Omaha Exploration

After opening Mister Toad in 1970 with the help of business partner Artie Abariotes, Rusty Harmsen turned his attention to midtown. Built in 1931, the building at 3710 Leavenworth had been the home to Canfield Cleaners before Irving Gossick turned it into the Wishing Well Lounge in 1940. Artie was the co-owner of the Wishing Well when the business was put for sale. Rusty purchased the bar with business partners Tom Williams and Bill Pomeroy.

As he had with his other establishments, Rusty helped redesign the bar which reopened as Marylebone Lounge in 1971. Named after a district in West End London, the new bar had an early ski lodge theme. It featured a round bar with a copper surface, a copper fireplace, plush carpet and booths with seating for 60. Even though it wasn’t described in the newspaper in as much detail as some of Rusty’s other places, I suspect it also included some of the antiques, signs and artifacts that he became known for. 

The following year the bar opened a tiny kitchen that served hamburger reubens which substituted corned beef for ground beef in addition to a standard hamburger, curly cue fries and daily specials. It even provided live music on the weekends which included country, rock, jazz, pop and standards. Unfortunately, a two-alarm fire in 1976 caused extensive damage to the interior requiring it to be renovated. Whatever decor was inside at the time was destroyed. When it reopened after the fire the stucco walls were painted tan with green and black stripes everywhere while the decor was art deco. A huge photo of Harry Truman was on display in the back room. 

After Rusty moved on from Marylebone, Bob Blankenship took over and remodeled the bar in 1981. The remodel included an addition called the “Maverick Room” which was a dining/party room that displayed photos of the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus and a mural of the school’s maverick logo. The grand reopening of the popular bar included a coin-operated rocking horse, expanded menu and live entertainment every night of the week. The bar was popular not only for college students but Pittsburgh Steelers fans as well as St. Patrick’s Day revelers. 

Perhaps the most notable thing about Marylebone started in 1978 when a large shamrock was first painted in front of the building on Leavenworth. Technically against the law, the city looked the other way as the paint usally wears away quickly under heavy traffic. While in years past, the police would put up barricades and direct traffic while the painting was underway, they refused to do so in 1983 causing one of the painters to be struck by a car. Fortunately, the injury was minor. The Marylebone raised money to defray the medical expenses of one its regulars.

While the Marylebone closed for good in 2020, the building has been undergoing another extensive renovation. When it reopens in 2024, it will go by the name True American Bar and Spirits.

Content written by Omaha Exploration. Feel free to leave a comment or a suggestion. Until then, keep exploring!

Bonus pics

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