Omaha Exploration

Overlooking Hanscom Park, this Dutch Colonial home with Arts & Crafts influences in the Field Club Historic District was one of six houses built in the area of Center Street and 32nd Avenue by the Douglas Security Company in 1909.

Located at 1742 S. 32nd Avenue, the 2½-story house features a brick-and-stucco exterior and was designed by architect F. A. Henninger. The Douglas Security Company was formed in 1907 by George W. Megeath. If the Megeath name sounds familiar, it’s because the family held significant real estate interests and donated land that would become Hanscom Park. The park, however, was named after Andrew J. Hanscom, who contributed a larger portion of the land.

The Megeath family lived nearby on Marietta Place at 3317 S. 33rd Street, south of Center Street. That house was later donated to the Masonic Home for Boys (present-day Omaha Home for Boys). James G. Megeath of Virginia was returning home following the California Gold Rush when he passed through Omaha. Convinced of its growth potential, he settled in the fledgling town and amassed a fortune after developing portable warehouses used by the Union Pacific Railroad as it laid tracks west from Omaha.

Windsor F. Megeath, president of the Sherian Coal Company—like his father George—was the original occupant of the home at 1742 S. 32nd Avenue, residing there from 1910 until 1921. The front façade, possibly inspired by Amsterdam canal houses, features a stepped gable, a symmetrical upper façade with paired windows, and a prominent central chimney.

Spanning 2,890 square feet, the interior of the 2½-story home was finished in mahogany and featured oak floors. The first floor included a sunroom, while the second floor had four corner bedrooms, a sleeping porch, and a bathroom. The third floor contained two maid’s rooms and an additional bathroom. The basement included a laundry room, fruit room, and furnace room. Windsor added a two-car garage in 1915.

After the Megeath family moved out, the house saw multiple occupants over the next three decades and was eventually divided into a two-family home by 1960, possibly earlier. Residents included Lila Abbott, Robert C. Fuller, Alberta Baily Ziegler, James Maxy, and Joe Socha, who died in 1956 after falling down the basement stairs.

Conrad and Barbara Lawrence later moved into the home. Although Conrad passed away at just 44 years old in 1977, Barbara continued raising their 10 children—ranging in age from five to 20—in the house. She sold the property in 1992 to Richard C. Davis for $79,000. It later sold to Philip and Joan Hawkins in 2011 for $139,000 and to Michael B. Engel in 2016 for $137,000. The current owners purchased the home in 2016 and have it listed for sale at $595,000.

The six-bedroom, four-bathroom home has been fully restored while preserving many of its key historic features, including original woodwork, hardwood floors, and fireplaces. Unique elements include a multi-level basement and a second-floor, two-bedroom space that can serve as an in-law suite with both interior and exterior access. Click the link to see its real estate listing: 1742 S 32nd Ave, Omaha, NE 68105 [Price Cut $40,000] | Zillow

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