Benson Tour - October 11

[Vince Furlong]

The 2009 Historic Restoration Tour kicks off this breathtaking fall season with a tour of the historic treasures of
Benson on Sunday, October 11 from 1:00 – 5:00 pm. The tour, organized by Landmarks, Inc., will showcase
examples of great restoration and preservation right in the historic Benson area.

According to Paul Nelson with
Landmarks, Inc, “This tour is not only about historic homes and buildings. It looks deeper into the personalities
that made and still make Benson such a unique place. The interesting stories behind each building are the best
reasons why Benson’s built environment should be preserved and restored”. This year Landmarks, Inc. chose
Benson because of its atmospheric business district and surrounding neighborhoods including the fabulous Aloha
House, former Creighton family residences, and other examples of thoughtful, accurate restoration and
rehabilitation projects.

Registration will be "drive‐through" style this year at the classic “mid‐century modern” 1963 Texaco Griswold
Service Station located at 5504 North West Radial Highway. This incredible site was the former home of the late
Mayor Howard and is one of the last prefabricated Skelly gas stations standing in the country.

Ten Benson properties, both residential and commercial, will be open for tours, as well as, over six other great
sites highlighted for an accompanying “windshield” tour. Nelson added, “Historic photo collections of Benson will
be exhibited inside Hargiss Stringed Instruments and the Benson Grind coffee shop. This will give people the
chance to go inside business storefronts and experience places they would not normally see!”

Tickets are $10 each or two for $15 and can be reserved prior to the tour at http://www.restoreomaha.com and picked
by driving through the Griswold Service at 5504 North West Radial Highway the day of the tour or tickets may be
purchased at any location on the day of the event. See you all on October 11th! Volunteers receive free
admission, so if you are interested in helping, please call 660‐9586 or email [email protected].

Restore Omaha Conference – Save the Date!

Restore Omaha Conference planning for 2009‐2010 is well underway. Now in its fifth year, the Restore Omaha
Conference, with partner Metropolitan Community College Foundation, will offer current and potential owners of
older properties an opportunity to learn from local and regional experts about how to restore, revive, and
preserve their home or business.

Save the date for the Restore Omaha Conference, Saturday, March 6, 2010, at Metropolitan Community College,
South Omaha Campus. Check out http://www.restoreomaha.com for conference details as they become available.

Questions about Restore Omaha contact Nicole Malone 402‐968‐3349 or email
[email protected] or during evening hours contact Vince Furlong 402‐709‐2586

[Vince Furlong]

Here are the sites on the tour:

Griswold Service: 5504 NW Radial Hwy- Registration drive thru
Draney Home: 3112 N 58th Street- Exterior
Post Office 6223 Maple Street- Exterior
Kremer Funeral Home 6302 Maple Street- Exterior
Bade Home: 2728 N 60th Ave- Exterior
Schipper Home: 2320 N 60th Street- Exterior
Bowes Home: 2943 N 58th Street- Interior
Howard Building: 6105 Maple Street- Interior
Burkes Pub: 6117 Maple Street- Interior
Hargiss Stringed Instruments: 6061 Maple Street- Interior
Sorenson Building: 6104 Maple Street- Interior
Emmer Home: 2346 N 60th Ave- Interior
Lewis Home: 2510 N 56th Street- Interior
Aloha House: 2320 N 56th Street- Interior

Possibly adding St. Bernard's on NW Radial....

Vince Furlong

[Historic Omaha]

Paul Nelson with BVH Archtiects was on Heartland Focus on WOWT with Jeff Beals this past Saturday (10/3/09). He discussed historic preservation activities in Omaha including the upcoming tour of Benson and the preservation of Mid-Century Modern buildings. Images shown during the telecast were of Christ The King Church (near Countryside Village shopping center) Northern Natural Gas and The Twin Towers. The Northern Natural Gas building has been recently listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The State Historic Preservation Office has determined that The Twin Towers are eligible for listing in the National Register as part of a compliance process through Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.