# Old Market (Omaha, Nebraska)

The Old Market is a neighborhood located in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, United States, and is bordered by South 10th Street to the east, 13th Street to the west, Farnam Street to the north and Jackson Street to the South. The neighborhood has many restaurants, art galleries and upscale shopping. The area retains its brick paved streets from the turn of the 20th century, horse-drawn carriages, and covered sidewalks in some areas. It is not uncommon to see a variety of street performers, artists, and other vendors.

## Historic designation

The area is on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district, and borders the former site of the Jobbers Canyon Historic District, as well as the extant Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District and the Warehouses in Omaha MPS. There is a walking tour of historic buildings available from the Omaha Chamber of Commerce. There are also several specifically noted historic buildings within the district.

## Historic buildings

Buildings within the Old Market have served a variety of purposes, and were built during various eras. Originally built to sell groceries wholesale and retail to the city of Omaha and beyond, the Old Market district was preceded by the Market House in Omaha's Jefferson Square.
The Old Market district was formed when the Market House still stood. The buildings and businesses included:
* P. E. Iler Block, a contributing property to the district. Built in 1901, the six-story building was originally built as a warehouse. A 1990 rehabilitation converted the building into retail and office space.
* The Windsor Hotel is a three-story brick building built in 1885. The building was converted into rental residential and commercial space, in 1985. The Broatch Building was built in 1880, and expanded in 1887.
* The McClure-Smith Building is a two-story brick building that was built around 1878. Originally a steam bakery, a 1985 rehabilitation converted the building to office and retail space.
* The A. I. Root Building is a three-story brick building constructed, in 1904, as offices. The building was doubled in size by the addition of an equal-size portion, in 1909. In 1993, it was converted to retail and residential spaces.
* The Morse-Coe Shoe Company, now known as the Mayfield Apartments, was built as a five-story warehouse and light industrial building, in 1894. A 2002 rehabilitation converted the structure to a mixed-use of apartments, retail space and parking. The George H. Lee Building was built, in 1903, as warehouse and office space.

### Construction

Most of the buildings in the Old Market are brick, and the streets throughout are covered with bricked surfaces, cobblestone and asphalt. There were also cast-iron fronts, metal cornices, stone trim, and metal sidewalk coverings shelters attached to many of the buildings around the turn of the 20th century.

### Building details

| Name | Built | Location | NRHP? | Notes |
| Windsor Hotel | 1885, 1889 | 520-524 South 10th Street | Yes | |
| Omaha Fire Station Number One | 1902-04 | 514 South 11th Street | Yes | |
| P.E. Iler Block | 1900-01 | 1113-1117 Howard Street | Yes | |
| Millard Block Number Two | 1887 | 1109-1111 Harney Street | Yes | Designed by the architecture firm Isaac Hodgson and Son. |
| Mercer Hotel - Gahm Block | 1890–92, 1900 | 1202-1208 Howard Street; 414-418 South 12th Street | Yes | Originally designed by architect Charles F. Beindorff, and completely renovated in 1900 by architect Charles Cleves. |
| Millard Block | 1881-82 | 1101-1107 Harney Street | Yes | |
| W.J. Broatch Building | 1880, 1887 | 1209-1211 Harney Street | Yes | |
| Steele, Johnson and Company / Baum Iron Company Building | 1881 | 1219-21-23 Harney Street | Yes | Today, Baum continues to operate at this location as the Baum Hydraulic Company. |
| Poppleton Block | 1886 | 413-423 South 11th Street | Yes | |
| Ernest Myer Building | 1912 | 1015 Howard Street | Yes | |
| Hotel Howard | 1909 | 1002-06 Howard Street | Yes | |
| Lehman Building | 1905 | 1008-1012 Howard Street | Yes | |
| | 1934 | 1014 Howard Street | Yes | |
| Mercer Block Number Two | 1887 | 501-509 South 11th Street | Yes | Designed by architect Henry Voss. |
| Rocco Brothers / Craftsmen Guild | 1895 | 511 South 11th Street | Yes | |
| Kosters / Gilinsky / French Cafe Building | 1891 | 1013-1017 Howard Street | Yes | |
| Metz Block | 1890s | 508-10-12 South 10th Street | Yes | |
| Public Market | 1905 | NE corner of 11th and Jackson | | |
| Ames Block | 1889 | 1101-1111 Howard Street | Yes | Designed by the architectural firm of VanBrunt and Howe from Kansas City, Missouri |
| Mercer Block Number Three | 1905 | 1102-1112 Howard Street and 414-424 South 11th Street | Yes | Designed by architect Charles Cleves. |
| Woolworth Building | 1887 | 1114-24 Howard Street | Yes | Designed by the firm of Mendelssohn and Lawrie. |
| A.I. Root Building | 1904, 1909 | 1210-12-14-16 Howard Street | Yes | Designed by architect F. A. Henninger. |
| Morse-Coe Shoe Company Building | 1894 | 1119-23 Howard Street | Yes | |
| George H. Lee Building | 1903 | 1115-17 Harney Street | Yes | Designed by architect John Latenser. |
| | 1901 (est) | 1205-07 Harney Street | Yes | |
| George Warren Smith Building | 1880 | 1213-15 Harney Street | Yes | |
| | 1880 | 1113 Harney Street | Yes | |
| National Building | 1915 | 406 South 12th Street | Yes | |
| Baker-Corey-McKenzie Building | 1919 | 1120-24 Harney Street | Yes | Designed by the architectural firm of John Latenser & Sons. |
| P.E. Iler Block | 1881 | 1108-10-12 Harney Street | Yes | |
| Millard-Kirkendall and Jones Building | 1887 | 1102-06 Harney Street | Yes | |
| Omaha Crockery Building | 1918 | 1116-20 Harney Street | Yes | Designed by architect J. Christ Jensen |
| Smith Building | 1877 | 1113 Farnam Street | Yes | |
| Dewey and Stone Building | 1876 | 1115-17 Farnam Street | Yes | |
| Clark and French Building | 1879 | 1119 Farnam Street | Yes | |

## Redevelopment

ConAgra Foods relocated their headquarters to neighbor the Old Market in 1991, after a contentious battle with local advocates after the City of Omaha demolished the Jobbers Canyon Historic District. On October 1, 2015, ConAgra announced that it would cut about 1,500 jobs and relocate its headquarters to Chicago as part of a restructuring plan.

## 2016 Old Market explosion

On January 9, 2016, at 2:51 pm local time, a large explosion occurred at M's Pub on the northwest corner of 11th and Howard streets causing a large fire to break out. The fire and subsequent efforts to extinguish it caused a total loss of the 100-year-old building as firefighters worked through the night and following morning. Temperatures at the time were in the sub-zero range causing large-scale freezing of the water from the fire fighting efforts. The explosion is believed to have been caused by a gas line that was accidentally ruptured by contractors on behalf of Verizon installing fiber-optic cables. Although several people were injured during the explosion, there were no fatalities. Eyewitnesses reported injuries sustained by multiple people within the immediate vicinity of the explosion, although these were not broadcast by local media outlets.

## Image gallery

* Businesses located along Howard street in the Old Market.
* Mercer Block Number Two & Rocco Brothers Building, on 11th Street