Published February 17, 2026 | Updated July 20, 2026

Oscar Keeline strategically built his office complex across the street from the Douglas County Courthouse in 1911.

Born in Ohio in 1859, Oscar was the son of George Keeline, a pioneer banker who settled in Council Bluffs in 1869. Oscar followed his father’s lead and worked as the vice president of City National Bank when he purchased the residence of Captain Charles B. Ruston who served as the vice president of the Omaha Street Railway Company in addition to the Omaha Smelting Works.

Located at the northeast corner of 17th and Harney Street, Oscar helped transform an area that was mostly residential in its early years to one that was primarily commercial. The courthouse was finished just one year later.

Designed in the Georgian Revival style by architect John Latenser Sr., the seven-story mixed-use building was built by Selden-Breck Construction Company. The structure was made with red brick and terra cotta and featured a first-floor glass storefront and a terra cotta crown with ornamental relief above the top floor.

Oscar left Omaha in 1915 and worked in the cattle business in Wyoming for several years. He still owned the building when he passed away in California.

After Omaha State Bank leased the corner storefront, it became known as the State Bank Building for a time. It was renovated by Leo A. Daly and Stitt Construction in 1959, at which point the entrance was framed in black granite with aluminum doors. Inside, the lobby had marble walls and terrazzo flooring installed. Starting in 1973, a portion of the building served as an “interim courthouse” as the courthouse was being renovated.

In 1999, the building, which was mostly occupied by lawyers and county offices, was renovated by NuStyle Development. As a part of the renovation, the burnt-orange window frames were installed along with exposing the mosaic tile and marble paneling inside. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

More recently it was renovated by its current owners, Shamrock Development, whose offices are located inside. Renovations included replacing the roof along with making improvements to the first-floor storefront and repairs to its brick exterior.

While the upper floor remains as office space for small businesses, lawyers, counselors, and others, the ground floor storefronts have been the home to dozens of businesses over the years. The prominent corner storefront has a history of being the home to Omaha State Bank, Wilcox & Allen Clothes Shop, Walgreen’s Drug Store, Harney Drug Company, and Takechi Jewelers. Facing 17th Street were three storefronts that served as the home to Kretschmer’s Camera, Wolfe Electronic, Suris Flower Shop, and a variety of cigar stores. They also had a long history of serving as restaurants including Berry’s Cafe, Davis Coffee Shop, Cafe 317, and Schlotzsky’s.

Meanwhile, around the corner along Harney Street was a storefront occupied by the likes of Donaghue Florist, Health Spot Shoes, and Nebraska State Bank. The bay next door served as the home to Matthew’s Book Store, Harney Street Video, and more recently Oasis Falafel. The further east storefront was occupied by Imperial Bakery and Kitchen, A.G. Spalding and Brothers, Eastman Kodak, and Central Dance Theater among others.

More than a century later, Keeline’s namesake structure is largely used in the same way it was when it was first built. It continues to provide downtown office space for a variety of tenants including small businesses, attorneys, counselors, and others. The street level retail also serves those that live and work in the area offering a mix of restaurants and entertainment.

The Keeline Building is located at 319 S. 17th Street and is home to the following businesses:

Bob’s Grill & Cafe is a longstanding breakfast and lunch spot that serves everything from breakfast burritos and quesadillas to salads, sandwiches, and burgers.

La Traga-Zona is a brunch-focused restaurant that serves crepes, waffles, sandwiches, milkshakes, coffee, and some adult beverages.

Mexitli is a food truck-turned restaurant that serves authentic Mexican dishes from breakfast to dinner.

Backline Comedy is Omaha’s home for locally sourced comedy with performances four nights per week.

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Sources

• Omaha World-Herald newspaper archives
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/26724290/oscar-keeline
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeline_Building
• https://preservation.cityofomaha.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/BD-121-N_Keeline-Bldg_NR.pdf
• https://keelinebuilding.com/
• https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/06/02/omahas-111-year-old-keeline-building-poised-for-6-8-million-revamp/
• https://www.lundross.com/historic/keeline-building