OMAHA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
"INVESTING IN PEOPLE AND PROJECTS"
OEDC
PRESERVING OUR PAST TO BUILD A BETTER FUTURE
As an Economic Development Corporation, OEDC serves the North Omaha community through a variety of physical development activities. We seek to preserve, revitalize, and build up the physical and cultural capital of the area specifically, as well as Omaha’s African American community as a whole.
During the latter part of the nineteenth century, North Omaha provided a place for foreign-born immigrants from several ethnic groups to get started, make a fortune, and then move further west across the United States. These early residents, predominantly Italian, Irish, German, Swedish, Jewish, and Danish, lived and worked side-by-side with a flourishing African-American population.
By the 1920s, Omaha was a thriving regional and local transportation and communication center. In addition, manufacturing, grain milling and storage, bakeries, brick-making, and lumber yards dotted the landscape, providing steady employment for North Omaha area residents.
North Omaha’s African American community flourished along the 24th Street commercial corridor. Drugstores, funeral homes, a newspaper, taxicab companies, fish markets, barbeque shops, cafes, a jewelry shop, cleaners, several theaters, social and civic entertainment establishments, as well as physician and attorney offices contributed to the vibrant community scenery.
Slowly, a different demographic trend began to emerge. Simultaneously, a climate of job discrimination surfaced. Isolation led to the creation of a number of social clubs and museums in North Omaha. These local institutions brought the history of the African American population to life. Organizations such as the Pleasant Hour Club, Aloha Club, Entre Nous Club, Beau Brummels Club, Dames Club, Jolly Twenty Club, Trojan Club and the Quack Club, the Royal Circle War Camp Community Service (American Legion), the Centralized Commonwealth Civic Club, and the Knights and Daughters of Tabor strengthened the sense of community. Buildings such as the Omaha Star, Dreamland Ballroom, McGill’s Blue Room, and Allen’s Showcase Lounge became tangible landmarks.
With the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, a period of raised expectations and hopes for racial equality engulfed the community. However, resistance to the terms of the Act resulted in the persistence of racial discrimination. Rising frustrations over delayed changes in political, economic and social experiences of African Americans fueled a surge in urban unrest. Civil disturbances erupted in Omaha during the late 1960s that significantly undermined the economic vitality of the 24th Street corridor and business district.
The subsequent decades of the 70s and 80s were marked by a tremendous loss of population and housing in North Omaha. As meat packing and railroad jobs in Omaha disappeared, North Omaha’s population fell to approximately one-third its previous level. The construction of the North Freeway in the 1970s displaced a significant number of homeowners in the community. The area has had a difficult time recovering from these losses. Once the trends of economic decline began, social disintegration and physical deterioration accelerated rapidly.
OEDC and other community stakeholders have actively advocated for various approaches to preservation in North Omaha. These initiatives have included keeping and enhancing the architectural and cultural identity of the community. Priorities have included the acquisition and restoration of several buildings and sites that commemorate the community’s history, including the Jewell Building, The Margaret, and the Fair Deal Café.
