Omaha Exploration

While the Storz Mansion is the attention-getter along Farnam Street, I’ve always been curious about the house on 39th Street next door to Nite Owl and whose carriage house still sits. Let’s dive into it.

The president of the Streetcar Railway Company, William A. Smith, built his Gold Coast mansion at 144 S. 39th Street in 1912. William started driving a horse car on the only line that stretched from Union Station to 21st and Cuming Streets. During his tenure, he saw the company grow from 35 horses to 600. He kept the lot between his house and Farnam as a garden so he could have a clear view of the streetcar.

Just one year later he opened his home to the National Guard following the 1913 tornado. He retired in 1926 and passed away at home in 1931. His wife, Persis Blair Smith, remained at the house until she passed away in 1946. Their son, Fred K. Smith, one of the founders of Omaha Steel Works, lived at the mansion from 1946 until his death in 1970. William’s grandson, Fred K. Smith Jr., occupied the house after that.

Rick Katelman opened an antique business in the Old Market at 1010 Howard Street in 1972. He bought the old mansion in 1977 and relocated his business, Katelman Antiques. The vacant lot to the south on Farnam was used as a parking lot. First he sold antique lighting and made leaded glass windows and lamps. In 1980 he shifted his emphasis to buying and importing antiques from Europe. He invested thousands of dollars to modernize and aesthetically blend a structure adjoining his property to add space for the growth of his antique business in 1996. By 2009 he stopped importing and selling European antiques and instead focused on antique restoration, furniture and lighting.

A partnership led by Jay Lund and Matt Dwyer purchased the three-story, 7,800 sq. ft. mansion with a third-floor apartment for $860,000 in 2014. The deal included the adjoining 7,200 sq. ft. commercial building that Rick Katelman built in 1986. The new owners removed the commercial building’s front wall and built an addition with a historic-looking storefront.

Today it is The Mansion at Blackstone, which provides office and creative work space for lease. It includes a full kitchen and separate entrances. It can also be rented for private parties. The second floor of the old commercial building is now Little Rickey’s Rooftop Bar. On the corner of 39th and Farnam now sits Nite Owl. Next door is its sister lounge, The Nest, Greenslate, and Corkscrew. Combined, these structures are called Blackstone Corner.

A lot has changed since William A. Smith watched the streetcar from his house. The area around it has transformed to an entertainment district and while the streetcar will soon make its return, his line of sight is blocked. His garden has been replaced with a restaurant and rooftop bar.

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

Additional pictures

Real estate listing photos courtesy of Greenslate Development looking inside the former mansion turned office and creative space.

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