Situated above West Dodge Road, off the beaten path, there sits 533 North 86th Street, a structure that I am long obsessed with. Throughout the years of discreet observation, I regarded her as the exclusive residence of two affluent Omahans. During that period, she was more enshrouded, with a tall hedge and although visible through the wide drive, she was very far from reach and somehow even more mysterious. I believe there was an electric gate, if I’m not mistaken. No silly signs; no descriptors; nothing hinting at the events that transpired within the confines of the building. These are my favorite conditions.  Based on her appearance, it was evident that the home had expanded and stretched out over the decades to accommodate the requirements of its latest owners.

 

 

 

Nothing to see here in 2022.

 

 

Nestled behind the hedge and along the north drive is a rustic, cobble stone, almost-pillar with a wrought iron arch holding the address and a little sign for those who wander by mistake. Quite unusual and bearing the signature of a creative person’s handiwork. I love things like this. I think the metal piece lodged within the stones was a component of the earlier gate.

 

Because I had not long been a female detective and had often drank dizzying amounts of coffee, my curiosity transformed me into a Real Nosy Nellie. You understand, my Eavesdropping Ellens.  Is it weird to say this was a place I had gone to and strolled? I seemed to never tire of its company. This little block, a grassy knoll, hidden by trees, concealed away from the distant vehicles and noise of West Dodge Road, separated from the outside world. I could perceive what it had once been. This has always been a fabulously aloof block. Not a sidewalk to speak of, the only individuals who passed me were dogs walking their eyes-down owners. As for 533 North 86th Street, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She was clearly the bright star of this universe. But in that, she wasn’t exactly pretty…there were too many shapes and nobs and peaks—but she was stunning. Stop-you-in-your-tracks different. Like catching a rare glimpse of Joni Mitchell on the sidewalks of Manhattan.

 

 

Secret maze entrance on the northern perimeter with the next door neighbor’s mailbox in the distance.

 

 

 

I had a pretty serious crush on what I assumed was her original architecture on the north side—a modestly-sized residence constructed of intriguing reddish-pink cobblestones. These were precisely the kind of whimsical fairytale stones meticulously arranged by the Seven Dwarfs or the handiwork of some hardworking gnomes. I observed two chimneys on the original house from the roadway. Someone, seemingly, had subdued the rustic nature of the earlier building while simultaneously integrating more modern additions, creating eastern and southern wings. 533 North 86th Street was a marvel of a project.

 

 

As it unfolded, I was mistaken all along and the wealthy couple did not actually reside there. 533 North 86^th Street was the pet property of their eponymous foundation. I never saw them when they did but I am told many prominent Omahans gathered here for meetings and functions.

 

Very recently a daycare acquired the property, exposed more of the hidden building and promptly installed fencing around the higher ground. Happy, colorful, mainstream signage appeared. In creating this friendlier, open property, a good deal of mystique has disappeared.

 

 

 

Early on I determined that the most effective method to penetrate the shroud of secrecy around 533 North 86th Street would be to secure a position within her household, either as a servant or in a role that would allow me to observe her actions and monitor her movements with Nancy Drewian attention. This rapidly devolved into a criminal venture so I transformed my role into one focused on remote study and research. But just know, in my mind, I approached the hidden cobblestoned home’s door of modest pretension, clicking the flagstone path decisively under my loafers and rapped thrice. I was promptly admitted by a smoke gray soul who bowed upon seeing me and promptly escorted me into a small room. I did not have to wait long. This is the story of that investigation.

 

 

 

A Simple Walkaround

 

North 86^th Street is a short, little street. It extends north from Cass Street, crosses over Underwood Avenue and ends at Burt Street. That’s it. The emphasis of our inquiry is much more concise—Cass to Underwood.

 

 

Google Map. 2024. I’ve dropped a red marker where 533 North 86th Street is located.

Children’s Nebraska Specialty Pediatric Clinic at 8552 Cass Street is directly south of our 533 North 86th. To enter into the small neighborhood of our focus, one would drive north between Children’s and 8600 Cass Street, a retail establishment housing Personal Threads Boutique and Lewis Art Gallery.

Nebraska Methodist College is located at 501 North 87^th Street and nearby 720 North 87^th Street, in addition to other impinging addresses. I mention them as Person of Interest, who possibly will be shaping this area in the near future.

 

533 North 86th Street shares the block from Cass Street to Underwood Avenue with a wonderful shortlist of homes.

 

 

First we must enjoy this fine assemblage of cut concrete and shrubbery whisper-screaming, “Do not cut through here, folks.” This drive once led to a parking lot, off of 87th Street, now defunct. 501 North 87^th Street is owned by Nebraska Methodist College and the lot to the direct west of the brick Tudor at 520 North 86th. You might not believe it but this is an improvement from the orange barricades of the past. This image summarizes the unusual blend of the whole area–formerly a residential area amidst the encroachment of commerce and Hospital Town USA. There remains dignity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

520 North 86 Street has long been a crush. It was a perfectly overgrown brick Tudor–so dark and lovely. It stands directly to the west of our investigation site. 520 North 86th Street was formerly regarded as a “English brick-acreage beauty.” The property featured various fruit trees, a poultry house, and additional outbuildings on the gentleman’s farm. I hope you can see what I see here.

The 520 North 86 Street mailbox was the best but also slightly dangerous, in a Ted Kaczynski way. I dream of this mailbox.

 

 

But then 520 North 86 Street went up for sale in 2023 and it was shorn of its foliage in a drastic way. Hacked, more like it. Did you attend the estate sale? This is how the little Tudor appears today. It is now owned by Methodist Hospital. Will they tear it down and expand their Nebraska Methodist College?

 

 

 

Next to the little Tudor and across the street from our obsession is 530 North 86^th Street. Now this is a desirable ranch and lovely property. I would live here in a pinch! My camera faces a northwest angle. Taken back in 2023. Large lot and exceptional trees.

 

 

 

The 530 North 86^th Street owners also possess the empty lot directly to their north at 542 North 86th Street, on the southwest corner of 86th and Underwood.

 

 

 

543 North 86th Street is Another One of My Absolute Fixations. It sits on the northern-most part of the block. These photos are about a year apart.  I am obsessed with its front-facing, Klinker chimney and the layout. This home reads like a casual French farm house. I see so much here. 543 apparently has a natural wood, high-beamed ceiling in the living room, two fireplaces and a screened in summer porch. I am told there is a knotty pine paneled rumpus room in the basement and you know how I feel about those! There is also an empty lot to the east. Can we just soak in the trees on this block and the surround? Amazing pines.

 

 

 

Parcel aerial borrowed from the Douglas County Assessor site.

 

The property of our obsession carries the postal address of 533 North 86^th Street but it also has a legal name: West Dodge Lot 13, block 5. All lots 7, 8, & 13 of block 5. A cursory glance indicates that the structure is located in the West Dodge addition and consists of lots 7, 8, and 13, now consolidated into a single parcel. The building is said to be 9,522 sq ft, is listed as a commercial and was supposedly built in 1931. It holds more than two acres.

 

This is an older shot I captured of 533 North 86th, taken just after the trees and shrubs at 520 North 86th Street were pruned for sale purposes. Aside from the air of utter poshnesss and quality of craftsmanship emanating from the structure, there are further elements that leave me floating. First–the whimsey and playfulness of the diverse architectural additions. Secondly the stunning Disneyland-esque forced perspective that we have discussed previously, wherein buildings appear larger than their true dimensions. It should be acknowledged that 533 North 86th Street is indeed a big girl; nonetheless, the absence of neighboring residences diminishes the sense of context. The building’s placement coupled with the inability to view it directly or comprehensively renders 533 North 86th Street a Visual Mystery. I am a fervent admirer of this type of misunderstanding.

 

 

 

The West Dodge Acres

 

533 North 86th and all lots on North 86th Street were part of an early West Omaha development from 1923 known as the West Dodge Acres addition. Hastings & Heyden were the realtor estate developers of the former 266-acre Langan farm, a tract on West Dodge Road “opposite the Peony Farm.” Carl Rosenfield’s Peony Farm, also known as Peony Gardens, was adjacent to the rapidly growing Peony Park. The amusement park was directly adjoining the new subdivision on the east. The old Langan Farm, turned West Dodge Acres, reportedly had numerous wells and a reservoir when Hastings & Heyden were establishing a private water system for their residential subdivision. They began paving a road (I surmise North 85^th Street) from Dodge to Blondo and planting maple trees along said road back in March of 1923.

 

The Omaha Daily News. June of 1923.

 

 

 

Somewhere on West Dodge Road. Bostwick, Louis and Frohardt, Homer. Durham Museum. 1924. Note that businesses nailed signs to trees along the road. This photograph gave me a good vision of the time period.

 

 

Image borrowed from the Douglas County Assessor site. West Dodge Acres as it appears today. The pizza slice of land in the lower right corner, adjacent to the West Dodge addition is the once Peony Park.

A survey of the Douglas County Assessor’s site revealed the West Dodge addition (they later dropped the “Acres”) is delineated by Blondo Street to the north, 83rd Street and the meandering Little Papillion Creek to the east, West Dodge Road to the south, and segments of 87th and 90th Streets to the west. Hastings & Heyden established an real estate office on Dodge across from the Peony farm and were at the ready in June of 1923.

Interestingly, a month later the Malec Brothers, developers of Peony Park, bought three more acres from Hastings & Heyden’s West Dodge Acres, as the amusement park was slated to become even more popular than they had previously anticipated. Peony Park would end up being bound by Izard Street, the Little Papillion Creek, Cass and 83^rd Street when I was a young girl.

 

 

 

City of Omaha Atlas. 1937. “Sponsored by the City of Omaha and compiled from data collected during the progress of the Omaha Real Property Inventory – 1936.” At the bottom right in an outlined box is written: “Atlas was prepared by the Works Progress Administration. Owned and scanned by the University of Nebraska Lincoln Libraries. Map borrowed from incredible Omaha Public Library site. This 1936 map reveals Peony Park extended south of Cass Street into an area that would become known as the New Tower Motor Inn. I have written about this in other investigations.

 

 

 

 

The Peony Park dancing pavilion. Donated by Peony Park/Joseph Malec II. Published by the Durham Museum. Date 1922. I was glad to find a photo of Peony Park and the surrounding area from the time period of the Hastings & Heyden’s development. It helped me get a feel for West Omaha.

 

 

 

This wonderful map, that we will magnify a bit later, depicts the West Dodge addition and its specific lots and blocks back in 1936. The sole residence on our North 86th Street block was the brick Tudor located at 520 North 86th Street, which featured the mailbox I appreciated. It is noteworthy that almost a decade after Hastings & Heyden initiated their West Dodge Acres project, few parcels had been developed.

 

My fascination with the cluster of residences from 85th Street to Cass, to 86th Street to Underwood lies in their construction on an elevated, sightly ground with substantial trees, some of which remain intact. (The properties lining Underwood Avenue showcase the rise of the hill.) The homes of North 86th were able to look out over West Dodge before its commercialization, above the surroundings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Mystery Home in the Trees

 

I discovered Elizabeth A. Wappich was busy acquiring property throughout town. In 1929, she purchased land valued at $5,000 with the Peters Trust Company on 85th Avenue, north of Cass Street, within the West Dodge Acres subdivision. By 1931, Elizabeth A. Wappich and H. C. Baker submitted an application to operate a restaurant and dance hall at 85th Avenue, West Dodge Road, Lot 13, Block 5 of the West Dodge Addition. As a reminder of our focus today, Wappich’s early Lot 13 has since been incorporated into our 533 North 86th Street parcel, which is made up of Lots 7, 8 and 13.

.

 

 

Omaha World-Herald. September 1931.

 

I would find that lot 13 was located on the eastern side of the present 533 North 86th Street property. The substantial structure, possibly constructed by Ms. Wappich, was situated among the trees, encompassed extensive grounds, and was accessible from the now-defunct 85th Avenue or California Street. I cannot confirm with absolute certainty the existence of this restaurant and dance hall; however, there was a substantial footprint of a structure at that location as seen in historic aerials and maps. Elizabeth A. Wappich was highlighted in a 1933 news article regarding entrepreneurial women who transformed their residences into tearooms, providing meals, tea, or other forms of entertainment. Signs were good that she did use her large home for some sort of country club, as they were called in those days. Our lovely cobblestone home was not yet built when Mrs. Wappich bought the property and constructed her home.

 

 

Magnified version of the previously shown City of Omaha Atlas. 1937. Owned and scanned by the University of Nebraska Lincoln Libraries. Borrowed from Omaha Public Library. I placed a red star on the large property of Elizabeth A. Wappich and her restaurant-dance hall home (Lot 13, Block 5.) I placed a yellow star where our cobble stone home would later be built (Lot 7, Block 5.)

 

 

As it turns out, Mrs. Elizabeth Amy Fishback Wappich was the widow of the late Judge William A. Wappich. She never had children and did not remarry. I previously stated that she acquired an abundance of property while her husband was still living and her real estate collecting continued after his death. In 1936 Mrs. Mary Brewer moved out to Mrs. Wappich’s home at “85^th Avenue and Dodge.” Occasionally, Elizabeth Wappich had her niece, Elizabeth residing in the house, as well as Charles and Elizabeth Hawkins, both of whom were employed as live-in servants. By 1940 Mrs. Wappich had settled her mortgage and fully owned Lot 13. In October 1944, she sold to Howard P. Robbins and had moved to California.

 

 

This California Street turnaround is the sole remnant of the former country road leading to Mrs. Wappich’s restaurant. The eastern edge of the expansive grounds at our residence located at 533 North 86th Street is enclosed, yet remains visible. The former 85th Avenue, which linked to California Street by a horizontal curve, is also absent. I am fairly obsessed with this turnaround and I’m not sure why… but I think it has to do with the distinct sensation of driving up to a large property, albeit one that has vanished. The residence was razed between the 1982 aerial pictures of Douglas County and the 1993 county photograph.

 

 

 

I dream that Mrs. Wappich’s estate was something like this…a treasured outsider painting that I found in a Des Moines, Iowa antiques store created by Janet Hulme in 1952.

 

 

 

 

 

In October 1933, Louisa Pischke purchased Lot 8, Block 5 of West Dodge, along with several other parcels in town in that period. Lot 8 is also a part of our 533 North 86^th Street property but at that time they were distinct lots.

Louisa Wilimina Cobert Pischke was the widow of William C. Pischke, who passed away in 1912 in Wisconsin. I was unable to determine why Mrs. Pischke resided in Omaha, given the couple’s adult children all lived in Minnesota. I discovered an Olga Pischke, a maid, lived in town at a different location. (I had to abandon the mission.) Louisa Pischke resided at 3741 North 45th Street in Omaha for several decades. She passed away in 1941 in Minnesota.

 

October 18, 1933. The Omaha Evening Bee News.

 

City of Omaha Atlas. 1937. Owned and scanned by the University of Nebraska Lincoln Libraries. Borrowed from Omaha Public Library. I placed a yellow hoop at Louisa Pischke’s Lot 8, Block 5 of West Dodge. She bought this property in 1933, and as one can observe, no house was built by the time of this 1936 map. No house was ever developed there until the addition was made to 533 North 86th Street.

 

 

 

 

November 6, 1933. The Omaha Evening Bee News. A month after Pischke’s purchase in 1933, F. M. Keatley Jr and wife bought Lot 7, block 5 from R. C. Hastings of Hastings & Heyden. In another listing it appeared they took out a mortgage with Investors’ Syndicate Inc., if I was reading things correctly.

 

 

 

 

Lot 7, Block 5 of West Dodge Addition. The Keatley’s new property. City of Omaha Atlas. 1937. Owned and scanned by the University of Nebraska Lincoln Libraries. Borrowed from Omaha Public Library.

 

Frank Melville Keatley Jr. was born in 1895, (some records indicate 1894 and 1896), to parents Frank Melville Keatley and Charlotta G. Medlock (also listed as Charlotte Flick elsewhere). Mother Charlotte passed away young in 1898. Frank Sr. wed Florence June Austin Keatley. When Frank Jr. registered for the World War I Draft Registry in 1917, he was a 21 year old truck driver living in a hotel on 16^th and Davenport. We was sent to World War I in August of 1918 and was discharged in January of 1919. He served and was trained as a cook. When he returned home after military service, the 1920 United States Federal Census showed him living with his folks in Omaha, working as a salesman at U. S. Army Store. By the time he married Ella Mary McKenna Malone (born in 1901) in June of 1925 in Logan, Iowa, Frank was a 30 year old professional cook. Ella appeared to have been married to a Mr. Malone. I am unclear if he died. The Keatleys had a daughter, Marianne Francis Keatley, born in 1918 or 1919. I am uncertain of Marianne’s biological father’s identity; the Keatleys may have adopted her, or she could have been Ella’s daughter from a different relationship. According to all genealogy sites and formal research, Marianne was the Keatleys only child but there was another child born much later. I will mention him when we get to that time period. If you are related to the Keatleys, I would certainly welcome family photographs to add to the case.

 

 

Frank Keatley, Jr. and his wife Ella made a go at the restaurant business and came into success as a cook and cashier team. This was during the Great Depression, the golden age the café and diner. I have addressed this phenomena more thoroughly in other investigations but it is thought that the affordable, quality meals and social contacts were crucial in a time when many were struggling. Working people sustained these neighborhood small businesses into the early 1960s.

 

In 1930 512 South 10^th was the infamous Dixie Café. By 1933 Frank and Ella held the keys, refashioning it into their namesake Frank’s Café at 512 South 10^th Street.

 

 

 

To meet the demands from the public, the Keatleys opened their second location at 724 South 13^th Street. Both of these locations are considered in the Old Market, by today’s standards.

 

 

1957: South 10th Street looking south from Harney Street. Workmen tearing up railroad track from the street. Howard Hotel in center of photo, with Ferro’s Cafe, Cab’s Bar and 10th Street Billiards below it. In the next block south are Frank’s Cafe and the Windsor Hotel, with Paxton and Gallagher Company in the background. Photo was taken from a window on the east side of 10th Street. Photo by John Savage. Borrowed from The Durham Museum.

 

 

 

Here’s looking at you, Frank’s Café. Zeroed in on the earlier photo at 512 South 10^th Street. Photo by John Savage. Borrowed from The Durham Museum.

 

 

I have written about this Frank’s Cafe site previously when covering the Adam couple’s Pickwick Bar. The Pickwick moved in after Frank’s Cafe had left. Here’s that case: I Wish I Could Have Gone to: The Pickwick Bar – My Omaha Obsession. It would later become home to the Omaha Famous Orange Lady, Lucile Schaaf, Rescuer and Saint–RIP.  512 and 510 South 10th Street is just south of 10th and Howard Street and is now known “Lucile’s Old Market” building.

 

I was challenged to find Frank’s Cafe location at 724 South 13th, as I believe this building has been torn down. I would be grateful if anyone could share photographs of this location. The Keatleys bought or leased the building in 1933. This location would later become Buda’s Bar until 1960.

“A quarter of a century” (!)

 

The Frank’s Café chain expanded to 4681 Leavenworth Street (way out west) by the 1940s. Three location for a small, local operation was outstanding by anyone’s standards. Their third location at 4681 Leavenworth, now gone, was between Jim’s Seek & Save at 4679 Leavenworth St and Neighber’s Bar at 4689 Leavenworth Street. For more on that cluster of buildings, please peruse my previous article: A Long Time Man Has Come Down.

 

 

Frank’s Cafe at 4681 Leavenworth was solid gold success. It was the kind of special neighborhood cafe that I discovered people mentioned having worked at in the obituaries. Bob Wilkerson generously shared these covers with us. Donald Daigneault would take the reins after the Keatleys sold the business.

 

 

 

All this to say that Frank and Ella Keatley were very involved, successful business owners. Leading up to their purchase of Lot 7 in the West Dodge addition, the family had lived at 4428 North 21^st Street in the Florence neighborhood.

4428 North 21^st Street photograph borrowed from the Douglas County Assessor’s site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite the Keatleys’ success, they appeared to have substantial overhead expenses with all of their restaurant locations. These were also challenging years, let us not overlook. They acquired the land in West Omaha in the autumn of 1933, and it was not until October 1936 that I received a breakthrough in the case. It was worth the wait.

 

 

October 25, 1936. Omaha World-Herald. 

I was over-the-moon-excited. It read: “Building House of Cobblestone”: Above is an architect’s drawing of the cobblestone house that is being built at Eighty-sixth street and Underwood Avenue for Mr. and Mrs. Frank M. Keatley. It has five rooms, but it is 52 feet long, longer than the average house. Special features include marble and Carrara glass fireplace, bathroom of peach-colored glass, covered terrace, attached garage, and a basement recreation room of knotty pine with cobblestone fireplace. The architect is J. F. Hyde, jr. The house is being built under supervision of Hastings & Heyden.”

 

The only local homes I could find being built of cobblestone were from the 1920s or were farmhouses and outbuildings. This was quite intriguing. The Keatleys’ decision to hire John F. Hyde, Jr. was a notable indication of their discerning taste. I am always pleased to discover a local architect-designed building as this appears to confer respect and legitimacy, or at least pause, in this Sad Demolition Town. Additionally, this 533 North 86^th Street house is inaccurately recorded as having been constructed in 1931. I am wondering if the home records logged 1931 due to the Wappich property?

 

 

How the original cobblestone home looks today. New addition seen at the rear on the left (north) wing and to the righthand side (south) extension.

 

 

 

Introducing Mr. John F. Hyde, Jr.

 

 

John Frederick Hyde (1911-1980), the son of a physician, attained registration as an architect in Nebraska in 1939. Hyde is thought to have launched his architectural practice between 1937 and 1942 while operating from his parents’ residence. I found Anna Jane Beaton and John F. Hyde, Jr. were wed at St. Peter’s Church in 1935.

 

This modest advertisement is the first notice I found of John Frederick Hyde, Jr. November 8, 1936. Omaha World-Herald. It is interesting to consider that he was designing the Keatley home and running this ad, months before he had formally initiated his professional practice.

 

I have had the good fortune to become friendly with Kendra Schmidt, the granddaughter of Mr. Hyde. We met when we were both researching and writing about John F. Hyde, jr’s architectural accomplishments. Of course she possesses the perspective and experience that can only be acquired in the fold. That being said, her website is an incredible tome, researched to our obsessive standards! This is her lovely website: Every Photograph Tells a Story: Meeting Mabel Nichols Hyde. Kendra revealed that during a conversation with her mother, the daughter of John F. Hyde Jr., she learned that he trained as an architect under Bert Hene, who designed and constructed Dr. John Hyde’s ((glorious)) residence at 5335 Izard Street in Omaha. John Hyde, jr. “never entered into a partnership with anyone. He did business with contractors, such as Harold Peterson, but never formed a partnership.”

 

 

 

 

 

Photograph of 533 North 86th Street borrowed from Loopnet.

 

 

 

The Detective’s Handbook

 

1. F. Hyde, Jr. designed the home.
2. The house was “built under supervision of Hastings & Heyden” in October of 1936. They had a construction team they preferred most likely. Completed in 1936 or 1937?
3. The Keatleys moved in.
4. In March of 1939 The Daily Record announced Louisa Pischke sold the Frank Keatleys her Lot 8 property, just south of the cobblestone house.
5. Frank Keatley paid off his mortgage for Lot 7 in 1941.

 

1938 aerial of the West Dodge addition. Yellow circle is around the Keatley home at 533 North 86th Street. Red arrow points to the Peony Park amusement area. One can see the area is still quite rural. It must have been so peaceful. Image borrowed from GIS mapping site managed by the Douglas County/Omaha NE GIS Department (DCGIS).

 

 

This 1941 aerial photograph is interesting. 533 North 86th Street now includes Lots 7 and 8. The drive to the home was on the north side between 543 and 533. I outlined in the yellow the Wappich Lot 13 to show what a whopping plot it was, now included in the whole of 533. The orange parcel lines denote the current parcel perimeters. Image borrowed from GIS mapping site managed by the Douglas County/Omaha NE GIS Department (DCGIS).

 

 

 

Considering our next move.

 

 

 

 

The Case of the Keatley Children

 

A fascinating clue was this May 18, 1938 Evening World-Herald notice, which displayed Marianne Keatley in front of our cobblestone obsession house with the “Girs’ Bike” she won from collecting and turning in cigar bands. Childlike. Sweet. Not a suspicion was raised. But by September of 1938 young Marianne had surprisingly filed for divorce and taken back her Keatley surname.

May 18, 1938. Evening World-Herald. Look at the cobblestones of 533 North 86th just over her shoulder and small shrub.

 

 

September of 1938. Evening World-Herald.

Apparently Marianne had married in Papillion in June of 1937. She filed for divorce in September of 1938, after living with Anthony Feltheim for “only three weeks” two summers previous. I found a strange listing from August of 1938 where Ella Keatley had sold “goods, furniture & fixtures” to Marianne Keatley for $2,500. Let me remind you that that is 1938 money. Odd. I had perceived a disagreement of some kind.

 

 

In June 1942, a birth certificate came to light for the newborn son of Frank and “Mary Ellen” Keatley. Frank McKenna Keatley, born in 1942, was named after his mother’s line; Ella Keatley’s maiden name was McKenna. At that time, Frank and Ella would have been in their forties. This information, together with the absence of any genealogical sites referencing the couple’s son, led me to speculate whether they had adopted little Frank or whether he might be Marianne’s biological son.

Another enigma with Frank McKenna Keatley is that during the 1950 United States Federal Census, the eight-year-old youngster was absent from the census records. Father Frank was recorded at the age of 51, while Ella was 43. The ages appear inaccurate to my math. Jennie Ashbaugh was a 65-year-old widow employed as a live-in maid for the Keatleys. Was Little Frank away at summer camp?

 

 

Miss Marianne experienced numerous romantic entanglements during the years, or rather, she entered into matrimony. She wed Mr. Gillogby (still sorting that out.) In 1949, Marianne Frances married Richard T. Demel, a chef at her parents’ café business. The couple separated in 1958. Marianne wed and subsequently divorced Bernard Loren Berck in 1963.

 

 

 

 

The Locked Doors

 

Frank and Ella Keatley had also begun acquiring land and lots all over town. Purchases were frequently made in Ella’s name. I neglected to say that amidst all the commotion. Perhaps real estate was proving to be lucrative, prompting them to withdraw from the restaurant industry, which has to be a taxing life. In August of 1952, Phillip Gibilisco began leasing Frank’s Café from Frank Keately for $18,000. Frank’s Café was relocated from 724 South 13th St. in 1954. By May 1959, the Franks’ Café company, controlled by Keatley, had been dissolved. By April 1960, Tofial and Nettie Parise had acquired the Frank’s Café firm. The 4681 Leavenworth location held in strong until their Frank’s Café auction in 1970. By 1972, the Frank’s Café business was again up for sale.

 

 

The Keatleys had also decided to put their cobblestone home on the market in the same year.

 

 

September 1962. Omaha World-Herald. 

 

September and November of 1971. Omaha World-Herald. The September of 1971 ad: “Submit Offer—over 38,000 sq ft house and garage adaptable to other uses and well suited for area and lot.”  38,000 sq. ft house and garage?! I thought it must have been a mistake, but they ran the same advertisement in October. And the same in November. I suspected that an acre perhaps equated 38,000 square feet, but it did not. I deduced that the newspaper inserted an extra zero in the advertisement and misplaced the comma. I estimated that the house and garage totaled 3,800 square feet. Where was this attached garage? It is gone now. Of note, there was a new clue indicating that adjacent to the Keatleys was a one-acre option to buy. “adjoining land available with frontage on 85th Avenue.” This was the Elizabeth Wappich’s  Lot 13 that had access on 85th Avenue and California Street.

 

 

This 1955 aerial shows that a garage had appeared on the property with a walkway up to the house. It didn’t seem all that attached. Maybe there was another garage by the 1972 real estate listing. Image borrowed from GIS mapping site managed by the Douglas County/Omaha NE GIS Department (DCGIS).

 

From 1962 to 1972, the 533 North 86th cobblestone home remained registered under the Keatleys’ name, regardless of whether it was rented or whether they were merely seeking potential buyers.

 

 

 

 

Death of Mr. Keatley

 

In May 1969, I was saddened to learn that a rescue squad was dispatched to the residence at 533 North 86th Street for father Frank Keatley, Jr. He was transported to Methodist Hospital, where he subsequently passed away at the age of 74. The obituary notably referenced both son Frank and daughter Marianne, marking a first occurrence.

May 1969. Omaha World-Herald.

 

 

By April 1972, Frank McKenna Keatley retained ownership of his parents’ residence, despite residing nearby on Underwood and utilized the 533 North 86th address for his political associations. He entered into matrimony again in 1973 with Delores Lorraine Mayer.

 

Frank Keatley, the son, successfully identified a distinguished owner for his parents’ cobblestone residence. Neil Astle was an acclaimed local architect engaged in numerous projects when he acquired the Keatleys property. His vision for the property involved all three lots, which he transformed them into one parcel and a change in zoning.

 

 

Let us take a little break, but before we do…

Ella Keatley passed away in March of 1993 in her 90s. Daughter Marianne Frances Keatley died 2003. Son Frank McKenna Keatley died in 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Inside Job

 

I had my suspicions that Architect Neil Astle lived in the Hyde-designed cobblestone house for period, transferred the three lots legally under one parcel, with the goal of creating an expansion and turning the whole property into his business office. In June 1975, Neil Astle petitioned the Omaha Planning Board to rezone 533 North 86th from third to ninth residential and first parking for the purpose of constructing an office building. They obliged.

 

 

 

June 12, 1975. Omaha World-Herald.

 

November of 1975. Omaha World-Herald. 

 

Neil Astle 1974.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revisiting Mr. Astle

Architect Neil LaMonte Astle (1933-2000) practiced in Omaha from 1965 to 1981 under the firms Neil Astle Associates, Neil Astle & Associates, and Astle Ericson & Associates. He then established a branch in Salt Lake City, Utah, from 1981 to 1999. I became a gushing admirer of Astle upon discovering one of his gorgeous designs during a previous investigation. The article is located here: The Real Estate Secret Agent: 2525 South 95th Circle.

 

Astle’s residence at 10906 Bel Air Drive was a substantial cedar home integrated into the densely wooded and hilly landscape. He designed the home and performed a significant portion of the carpentry independently. This residence was showcased on the cover of Progressive Architecture Magazine in May 1968.

 

Prominent Astle works in Nebraska include the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, the Benedictine Monastery, the Mormon Trail Center, and the Council Bluffs Midlands Mall. In 1976, Astle won regional first place accolades for his design of Midlands Mall in Council Bluffs.

 

The 2525 South 95th Circle home.

 

The Ball residence.

 

Midlands Mall.

 

DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center.

 

 

533 North 86th Street?

 

When I released the previous Neil Astle investigation I became friendly with his son, Calvin Eastley. Calvin was able to shed some light on the 533 North 86^th Street house. I had suspected that Neil Astle lived in the Hyde-designed cobblestone house for a time, which son Calvin confirmed. “Neil lived there very briefly during and after he divorced my mom.” Calvin remembered when his father moved to Salt Lake City, Astle had taken on Ron Ericson as a partner. Ericson ran the Omaha branch of Astle, Ericson and Associates. Regarding 533 North 86^th Street, Calvin remembered the large addition and added, “Ron was probably responsible for the addition.” In trying to track down who exactly designed the addition, I found that Ronald Gayle Ericson didn’t join the firm, at least as a partner until 1978. The timing did line up, if this was indeed an Ericson design. Astle Ericson & Associates operated from 1978 to 1999. Interestingly Calvin also believed the property encompassed more than two acres, estimating it to be five acres. He remembered his older brother, Rex, also an architect, held his bachelor party on the property.

 

The Neil Astle team were no doubt wanting to expand the John Hyde, Jr. home into a larger, contemporary office, highlighting their capabilities with such a transformative endeavor. Unfortunately the county aerials from the 1970s and 1980s are pretty muddy and I cannot make out anything. Likewise I could not find any info in the historical archives. On that note, if anyone has blueprints, workups or photographs of the Astle Ericson & Associates 533 North 86th Street design from this period, everyone would be grateful to have those included here.

 

Image borrowed from Crexi.

 

Recent image that I took, showing the eastern wing.

 

Even more of the northern wing through the gate.

 

 

Crexi image.

 

Learning that the 533 North 86th addition was possibly the work of Ron Ericson made sense in review. These were not exactly Neil Astle’s aesthetic. Of course creative people expand and change over time, so I didn’t see it as an impossibility. I just noted the difference. The 533 North 86th Street looked very 1980s to me with the white pillars holding up the gabled wings with Palladian windows; the towers; the round room of windows. All very 1980s, in a good way. This 533 North 86th Street architecture held the qualities of say…

 

The Findley Leavenworth Crown condominiums at 36th and Leavenworth Streets. For more on that large project: Mysteries of Omaha: The Mansion in the Trees.

 

 

I was surprised to find that in December of 1979, Omaha World-Herald reported that the “City Council recommended denial” of Neil Astle’s application to “rezone land at 543 North 86^th Street to “convert a house to an office.” Other paperwork showed his intentions to transition that property to a duplex and an office. My dream house was almost subsumed into the whole 533 North 86th Street compound.

 

Obviously the plan was beat back and my 543 North 86th Street remains the home of country dreams in my mind.

 

 

Architect Neil Astle passed away in March of 2000 in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the age of 66.

 

 

 

 

Hard Boiled Heir

 

By late 1988, Culver & Associates, an advertising agency previously known as Culver Graphics and Promotions, were making pronouncements about moving into 533 North 86^th Street, a “50 year old building that is being restored.” Robert H. Culver, Jr. served as the head of the corporation and was well-acquainted with historic buildings. Prior to relocating to 533 North 86th, the agency had occupied the Burlington building at 1004 Farnam Street.

 

December 25, 1988. Omaha World-Herald.

 

A large, growing company, Culver & Associates continued to expand what Astle, Ericson & Associates had built. In 1989, a prospective subsidiary, “Culver Real Estate Partners” submitted construction permits for interior renovations amounting to $80,000 for 533 North 86^th Street. In 1991 the hazy Culver Real Estate made an addition to the building for $200,000. Additionally, Michael Leonard of Culver Real Estate filed for but was denied a “curb cut” at 533 North 86^th Street by the city. Curiously, Culver Real Estate seemed to engage solely in renovation arrangements for 533 North 86th Street, with no other transactions or realtor activities evident. Additional evidence reveals that Robert R. Culver, also from Omaha, commenced his tenure in the real estate branch of U.S. National Bank of Omaha in 1969. He led the real estate division for the bank’s financial institutions mortgage loan program. Were these two Culvers related? And were they connected to Harry H. Culver, the multimillionaire real estate developer and founder of Culver City, who returned to his hometown of Omaha in 1929 as president of the National Association of Real Estate Boards?

 

 

 

1993 aerial, showing the extended parking lot to the east. The Wappich home has been removed and there is a large grassy area to the east of the building. Note the garage still exists. I believe 86th Street was still a gravel and dirt road at the time. I seem to remember reading early in this research that Culver & Associates ponied up a good portion of the funds to get North 86th paved. Image borrowed from GIS mapping site managed by the Douglas County/Omaha NE GIS Department (DCGIS).

 

 

 

 

What Might Have Happened

 

The road from here on out gets even more foggy, friends. This is the best illumination I have achieved for the trail but I am open to feedback or correction. In 1994, Culver & Associates relocated to the top floor of the Landmark Center at the intersection of 13th and Harney. This served as their third branch. Their main office remained at 533 North 86^th Street while they had opened a second location in November at the Omaha Business and Technology Center at 2505 North 24th. The article indicated that the “86th Street location” has been designated as the headquarters of Three Cedars Inc. Three Cedars was a two-year-old Omaha-based marketing, research, and management agency with its corporate office and conference space located at 533 North 86th and an additional site at 7653 Cass Court. The company folded in the summer of 1994. These companies were all apparently under the umbrella of the Culver Companies.

 

 

 

Redstone Communications Inc. was established as the new name for Culver & Associates following its acquisition by the Omaha World-Herald Company in February 1996. The company adopted the new name to highlight its innovative approach and changes made in the past several months. “The name came partly from the red stone that are part of the architecture of the converted home where the business is located.” I enjoyed that nod to Mr. Hyde and the Keatleys original plans. Robert Culver, Jr, the founder and principal of the company at the time of its acquisition by World-Herald, remained on as a consultant and manager through the transition, leaving shortly after.

 

1998 aerial. The 533 North 86th Street garage has disappeared. Image borrowed from GIS mapping site managed by the Douglas County/Omaha NE GIS Department (DCGIS).

 

As for our 533 North 86^{th —} the deed moved from the Culver & Associates name to Redstone Communications Group Inc name in October of 1996 at a cost of $713,618. Then in August of 2004, ownership moved from Redstone Communications Group Inc to the World Real Estate Management LLC for 0 dollars. Zero.

 

World Real Estate Management LLC was an Omaha World-Herald affiliated company, it construction and facility subsidiary. This subsidiary has never been mentioned in any records except for involvement with 533 North 86^th Street.

 

During this time, John Gottschalk owned and operated the Omaha World-Herald.

 

 

 

 

The Outside Hedge

John Gottschalk was raised in Rushville, Nebraska, and graduated in 1966 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he studied journalism and political science. These two points of interest, in conjunction with his drive and sociability, served him very well throughout his life. In the late 1960s, John Gottschalk established his reputation in Nebraska as the director of the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife. By the early 1970s, he served as the Mayor of Sidney, Nebraska, and was the owner-publisher of The Sidney Telegraph. By 1976, John and his wife, Carmen, had made their way to Omaha, where John served as the administrative assistant to Harold Anderson, president of the World-Herald. In 1979, Mr. Gottschalk had attained the position of Vice President of the World-Herald and by 1985, he reached the position of president and chief operating officer of the corporation, while G. Woodson Howe served as the editor of the publication.

 

 

August of 1995. Omaha World-Herald photograph shows Carmen and John Gottschalk with an Ak Sar Ben knight figure.

 

 

 

In late December 2004, World Real Estate Management LLC sold the building of our interest to the ambiguous 533 Building LLC for $916,500. In September 2005, the 533 Building LLC renovated the interior at 533 North 86th Street for $185,663. I believe that World Real Estate Management LLC was a subsidiary of the World-Herald, controlled by the Gottschalks; however, to potentially untangle assets from the World-Herald, I assume the pair established the 533 Building LLC. During this period, the Carmen and John Gottschalk Foundation significantly increased its activity and began running out of 533 North 86^th Street. Other cobwebbed associations reveal the Gottschalk’s email address for their Modisett Ball Park (in Rushville) fundraising went through Three Cedars, long after Three Cedars had shuttered. John Gottschalk would retire from the Omaha World-Herald in 2007.

 

 

 

 

2007 aerial. The hedge is planted all around the perimeter. The pond is installed and the arboretum. Image borrowed from GIS mapping site managed by the Douglas County/Omaha NE GIS Department (DCGIS).

 

The pond as it looks today.

 

Pond photo by Crexi.

 

The beautiful arboretum and paths that the Gottschalks installed. Photos by Crexi site.

In December 2010, ownership of the 533 Building LLC was transferred to John Gottschalk et al. for no zero dollars. In January 2011, 533 North 86th Street seamlessly transferred from John Gottschall et al. to the Carmen and John Gottschalk Foundation without any monetary exchange. In 2014, Carmen and John Gottschalk renovated the “nonresidential property” located at 533 North 86th Street for $94,743. Parties, functions, business meetings….it all happened here. 533 North 86th Street where the elite clinked glasses and planned Omahat.

Of particular note, The Holland Foundation, named after Richard D. Line Holland, the Omaha Famous advertising executive and philanthropist, was also located at 533 North 86th Street. (I have mentioned previously that my father worked in advertising–you got it–he worked for Holland, Dreeves and Reilly, Inc. They were the big boys in town.) Mr. Holland and Mr. Gottschalk were friends through the Omaha Performing Arts Society, social and political affiliations, among other connections. Sidenote—the John and Carmen Gottschalk Founder’s Room designed to be hidden within the Holland Performing Arts Center in 2015 is a stunning 3,000 sq ft private lounge for benefactors and “special guests.”

In August of 2019 the Carmen & John Gottschalk Foundation sold our 533 North 86^th Street building to the Owen Foundation for $1,250,000. I found the first movements of the Owen Foundation in December of 1959 when Fred Owen, son Edward F. Owen, Harry E. Judd and Robert K. Andersen formed to receive gifts, grants, bequests and hold, manage invest, reinvest such money and property as a nonprofit corporation. They incorporated in Sept of 1960 under the name of Fred E. Owen, president in order to receive gifts of money and property and to administer and distribute the income and principal. Since that time, they donate generously and stay out of the news. As the early incorporators have all passed on, I would guess that other Owen family members and their associates are in the foundation. Were the Gottschalks members? Ultimately this exchange was a tale of how Omaha or any town works as well as how families and businesses move their assets around.

 

 

The Owen Foundation transferred ownership of the property located at 533 North 86th Street to May86 LLC in June 2022 for a sum of $1,550,000. In February 2023, May86 LLC initiated a building renovation costing $700,000. (Leaving me to wager that this is the most remodeled property in all of Omaha.) The Hamilton Heights childcare signage has appeared quite lately. It is fairly discordant with the building and surroundings, however I recognize that a daycare possesses a distinct happy aesthetic compared to Miss Cassette.

 

 

 

 

 

One more–here’s a fun video tour: 553 North 86^th Street real estate tour.

 

533 North 86th Street, West Dodge Addition, Lots 7, 8, and 13 of Block 5, I smile at you, lovely lady. Perhaps more than any other edifice I have researched, you have witnessed significant events. You have received insider information. Your contributions to Omaha were important. And some of your most essential work is before you as you serve the children of Omaha. I am sure they see how magical you are. You are a mansion in their eyes and in mine.

 

 

 

I will conclude this issue for the evening, my esteemed detectives and longtime friends. As you pass 533 North 86th, I hope you recall her entrancing narrative. Whisper to her that Miss Cassette sent you.

 

 

Thanks to Kendra Schmidt, Calvin Eastley and Marty Cohen for their help with this article.

 

 

I welcome your feedback and comments on 533 North 86th Street and the surrounding properties. Let’s hear it for the West Dodge Addition. Please share your additional clues to the story in the “Comments,” as we know more together. Everyone would love to read what you have to say and it makes the sharing of Omaha history more fun. You can use an anonymous smokescreen name if need be. We want to hear from you.

 

 

 

I was surprised to find that John Gottschalk died very recently in Omaha on November 3, 2024, at the age of 81.

 

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If you are looking for more architectural and Omaha history sleuthing fun, ask your local or bigbox bookseller for my book: My Omaha Obsession: Searching for the City. Also available everywhere online. Thank you.