Omaha Exploration

The building at 4969 Northwest Radial Highway in Benson was built in 1920. It served much of its life as a neighborhood grocery store including Military Food Market in the 1960s. Back in those days, this stretch of road was actually Military Ave. It was renamed in the late 1970s. Starting around 1974 it was the home to Malstead Music Center. That came to a tragic end in 1983 when its owner, Charlie Malstead, was murdered during a robbery attempt.

Rodney O’Dowd would open O’Dowd Vacuum Center after that. Sitting at the southeast corner of 50th and NW Radial where the road heads southeast before straightening out. Its location and the high speed of the traffic has resulted in it being hit multiple times over the years. Its worst accident occurred in May of this year when an uninsured drunk driver crashed through the building without braking.

While Rodney passed away last year, his brother Byron who operates a similar shop at 1254 S 13th Street was preparing to relocate to this location. The accident has left the O’Dowd family with substantial out-of-pocket expenses to repair the damage before they can move-in. If you would like to help, you can do so by making a donation here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-restore-our-familys-vacuum-shop

This stretch of road is one of many that the city needs to address in order to make buildings, houses, and most importantly pedestrians safe.

Please feel free to comment to share your thoughts and memories.

Until next time, keep exploring!

Omaha Exploration is sponsored by

Click here to contact me if you’re interested in sponsoring OE.