Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District | |
Location | Roughly bounded by Jackson, 15th, 8th Sts., and UP Main Line, Omaha, Nebraska |
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Coordinates | 41°15′9″N 95°55′46″W / 41.25250°N 95.92944°W |
Area | 74.3 acres (30.1 ha) |
Built | 1887 |
Architect | multiple |
Architectural style | late 19th and early 20th century American Movements |
NRHP reference No. | 96000769 [1] |
Added to NRHP | July 19, 1996 |
The Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District, roughly bounded by Jackson, 15th, and 8th Streets, as well as the Union Pacific main line, is located in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. Today this historic district includes several buildings listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Union Pacific Depot and the Burlington Station.
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Transcontinental Railroad (2003, PBS American Experience)
Transcription
The development and spread of railroads across the United States brought a wave of changes to American life. During the railroad boom, thousands of jobs were created, new towns were born, trade increased, transportation was faster, and the overall landscape of the nation transformed. But, perhaps the most interesting change of all is the least known: the establishment of standard time. Today, we know if it is 6:28 a.m. in Los Angeles, it is 9:28 a.m. in New York, 2:28 p.m. in London, 5:28 p.m. in Moscow, and 10:28 p.m in Tokyo. No matter where you are, the minute and second are the exact same. But, before the railroads, there was no need for a national or global clock, and each town kept its own local time. So when it was 12 noon in Chicago, it was 12:07 p.m. in Indianapolis, 11:50 a.m. in St. Louis, and 11:27 a.m. in Omaha. This worked just fine when the only modes of travel were horses or steamboats, but it became incredibly problematic when railroads came along. How can you keep a train schedule when each town has its own time? And how do you prevent collisions or accidents on the tracks if train conductors are using different clocks? It doesn't really make sense to leave a station at 12:14 p.m., travel for 22 minutes, and arrive at 12:31 p.m. In order to eliminate that confusion, the railroads of the United States and Canada instituted standard time zones on November 18, 1883 at noon. It allowed the railroad companies to operate more effectively and reduce deadly accidents. The American public, however, was not so quick to embrace this new change, as many cities continued to use their own local time. Resistance was so strong that, in some towns, clocks would show both the local time and the railway time. Imagine this conversation: "Pardon me, sir. Do you have the time?" "Why yes, which do you need? It's 12:13 local time and 12:16 railway time." Ultimately, the logic of keeping a standard time prevailed, and the United States government made time zones a matter of law with the Standard Time Act of March 19, 1918. Since then, there have been numerous changes to the time zones, but the concept of standard time has remained. But, the United States was actually not the first to develop standard time. The first company to implement the use of standard time was the Great Western Railway in 1840 in Britain, and by 1847, most British railways were using Greenwich Mean Time, or G.M.T. The British government made it official on August 2, 1880 with the Statutes, or Definition of Time, Act. But, while Britain may have been the first to establish standard time, it is Asia and the islands of the South Pacific that enjoyed the first hour of each new day. The International Date Line passes through the Pacific Ocean on the opposite side of the Earth from the Prime Meridian in Greenwich where, thanks to trains, standard time was first used. Trains have evolved over the years and remain a prominent form of transportation and trade throughout the world. And, from the New York City subways to the freight trains traveling across the Great Plains, to the trolleys in San Francisco, they all know exactly what time it is. And, thanks to them, we do too!
About
The Union Pacific Railroad was of central importance to the growth of Omaha, particularly between 1887 and 1945. Buildings in the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District were built to serve business related to the main line of the transcontinental railroad, which runs through the present-day district. Large warehouses, manufacturing warehouses, transfer and storage companies, and service businesses filled the area.[2]
Today, the buildings border the Old Market, and serve as apartments, artist studios and other commercial enterprises.
Notable buildings
Several buildings within the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places or are significant for their local history.[3]
Name | Year | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Bushman Warehouse | 1890 | 1013 Leavenworth Street | This is a five-story brick and stone building originally used as a warehouse. The Bushman Warehouse was converted to rental residential and commercial space in 1998.[4] |
Union Pacific Depot | 1931 | 10th and Marcy Streets | |
Burlington Station | 1898 | 10th and Pacific Streets | |
Bemis Bag Company Building | 1889 | 11th and Jones Streets | Built in 3 phases between 1887 and 1902, the oldest part of the building is the portion next to the alley on 11th street.[5] |
Avery Manufacturing Warehouse | 1899 | ||
Mercantile Storage and Warehouse Building | 1920 | ||
Sattley Manufacturing Building | 1899 | ||
Butternut Building | 1909 | 714-716 South 10th Street, Omaha, Nebraska | Also known as the Parlin, Orendorff and Martin Plow Company Building, this nine-story building was designed in the Renaissance Revival style by John Latenser, Sr.[6][7] |
Creighton Block | 1906 | ||
Bekins Building | 1916 | Also known as the Western Newspaper Union and the Joslyn Lofts. |
See also
- Railroads in Omaha
- Jobbers Canyon Historic District
- Old Market Historic District
- Warehouses in Omaha MPS
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ (2007) More Nebraska National Historic Register Places in Douglas County.[Usurped!] Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved 5/20/07.
- ^ Mead and Hunt (2006) Reconnaissance Survey of Portions of South Central Omaha: Nebraska Historic Buildings Survey. City of Omaha and the Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved 5/20/07.
- ^ (2001) More Tax Incentive Program Projects in Douglas County[Usurped!]. Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved 5/20/07.
- ^ Bemis Bag Co. Building. City of Omaha Landmark Heritage Commission. Retrieved 5/20/07.
- ^ (2003) The 9INES Loft Apartments. Bluestone Development. Retrieved 5/20/07.
- ^ "More tax incentive program projects in Douglas County"[Usurped!], Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved 3/26/08.