Omaha Exploration

Long before it became a mashup between a dive bar, volleyball court and music venue, the building that is now O’Leavers was the longtime home to Roma Lounge. Founded by John Capoccia who was born in Italy in 1895 and landed in New York in 1912. From there he made his way to Omaha where he first worked as a boilermaker. 

By 1938 he was married with a couple of teenage sons. It was at that time John constructed a building at 1320/1322 S Saddle Creek Road. The building with an entrance facing the flood prone road out front provided enough room for his tavern and living quarters in the back. 

He first named it Capoccia’s Beer Garden but soon after changed it to New Roma Beer Garden. Perhaps the last name proved too difficult for some Americans to pronounce. I suspect the new name was inspired by the capital city of his homeland. 

Roma must have had a prominent outdoor area given its name and the fact that it introduced the sport of bocce to Omaha after creating the first public court. As was common at the time, the lounge featured live music and dancing on the weekends in addition to stiff drinks in a cozy, relaxing environment.

After World War II ended John’s sons, Anthony and Johnny, went to work alongside their father. It seems that John was unable to work by 1950 at which point his sons would continue to operate it.

The brothers replaced the previous building in 1963 and constructed the one that we’re familiar with today.  They posted a classified ad in the newspaper stating that the 21’x45′ building still in good condition would be sold to the highest bidder and moved to another location. No word on where it was moved to.

At this point it became known as Roma Lounge. The Capoccia brothers also took the opportunity to install a copper hooded fireplace to add some ambiance to the new building. In ads they claimed it was the only real wood-burning fireplace lounge in Omaha at the time.

Like many of the old school lounges, it became increasingly casual. It also changed its menu and featured more sandwiches. One that they advertised heavily was the king-sized bulgie loaded with not only Italian sausage and peppers but also ham and beef. Roma Lounge continued its long run before closing in 1978. When Anthony passed away in 2003, his wife Lola said that he continued to operate the bar not only in deference to his father but also because he enjoyed being around people. Its founder, John Capoccia, passed away in 1981 followed by Johnny in 1990.

By 1981 Goddard’s Bar & Grill setup shop. Goddard’s didn’t feature live music as far as I could tell but did play Top-40’s on the weekends. It was also a much more casual place than Roma and more akin to a sport bar than a lounge. Its owner was also responsible for turning the lot to the north into volleyball courts as another way to attract business. Volleyball was becoming a popular bar sport at the time with places like Ranch Bowl also having courts.

By 1992 Dan Leaver took over the “Home to Sand and Suds” which by that time was showing its age. He changed its name it O’Leaver’s Pub – I suspect it was an attempt to put an Irish spin on the bar which may also explain its green walls. In those days, its main attraction remained its volleyball courts. The bar retained the O’Leaver’s name after it was sold in 2002. The new owners, Chris Mello and Sean Conway, were responsible for turning a volleyball bar into one of the best indie music spots in the city. 

Chris explained during an interview with Lazy-i in 2007 that they never planned for it to be a music venue. They tried different things to attract an audience beyond the volleyball crowd and regulars. They tried karaoke, cheap beer nights and even acoustic music once a week. It wasn’t until a musician left a PA system after a show that they decided to put it to use.

By that time the 49’r began turning away certain acts who happened to make their way to O’Leaver’s. Something serendipitous occurred when Simon Joyner and Tim Kasher of Cursive dropped in to perform which happened to be the same day that the founders of One Percent Productions showed up. In O’Leaver’s they saw a place that could fill a need for bands that were too small for Sokol. 

The pub that started without a stage or lighting built a stage against a backdrop of the owners vinyl record sleeves with the likes of Phil Collins, Michael Jackson, Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen and many others stapled to the wall. One thing led to another and O’Leaver’s began attracting not only top local talent but some of the best indie rock acts in the entire country. It didn’t hurt that O’Leaver’s offered free beer to the bands that played.

As better equipped music venues such as Waiting Room and Slowdown opened their doors, O’Leaver’s cut back on its number of acts. By that point, it appealed to bands that could play in front of their friends and get hammered while doing it.

The latest iteration of the bar was founded in 2012 when Tim Kasher and other members of Cursive in addition to longtime bartender Chris Machmueller of Ladyfinger bought it.

In addition to keeping the music acts coming in, the latest owners also added the outdoor patio that serves as an oasis in the middle of the city. They also expanded the establishment by adding a separate room and generally cleaned the place up while retaining its well-worn aesthetic.

O’Leaver’s continues to operate in the same location that John Capoccia first opened his beer garden nearly 90 years ago. Since that time its original building was replaced, volleyball courts were added, a stage was built and an outdoor patio was added. No one could have forseen during that time it would become one of the top indie music spots in the city in addition to earning a national reputation. It is likely the closest thing to Ranch Bowl that Omaha will ever see.

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