Historic Omaha

It was soon surpassed by the Crossroads Mall
and now contains mostly business offices. The
Crossroads Mall, at Seventy-second and Dodge
Streets, was built in 1960 and remains one of
Omaha’s premier shopping centers. However,
the mall that attracted the most national
attention was the Westroads Mall, constructed
in the late 1960s. When it was finished, its 1.2
million square feet made it the largest mall
under one roof in the United States. It was also
the location of Omaha’s first multiplex movie
theater, the Westroads Six Theater. Multiplexes
in Omaha, such as that near Oak View Mall,
now feature 20 and 24 theaters, but in the late
1960s, it was a revolutionary idea.
Without a doubt, the most unusual and
intriguing shopping area in Omaha is the
“Old Market.” Bounded by Farnam Street on
the north, Leavenworth Street on the south,
Fourteenth Street on the west, and Tenth
Street on the east, this enclave is home to
many quaint specialty shops and awardwinning
restaurants.
The Old Market was born in the mid-
1960s as Omaha was moving west. The fruit
and produce markets were closing down, and
many of the buildings in this old warehouse
district sat empty. Sam Mercer, whose family
owned several of the area’s redbrick
warehouses, proposed an unusual solution.
Determined to save his beloved buildings,
Mercer suggested they be turned into small
shops and restaurants. “We knew these
warehouses had possibilities, and to tear them
down to construct contemporary buildings
would have been like painting over the Mona
Lisa,” said Mercer.
At first his idea was ridiculed; now it is
considered visionary. Today visitors can walk
along tree-lined, cobblestoned streets or
wander through a dimly lit Old Market
passageway preserving an old-world
atmosphere in the heart of a modern city.
Other areas of the city boasted their own
restaurants, heavy on Italian cuisine and
steakhouses, but also famed for ethnic
alternatives from Asian, Latin, and Central
European to Greek, Indian, and American.
Omaha’s Blackstone Hotel originated the
Reuben sandwich, and Willy Thiessen’s
Godfather’s Pizza was founded here.
Omaha’s cultural offerings were also
improving. While the Omaha Community
Playhouse was founded in 1925, it really
began to hit its stride with the construction of
the new theaters at Sixty-ninth and Cass in
1959. Rich in history with famous alumni like
Henry Fonda and Dorothy McGuire, the
Playhouse could now comfortably seat more
than five hundred. Its membership reached
six thousand, making it the largest
community theater in the country. During the
✧
Mayor Johnny Rosenblatt swings away in
the stadium named in his honor in 1956. It
is still home to the College World Series and
Omaha’s AAA Royals.
COURTESY OF BILL KRATVILLE AND THE DOUGLAS
COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTIONS.
CHAPTER IV
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