Published January 3, 2026 | Updated September 22, 2026

Long before the turn of the century, Douglas County operated a poor farm. Located north of 42nd and Center Street, it predates both the VA Medical Center and the Field Club of Omaha.

On the grounds of the farm stood the Douglas County Hospital, a medical facility designed to care for patients suffering from tuberculosis, communicable disease, and psychiatric illness.

The county acquired 160 acres of land to establish the poor farm in, which had previously been located farther east along Saint Mary’s Avenue. Government-subsidized poor farms were common across the country, providing the poor with a place to live and work, along with food, clothing, and medical care. The farm stretched from Pacific Street on the north to Center Street on the south, and from 36th Street on the east to approximately 46th Street on the west.

Tracks for the Omaha Belt Line ran through the center of the property. On the eastern end was the poor farm cemetery, often called a potter’s field. With construction starting in 1888 and fully complete by 1902, the original hospital focused on treating tuberculosis, communicable disease, and psychiatric patients. Over time, overcrowding and structural problems made a new facility necessary.

Completed in 1932, the new hospital was designed by John Latenser and Sons Architects. Its unique,  staggered open-air sun porches along the elevations faced Woolworth Avenue to the south. By this time, the poor farm had ceased operations, and the property had shrunk from 160 acres to just 40.

Although the new hospital was larger than the original, only two of the planned three wings were built due to the Great Depression. With 250 beds, one wing treated tuberculosis patients, while the other focused on psychiatric care. The hospital also included space for obstetrics and sick children. Upper floors served as sleeping quarters for physicians and medical residents, while operating rooms, a laboratory, and an X-ray center intended for the third wing were accommodated elsewhere in the building.

By the time the original hospital was demolished in 1947, the role of the newer facility was already changing. Advancements in medical care had eliminated the need for a tuberculosis ward, and the open-air porches were enclosed to provide additional beds.

The hospital later became home to the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute, a partnership between the State of Nebraska and the University of Nebraska College of Medicine, before it moved into its own facility. After a major expansion in 1960, the facility stopped providing hospital services in 1976 and was renamed the Douglas County Health Center.

Of the original 160 acres, the land is now divided among Douglas County Health, the Douglas County Youth Center, and the Nebraska Department of Health, as well as the Omaha VA Medical Center and the Field Club of Omaha. The tracks of the former Omaha Belt Line have been converted into the popular Field Club Trail, offering a visible link to the property’s past.

Today, little remains to suggest the land’s origins as a poor farm and tuberculosis hospital. Its purpose, however, has endured, evolving from sheltering the county’s most vulnerable residents to supporting modern public health services that meet the community’s needs.

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More pictures

• Omaha World-Herald archives
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_County_Poor_Farm
• https://douglascohistory.org/tag/hospitals/
• Indoor exhibit and plaques at Douglas County health