On October 12 and 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Restoration Exchange Omaha will proudly present an Historic Neighborhood Tour of Bensonhurst Neighborhood. This area spans North 58th Street from Northwest Radial Highway to Pratt Street. REO members can enjoy the crisp fall air on this flat walking tour. Visit homes and explore pieces of living history and chat with homeowners.
REO is featuring Bensonhurst due to its sizeable length and impressive architecture. Although it has not been confirmed, the Bensonhurst area is purported to be the longest continuous block in Omaha without a cross-street.
Bensonhurst showcases a multitude of Craftsman homes built between 1908 and 1939. The homes showcase covered front porches, tapered columns, and a variety of eaves and gables. The interiors are intriguing with distinct layouts and beautifully polished wood. Craftsman homes were popularized on both coasts and remain a desired design style to this day.
The tour also serves as inspiration to homeowners and preservationists, who will be able to see different historical phases within each home and what has been altered to adapt for the modern age. One home to be featured was apparently supposed to be a carriage house, but they never got around to building the main structure.
Another pair of homes, dubbed ‘the sister houses,’ are virtually identical to passersby but differ wildly once you walk through the front doors.
The Bensonhurst Neighborhood was chosen during last year’s tour to garner interest from local homeowners on the block. “Some of the homeowners had been on Restoration Exchange tours,” said Nicole Malone, a volunteer with REO, “and were inspired to nominate their neighborhood for the upcoming tour. They have a great neighborhood association. The president is rallying everybody,” said Malone.
The annual October tour draws a variety of guests from across Nebraska who are often surprised by how affordable and well-kept many of Omaha’s historic neighborhoods really are.
Interested in attending the Bensonhurst Neighborhood Tour? Click here to enjoy a 50% Member Discount!
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Photo by Nathan King