Omaha Exploration

In the next of a multi-part series, we’ll explore the history of buildings that sit along the streetcar route and get acquainted with the businesses being impacted by its ongoing construction.

In this article, we’ll explore the Meyer & Raapke Building which is home to Wilson & Washburn.

Sitting just west of the Old Market, the four-story Meyer & Raapke Building stands out among its neighbors at 14th and Harney Streets. Constructed in 1886, the building was designed by the Cleves Brothers in the Richardsonian Romanesque style.

Among its most distinct characteristics were the three bays with arches extending from the second floor to above the fourth-floor windows. Separating the third and fourth-floor windows are spandrel panels with the initials “M & R” for Meyer & Raapke. The brick building was accented with rusticated stone and a metal cornice that stretched along the front.

Founded in 1868, Henry Meyer and Louis Raapke were among the first (and very few) to move from the retail grocery business to wholesale. Meyer & Raapke occupied the eastern side of the new building while leasing out the western side to generate cash flow and cover costs. The additional space also allowed room for future expansion.

The company referred to itself as the city’s pioneer grocery store and focused on “fancy groceries,” which included canned goods such as corn, tomatoes, fruit, corned beef, lobster, bacon, and other meats. They also sold tea, spices, tobacco, cigars, and sugar beet seeds. Henry Meyer passed away unexpectedly in 1904, and the business folded in 1909. The Meyer family retained ownership of the building until 1944, renting it out to a variety of jobbers, manufacturers, and small businesses during that time.

The other original tenant was Marks Brothers Saddlery. Occupying the western side of the building, the company was a wholesaler and manufacturer of saddles, harnesses, and other leather goods. They remained in the Meyer & Raapke Building until 1891, when they relocated to East Omaha.

Other prominent tenants included Corey & McKenzie and the Levenson Chemical Company. Corey & McKenzie was a printing and office goods company that moved into the space vacated by Meyer & Raapke in 1911. The company relocated several times but returned in 1975, remaining there until it was sold to a competitor in 2007. Meanwhile, Levenson moved into the western side in 1937. Occupying all four floors, the company manufactured insecticides, fungicides, and rodenticides, as well as toiletries, lotions, and soaps. They sold the extermination side of the business in the late 1970s but continued with retail operations until 1996.

The storefront was modernized in 1949, and at some point, the spandrel panels and cornice on the eastern half of the building were removed. When the Hotel Harney was demolished in 1965, it exposed long-hidden advertisements on the eastern wall of the building. One read: “Meyer & Raapke, Western Distributing Agt’s for Blackwell’s The Only Genuine Durham Tobacco,” and the other: “Marks Bro’s Saddlery. Wholesale Manufacturers. Saddles, Harness and Collars.” The advertisements were later painted over to protect them from deterioration.

The upper floors of the building were converted to apartments known as Meyer Raapke Flats. The commercial space found new life with businesses such as Second Chance Antiques on the eastern side and Gilligan’s and The Foundation Bar on the west. The Omaha startup Flywheel also operated its offices in the building for a time.

Wilson & Washburn opened in the western portion of the first floor. The restaurant and bar aims to honor the legacy of Anna Wilson, the madam known as Omaha’s “Queen of the Underworld,” and Josie Washburn, a former prostitute turned madam who later authored The Underworld Sewer.

The restaurant’s motto, “A Serious Comfort Station,” was a term once used to describe brothels in the days of Wilson and Washburn. Opened by Eric Hochstein and Jeff Luby, the restaurant features elevated bar food and an impressive craft beer selection. Omaha Magazine recently named it one of the city’s best places for late-night dining.

If Wilson & Washburn appeals to you, consider paying them a visit so they can remain open when streetcar construction is finished in 2028.

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Read my content on Grow Omaha: Local History by Omaha Exploration | Grow Omaha

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