Omaha Exploration

Updated: January 23, 2025

The story of Turner Park starts with its namesake family: Charles, Charlotte, Curtiss, and Mary.

Charles Turner was a successful timber dealer by the time he moved from Wisconsin to Omaha upon the city’s founding in 1854. He later married Charlotte Kennedy and the two started a family with the birth of son Curtiss and the adoption of their daughter Mary.

Charles amassed a fortune investing in real estate, which included the construction of a business block at 10th and Harney Street. By 1891 he acquired forty acres of land on which he built one of the first large residences in the Gold Coast District. The Turner residence was located between 33rd and 34th Streets and Farnam Street. He was among the city’s wealthiest residents by this time.

Curtiss was a prominent civil engineer who met his untimely demise in 1898 after being buried by an avalanche at Chilkoot Pass in Alaska while engaged in railroad work. Grief-stricken, his parents never recovered from the tragic loss and rarely left home from that point on. Charles passed away in 1913, preceded in death by Charlotte in 1910 and Mary in 1912.

By that time, the Turner residence at 3316 Farnam Street was listed for sale. The three-story home with five bedrooms, six fireplaces, two bathrooms, and a billiards room, in addition to other rooms, was sold to Robert McClelland of Tabor, Iowa (verify: buyer name). The house would go on to become the Radium Hospital, followed by the Rayhorn Manor, before being demolished by 1940 to make way for Mutual of Omaha’s headquarters.

The family donated six acres of land for use as a new park in 1900. Named Turner Park in honor of Curtiss, the land was nestled between Farnam and Dodge Streets just west of the steep hill to the east. A road was built through the park, which was connected to Hanscom Park and Bemis Park via the Boulevard System laid out by Horace W.S. Cleveland. An ice-skating pond was added later, making it a popular pastime.

In 1923 the American War Mothers began raising money to build a World War I memorial. The large monument was originally planned for Elmwood Park but was delayed for years due to cost. The monument was ultimately scaled back and installed in the southeast corner of Turner Park in 1937.

A miniature 9-foot, 200-pound Statue of Liberty was placed in the park in 1951. It was one of 200 paid for by the Boy Scouts to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the 41st anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. The statue was removed by the city in 1976 due to wear and tear and remains in storage. The park is scheduled to receive a new replica Statue of Liberty in 2026. She will be 8’6″ tall and placed atop an 8-foot granite pedestal surrounded by a granite plaza.

Turner Park continued its civic duty by acting as the site of a birthday party with a huge cake to commemorate Omaha’s Centennial in 1954. Another notable event was a free outdoor gathering in 1963 to close out the city’s beautification days. While researching, I came across a plan to relocate pillars from the old courthouse to the entrance of the park, as well as the addition of tennis courts. I am not sure if either proposal came to fruition, and if they did, they are not there today.

In recent years, the park gained prominence when it was expanded as part of the Midtown Crossing development in 2010. New mixed-use buildings were constructed at the western end of the park, including apartments, offices, restaurants, retail, and event space with a large patio overlooking the park. With a stage on site, it is a popular venue for summer events including concerts.

Surrounded by what are likely Omaha’s two most popular districts, Blackstone to the west and the Old Market to the east, the Turner family would not recognize the area surrounding the park named in honor of their son. Even so, its location is well-positioned to benefit from a streetcar that will run along Farnam Street to the south. It is likely that more people than ever will get to enjoy the legacy the family left behind.

I’d like to hear what you have to say so feel free to comment. If there’s someplace, you’d like to learn more about, you can post that as well. Until next time, keep exploring!

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Bonus pics

Sources

• Omaha World-Herald archives
• https://memory.nebraska.gov/cdm/compoundobject/collection/opl/id/497/rec/32
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midtown_Crossing_at_Turner_Park#:~:text=The%20origins%20of%20Turner%20Park,the%20development%20of%20Midtown%20Crossing.)