Early Omaha: Gateway to the West
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FARNAM, AFTER 1900

Omaha is all grown up in this image which was probably taken around the turn of the century. This image looks east down Farnam Street from the south side of Farnam between 17th & 18th in front of the Douglas County Court. You can see the steps leading up to the court house which at this time had not been lowered to street level. To the right in the distance is the Woodman of the World Building under construction at 419 South 15th Street. It was built at the turn of the century, first appearing in the 1901 Omaha City Directory, and was demolished in December 18, 1977.

On the north side of the street at the north east corner of 17th & Farnam is the New York Life Building. Built in the late 1880s it was Omaha’s first sky scraper. Still standing, today it is known as the Omaha Building. The building with columns at the end of this block on the northwest corner of 16th & Farnam is the United States National Bank building. The Paxton Block, with the conical top, sits across the street on the northeast corner of 16th & Farnam. This is the approximate location of the original Douglas County Court House seen in the image at the top of this exhibit.