Published June 8, 2025 | Updated May 26, 2026

When Alfred Forman built an extravagant Queen Anne house for his family, he couldn’t imagine having to bury his son just five years later.

Built in 1890, the Queen Anne overlooking Hanscom Park was long considered a showcase home in the Field Club neighborhood. This style of house was popular during the Victorian Era from 1830 to 1890, and this was just one of several that were built in the area.

Located at 1602 S. 32nd Avenue, the 2½-story house with 10 rooms featured finials, a cupola on its southeast corner, a rounded wall on its northeast corner that resembled a turret, as well as an elaborately detailed porch, ornamental shingling, and a large brick chimney. Its steeply pitched and irregular roofline added to the asymmetrical nature of the style.

Its builder was the son of English immigrants and a native of Illinois who fought in the Civil War. Afterward, he worked as a train conductor before starting his own business as a coal merchant and railroad ticket broker. While living in the grand house, he witnessed the passing of both his 19-year-old son Charles in 1895 and his wife Georgia in 1910. Every year on his son’s birthday, Alfred hosted a dinner for disadvantaged children.

At that point, Alfred mostly lived alone in the large house, though his longtime friend, rental agent, and coachman, Robert Anderson, a native of Ireland, was nearby. He began working for Alfred around 1894 and lived on the second floor of the carriage house for a number of years. Robert, due to a spinal condition, was known to conduct business from his boss’s buggy, pulled by Dolly, his brown mare. That buggy dated back to the 1840s, and in it, Alfred attended the first Aksarben coronation ball. Robert told the Omaha World-Herald in 1930 that he had little use for an automobile. “They’re a lot of bother and Dolly is company to me.” He continued, “Sometimes I think she knows more than I do, and when I once go to a place, I can rely on her taking me back a second time, even if I forget the exact location.”

The horse was often seen hitched in front of city hall. In later years, when Alfred began selling his properties, Robert began investing his own savings and built up an impressive portfolio of his own, even handling Alfred’s real estate holdings in his later years. Coincidentally, Robert passed away in 1933, the same year as Alfred. He left an estate of more than $100,000, including cash, bonds, mortgages, and 22 pieces of real estate — accumulated through saving and thrifty spending.

When Alfred passed away, he donated the house and several adjoining lots to the Omaha Creche, a daycare for single and working parents. His only request was that if it were to be used as a home for children, it be in the memory of his son. While the Creche never used it for that purpose, the memory of the Forman family was honored with an annual outing for the children of the home. The house was rented to a number of occupants until it was sold in 1947.

At some point afterward, the Queen Anne was turned into apartments and two of its porches were converted into interior space. Two of its occupants were the parents of interior designer Dick Bishop and his brother Daniel, who bought it for that purpose. The Bishops’ apartment was situated in what had been the foyer, dining room, and parlor. These spaces were turned into a living room, a pantry that featured a stained-glass window that was moved from the front of the house to the side, and the bedroom. It also featured the original fireplace with decorative tile and metal scrollwork and an iron fire basket over the hearth.

Among the first houses to be built in what would become the Field Club Historic District, the Queen Anne may have lost its cupola and be in need of some TLC, but it still maintains its intricate woodwork and other historic details. With a permit recently filed for a remodel, maybe, just maybe, it will return to its former glory. Perhaps then, this house would be recognizable to both Alfred Forman and Robert Anderson.

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

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• Omaha World-Herald archives
• Beacon – Douglas County, NE – Report: 1236880000
• Alfred M. Forman (1843-1933) – Find a Grave Memorial
• Robert Anderson (1859-1933) – Find a Grave Memorial