Lost Omaha

by Janet R. Daly Bednarek

Overview

The landmarks of Omaha's past reveal a history of industry, innovation and change. The Hotel Fontenelle, the Omaha Athletic Club and the Medical Arts Building disappeared in the wake of changes remaking downtown after World War II. Jobbers Canyon, a vital part of the city's wholesale district, was sacrificed to ConAgra's headquarters. Peony Park closed as suburban sprawl prevented its expansion, and changing leisure patterns took residents farther away for their amusement park experience. The stockyards finally closed in 1999, ending a long chapter in Omaha's history. Author and historian Janet R. Daly Bednarek charts the legacy of Omaha's lost history through its landmarks.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439664605
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	04/30/2018
Series:	Lost
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Janet R. Daly Bednarek was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. She grew up in the Cathedral (now called Midtown) neighborhood, attending St. Cecilia's grade school and Cathedral High School. With a major in history, she graduated from Creighton University and then went to the University of Pittsburgh for her PhD. After a brief stint as a public historian working for the United States Air Force, she joined the faculty at the University of Dayton in 1992. Her classes include American Urban History, History of American City Planning and History of American Aviation. She has published four books, including her first, based on her dissertation, The Changing Image of the City: Planning for Downtown Omaha, 1945-1973. Her latest book, Airports, Cities and the Jet Age, came out in 2016. She lives with her husband in Centerville, Ohio.

Table of Contents

Introduction 7

1 When Downtown Was the Center and We Didn't "Bowl Alone" The Medical Arts Building 11

Hotel Fontenelle 19

Omaha Athletic Club 25

2 Peony Park and AK-SAR-BEN: Once Places of Suburban Leisure-Swallowed Up by Competition and Urban Growth Peony Park 33

AK-SAR-BEN Racetrack and Coliseum 42

3 Jobbers Canyon, the Omaha Stockyards and Packing Plants: Omaha's Blue-Collar Heritage, or When $3.18 an Hour Was a Good Wage Jobbers Canyon 53

Omaha Stockyards and Packinghouse District 66

4 Gone, but Perhaps Happily Forgotten: The ASARCO Lead Refinery 79

Conclusion. Six Degrees of Lost Omaha and the AK-SAR-BEN Bridge 87

Notes 93

Index 105

About the Author 111