Omaha Exploration

The large home overlooking Hanscom Park in the Field Club neighborhood was designed by architect Joseph E. Dietrick. Built in 1896, it was arguably the most elaborate Victorian-era house in the neighborhood. It features fish-scale shingles, an elaborate wraparound front porch, and applied molding. These elements are incorporated into a cross-gambrel roofline that combines the ornate detailing of the Queen Anne style with the more conservative Dutch Colonial roof form.

Inside, the house includes a reception hall with a fireplace, a formal dining room with hand-carved columns, pocket doors with transoms to allow for airflow, built-ins, bench seating, a bamboo-inspired staircase, and large windows throughout.

Located at 1624 S. 32nd Avenue, the house was built for Charles and Marietta Hughes. Charles Hughes was superintendent of the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad. The Hughes family moved by 1900, at which point the house was sold to Dr. Henry Burrell, who in turn moved out in 1906.

The next owner was Judge William H. Munger. Widely known as the Judge Munger residence, he was born in New York in 1845. He moved to Cleveland at age 20, where he worked in his uncle’s dry goods store while also studying the law. He joined a law firm a year later and was admitted to the bar in 1868. At that point he relocated to Fremont, Nebraska.

While building his legal practice, he worked briefly at a lumber yard and tried small cases. In 1875, he served as a member of Nebraska’s constitutional convention. By 1878, he entered into a partnership with J. M. Woolworth of Omaha. He was appointed a United States judge in 1898 by President Grover Cleveland and served on the bench until 1914, passing away the following year. His wife, Jennie Munger, moved out shortly afterward.

J. L. Baker of the Baker Ice Machine Company became the next resident. Perhaps his biggest contribution came in 1920 with the addition of a brick-and-concrete reinforced garage facing Hickory Street at a cost of $2,000. He continued to live there until at least 1940.

The home changed hands several times after that, including ownership by Robert Schaap, who made alterations in 1947 without filing a permit. It seems plausible that Robert is responsible for converting the grand home into apartments. Elmer and Kathryn Grossoehme purchased the property shortly thereafter. After Elmer’s death, Kathryn lived in the basement quarters while maintaining the house and its six rental units by herself.

An Omaha World-Herald article from 1977 noted that at age 69, Kathryn repaired one of the pillars supporting the front porch. She also applied wallpaper, painted walls and woodwork, laid carpet, repaired plaster, fixed cracks in the sidewalk, set bathroom tile, and even did some carpentry—though she admitted she was not much of a plumber or electrician. It is unclear when Kathryn moved out, but she lived until 1992. Subsequent owners continued renovations over the following decades. The home sold in 2019 for $297,000.

The 4,000-square-foot home, with five bedrooms and four bathrooms, is currently listed for $675,000. It retains many original features, including its woodwork, while offering an updated kitchen, refreshed bathrooms, and a lower-level suite with a private entrance, bathroom, and kitchen. The third floor also includes 1,205 square feet of space ready to be finished and features a separate kitchen. See the link in the comments for the real estate listing.

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