The Kountze Place neighborhood of Omaha

Omaha

Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...

, Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

 is a historically significant community on the city's north end. Today the neighborhood is home to several buildings and homes listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

. It is located between North 16th Avenue on the east to North 30th Street on the west; Locust Street on the south to Pratt Street on the north. Kountze Place was annexed into Omaha in 1887.

About

Bordered by the historic neighborhoods of the Near North Side

Near North Side (Omaha, Nebraska)

The Near North Side of Omaha, Nebraska is the neighborhood immediately north of downtown. It forms the nucleus of the city's African-American community, and its name is often synonymous with the entire North Omaha area...

, Saratoga and East Omaha, Kountze Place was an early upper middle class

Upper middle class

The upper middle class is a sociological concept referring to the social group constituted by higher-status members of the middle class. This is in contrast to the term "lower middle class", which is used for the group at the opposite end of the middle class stratum, and to the broader term "middle...

 residential suburb

Suburb

The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

 developed by Omaha banker Herman Kountze

Herman Kountze

Herman Kountze was a powerful and influential pioneer banker in Omaha, Nebraska in the late 19th century. After organizing the Kountze Brothers Bank in 1857 as the second bank in Omaha, Herman and his brothers Augustus, Charles and Luther changed the charter in 1863, opening the First National...

 in 1883. It was originally accessible only via streetcar.

In 1898 Kountze Place was home to the Trans-Mississippi Exposition

Trans-Mississippi Exposition

The Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was a world's fair held in Omaha, Nebraska from June 1 to November 1 of 1898. Its goal was to showcase the development of the entire West, stretching from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast. The Indian Congress was held concurrently...

, a showcase for Nebraska's agricultural and Omaha's urban lifestyles. In 1899 some of the land that the Expo occupied was developed into Kountze Park. The area around the Park was filled in with housing afterwards, with some Exposition buildings being converted into grand houses.

Much of Kountze Place was devastated in the Easter Sunday Tornado of 1913, with landmarks such as Trinity Methodist Church to be rebuilt in other parts of the city. Additionally around this time, many of Kountze Place's richer residents were lured to areas such as Bemis Park and Gold Coast

Gold Coast Historic District (Omaha, Nebraska)

The Gold Coast Historic District is located in Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, this historic district covers approximately a 30 block area roughly bounded by 36th, 40th, Jones, and Cuming Streets...

 with promises of higher land values.

Landmarks

Several buildings and homes in Kountze Place are listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 and designated as Omaha Landmarks

Omaha Landmarks

This article covers Landmarks in Omaha, Nebraska designated by the City of Omaha Landmark Heritage Preservation Commission. In addition, it includes structures or buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places and those few designated as National Historic Landmarks, indicating their...

 by the City of Omaha. Former landmarks in the area included the Presbyterian Theological Seminary, built in 1902 at 3303 North 21st Place. It was closed in 1943.

Name	Year	Location	Notes
Sacred Heart Church Sacred Heart Catholic Church (Omaha, Nebraska) Sacred Heart Catholic Church is located at 2206 Binney Street in the Kountze Place neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1902 in the Late Gothic Revival Style, the City of Omaha declared it a landmark in 1979, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.The...	1902	2206 Binney Street
John P. Bay House John P. Bay House The John P. Bay House is located at 2024 Binney Street in the Kountze Place neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1887 by George L. Fisher, the house was designed in the Queen Anne Style. It was designated an Omaha Landmark by the City of Omaha in 1981.-History:The house's first owner,...	1887	2024 Binney Street
Charles Storz House Charles Storz House The Charles Storz House is located at 1901 Wirt Street in the Kountze Place neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska. The Arts and Crafts style house was designed by the Omaha architectural firm of Fisher and Lawrie and built in 1909...	1909	1901 Wirt Street
George H. Kelly House George H. Kelly House The George H. Kelly House is located at 1924 Binney Street in the Near North Side neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Built in 1904 in the Neo-Classical Revival style, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and designated a City of Omaha landmark that same...	1904	1924 Binney Street
Kountze Park	1899	1920 Pinkney Street	Site of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition Trans-Mississippi Exposition The Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was a world's fair held in Omaha, Nebraska from June 1 to November 1 of 1898. Its goal was to showcase the development of the entire West, stretching from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast. The Indian Congress was held concurrently...
George F. Shepard House George F. Shepard House The George F. Shepard House is located at 1802 Wirt Street in the Near North Side neighborhood on the north end of Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1903 in the Queen Anne/Beaux-Arts style, it was designated an Omaha Landmark in 1981.-About:...	1903	1802 Wirt Street	Designated an Omaha Landmark in 1981.
Lothrop School Lothrop School Lothrop Magnet Center is a public elementary school located at 3300 North 22nd Street in the Kountze Place neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska. As a magnet school it focuses on the topics of science, Spanish and technology...		3300 North 22nd Street
Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary The Presbyterian Theological Seminary was located at 3303 North 21st Place in North Omaha, Nebraska. Opened in 1891, the institution was closed in 1943.-History:...	1891	3303 North 21st Place	Closed in 1943.
Omaha Driving Park Omaha Driving Park The Omaha Driving Park, later called Sunset Driving Park, was located in North Omaha, Nebraska, USA. It was an important recreational and sports venue in the history of Omaha.- History :...	1875	Laird and Boyd Streets, and 16th to 20th Streets	Closed by 1910 and divided into house lots.
Redick Mansion Redick Mansion The Redick Mansion, also known as the Mayne Mansion and Redick Hall, was located at 3612 North 24th Street in North Omaha, Nebraska. It served as the first home of Omaha University, now known as the University of Nebraska at Omaha, from 1909 through 1917...	1875	3612 North 24th Street	First home of UNO University of Nebraska at Omaha The University of Nebraska at Omaha is a four-year state university located in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Founded in 1908 as Omaha University, the institution became the public Municipal University of Omaha in 1931. It assumed its current name in 1968 following a merger into the University... ; moved in 1917.

Omaha University

Omaha University, now called the University of Nebraska at Omaha, was once located on one city block at 24th and Pratt Streets on the Redick estate

Redick Mansion

The Redick Mansion, also known as the Mayne Mansion and Redick Hall, was located at 3612 North 24th Street in North Omaha, Nebraska. It served as the first home of Omaha University, now known as the University of Nebraska at Omaha, from 1909 through 1917...

. Their proposed "magnificent campus" was slated to be placed between 21st and 25th Avenues, bounded by Kountze Park and the Carter Lake Park. Original faculty came from the aforementioned Seminary, as well as Bellevue College. The first class meetings occurred at the Redick Mansion at 24th and Pratt.

In 1927 businessmen formed the North Omaha Activities Association in order to redevelop Saratoga School's playing field into a football field for Omaha University's football team. At that time the University was located just south in the posh Kountze Place suburb. With new bleachers built to accommodate a crowd of a thousand, the Saratoga Field was home to OU's team until 1951.

UNO moved to its present location in 1929.