The English Cottage at 1106 Turner Boulevard is one of my favorite houses in the Field Club Historic District. The home is even more spectacular when its owners decorate it for the holidays.
Built in 1921, and while this has yet to be confirmed, it has been suggested that the house was designed by Henning H. Henningson, the founder of the Henningson Engineering Company—later known as HDR, the massive engineering firm headquartered in Aksarben Village. Henning was not an architect by trade but is said to have designed three houses, including this one.
The two-story cottage is the most highly ornamented example of an English Cottage in Field Club. While it conforms to the building standard with its small scale, steeply pitched roof and brick construction, it also features a diapering pattern in the brick work and matching garage as well as the green tile roof and oblong chimney that standout from the norm.
The home was built for Walter G. Humphreys; his wife, Veola Karr Humphreys; and their son, Lowell. Walter owned the Humphreys Brothers Machine Shop and the W. G. Humphreys Construction Company. After Veola passed away in 1932, Walter married Chelsea Besack, a singer who often performed in the home.
The Humphreys family moved out in 1945, at which point Abe H. Markovitz and his wife, Rose Rosenstein Markovitz, moved in. Abe was vice president and sales manager at Barron Oil Company. He later founded Marks (short for Markovitz) Distributing Company before moving out in 1952.
The third set of owners—Dean G. Miller and Carolyn Ann Croft Miller, along with their daughters, Rita and Amy Jo—moved into the cottage that same year. A fun aside is that Rita and Amy Jo recently visited the house decades after moving out. The Millers, it seems, were big into dancing, and in addition to forming numerous dance organizations, they even held dances in the basement.
The Millers moved out in 1961, giving Joseph H. Grier and Mildred Skarda Grier the opportunity to call the cottage home. Joe worked at Mutual of Omaha for 35 years, including time as a district manager. Master gardeners, the Griers added a spectacular garden to the large backyard before moving out 51 years later in 2012.
The current owners moved into the cottage in 2012 after relocating from Arizona. Mike and Dan Loven-Crum have made the home their own by expanding the brick pathways in the backyard, painting the exterior trim around the windows and doors, and installing the spectacular holiday light display each year for the enjoyment of the community.
If you’re interested in learning more about the house, I encourage you to check out its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheFieldClubChristmasCottage
Content written by Omaha Exploration. If you enjoy my content, you can follow or subscribe on my Facebook page, signup to receive emails or make a donation on my website. Thank you and until next time, keep exploring!
Read my content on Grow Omaha: Local History by Omaha Exploration | Grow Omaha
Omaha Exploration is sponsored by @Rockbrook Mortgage Inc.
Click the logo to learn more
Click here to learn about opportunities to sponsor Omaha Exploration!
More pictures
Follow OE on social media!
Get an email when new content is posted
Omaha Exploration, 2025. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links can be used, if full and clear credit is given to Omaha Exploration with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Omaha Exploration proudly supports
Contact me or click the logo to learn more
Omaha Exploration 
Leave a comment