closed in 1977. The San Francisco Bar opened immediately afterwards but was forced to close in 1979 due to the same fire that destroyed Lox, Stock & Bagel to the west. Mike Hall opened The Sandwich Factory in the new building but it failed to live up to live up to expectations and closed soon after. In 2006, Bill Baburek opened the craft beer store Beertopia which was later named one of the best 50 beer stores in America.

Exterior shot of Crescent Moon. This building was constructed in 1981 after the original building was destroyed by a fire.

Interior shot of Crescent Moon courtesy of Visit Omaha.

Interior shot of Huber Haus in the basement of Crescent Moon courtesy of Visit Omaha.

History – Part II

By 1893 W. D. Edwards & Co operated a grocery store on the corner of 36th and Farnam. Twenty years later brothers Herman, Emil and Robert Kocher operated the grocery store which was now called Kocher Bros. In the early days, they made deliveries with a horse and buggy team. In 1924 the brothers moved to a new building at 3564 Farnam. The independent grocery store appealed to many of the city’s first citizens as their sons and daughters had also become customers over the years. The brothers decided to retire in 1952 after 40 years in business. The building changed a few times over the next couple of decades. It was Blackstone Furniture and Appliances in the early 1950’s followed by Diamond Paint and Wallpaper Store until 1962. The fire of 1979 destroyed the buildings to the west, it was operating as Evans Cleaners. Fortunately, this building was saved from the fire due to a firewall that was installed in between the two. Since 1996 it has operated as a picture framing, art and home good store called The Frame Service.

1935 photo looking west on Farnam. Kocher Bros is on the the right (north side). Crandell Furs hadn’t been built yet. The Blackstone Hotel is to the left.

Aerial view of the buildings in 1948. Kocher Bros grocery store and finally Crandell furs. A gas station is on the corner of 35th Ave. The lot behind the building has since been excavated and the garage behind the grocery store torn down. The Blackstone Hotel is across the street and the funeral home in the top center.

Phillip Crandell fled Russia in 1923 and opened Crandell’s Fur at 3568 Farnam two years later. His business already ten years old when he came to Omaha operated out of this building until a fire destroyed it in 1930. He relocated to the south side of Farnam temporarily until a new building was constructed in the same place as his old one in 1947. Phillip converted the basement into a temperature controlled storage room for the furs that quickly flew out the doors in the store above. As the city moved west so did the fur store. He opened a store in Westroads Mall in 1970 followed by another in Shaker Place in 1974. The store on Farnam closed a year later. National yogurt chain I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt operated in this building for a period of time after that followed by local pizza chain, Don Carmelo’s. The NY-style pizza shop operated several locations in town but eventually closed this store as they consolidated. It then became Tommy Colina’s Kitchen until it closed completely 2014 after a failed attempt at opening a second location. Farnam House Brewing Company operated a restaurant out of the first floor and brewed beer in the same basement that was used to store furs until it closed as a result of the pandemic in 2022. The building remains vacant.

Blackstone Pharmacy, Purcello’s, Evans Cleaners and Crandell’s Furs in 1970.

The store front furthest to the east, 3558 Farnam was the long time home to Brick’s Liquor. Sam Brick opened his shop in 1949 and remained there until 1955 or so. Even after his departure, Emma Briggs ran the store for more than two decades. It seems that this store front was absorbed into the 3568 at some point thereafter.

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Until next time, keep exploring!