Hartman Addition: Streetcar Dreams and Skyline Views

   
Research combined by Janitzia M., Gideon C., Edgar C., and Ruth H. 

The owners of the Kotera and Sloup Grocery

The neighborhood of Hartman Addition or 16th and William is a close neighbor to the famous Little Bohemia neighborhood on South 13th Street. Little Bohemia was founded in the late 1870s by the Kountze Family. That neighborhood is a predominantly Czech area with some Italian and German families intermixed due to the proximity to Little Italy and St. Joseph Catholic Parish, which was a German majority church. 16th and William, or Hartman Addition, was also a predominantly Czech neighborhood, with Italian and German influence. This community was established just after Little Bohemia in the 1890s. Overall, Hartman Addition grew on labor from the industrial areas and railroad yards to the north, in what is now the Old Market, as well as the packing house jobs of South Omaha.

Hartman Addition depended greatly on the streetcar line that went down 16th Street, from Vinton Street in the South to Florence in the North. This public transportation system fueled economic growth along 16th Street, generally, and in Hartman Addition, specifically, and connected both the south side and north side of the city with downtown. With the rise of car culture and suburbanization in the post-WWII period, many white ethnic residents began to flee traditional inner-city neighborhoods like Hartman Addition for the suburbs. The streetcar system began to decline and the 16th Street line was halted for good in 1951, dealing a major blow Hartman Addition. These changes were further exacerbated by the decline of the packing industry to the south and the industrial areas to the north. With many businesses that relied on foot traffic and the need for services near to home, the intersection became increasingly abandoned in the 1950s and 1960s.

The building at 1261 South 16th Street, which is made of wood and stone and painted a light tan color, was built in the 1890s and originally co-owned by Frank J. Kotera and Joseph J. Sloup, who established the Kotera & Sloup grocery store, which was a big part of the community in its hey-day. During the early-20th century, small grocers were much more prevalent than the large chain stores that dominate today. Each neighborhood had a grocery store within walking distance or on the street car line to serve local people. Kotera & Sloup sold a wide range of produce and other food products and was a good complement to the pharmacy across the street, which was owned by the Beranek family. Next door was a bar that was an important gathering place for people in the neighborhood. As young and old came and went, they would always pass by the grocery store.
 

The photo below contains the families of Frank J. Kotera and Joseph J. Sloup who both ran the Kotera & Sloup grocery store together. They were always active in their community and gave food to people that needed for free.

This artifact is an Omaha World-Herald article from when this business was ordered to close because of prohibition. It was important because it shows that prohibition didn’t just affect one part of the country it affected everyone, and it places Omaha in the national story of Prohibition.

Today, there’s a parking lot where this building once stood, the lot has stood vacant since the settlement house was demolished in 1964. The building that the lot belongs to seems to have been built in the 1970s or 80s. There is grass and mulch with flowers surrounding the lot and some trees to the right. This parking lot belongs to a Catholic charity called the Juan Diego Center. While it’s no longer a settlement house, it’s still serving the community as a charity.

This street car ran from 26th and Q to 30th and Fort. The woman you see in this photo is Margret Bell and this genuine smile on her face captures her sense of pride for the community. In 1945, the stockyards were at their peak and employees would take this streetcar to work every day. Many stockyard workers came from the 30th and Q neighborhood and were proud of the hard work that they did. This shared mentality influenced how tightly knit and integrated this community was. After work, they would take the streetcars home and have a drink at one of many local taverns or saloons; there being 135 in Omaha alone and over a dozen in the Saint Mary’s neighborhood. By making the neighborhood accessible to thousands of people the streetcars became the backbone of the area’s economy. However, without passionate drivers like Mary, none of this would have been possible. (Photo Courtesy of Durham Archives, Bostwick-Forhardt Collection).

For much of its early existence, 1422 William Street was home to the Swoboda Bakery, owned by Frank J. Swoboda. The structure was built in 1889 by Joseph Dworak. The building, made with red brick and green trim around its three doors and multiple windows, is larger than most of the structures nearby. The top half was used as living quarters, while the bottom was for the business. Swoboda Bakery occupied the space until the end of WWII in 1945. From the late-1940s through the 1960s, the building housed a plumbing business, a repair shop and a carpet service, among other tenants. In the 1970s and 1980s, as the neighborhood went into sharp decline, the structure stood vacant.

In the end, the businesses housed in this building were ultimately a casualty of the street car ending in the 1940s, the movement of large numbers of people to the suburbs and the decline of industry to the north and south of the area. Today, as some of the surrounding neighborhoods, like “Little Bohemia,” experience revitalization, perhaps that renewed vitality might ultimately reach this neighborhood. If so, maybe a business could open again at 1422 William Street and attract a new, young crowd and be sustainable for years to come.

For much of its early existence, 1422 William Street was home to the Swoboda Bakery, owned by Frank J. Swoboda. The structure was built in 1889 by Joseph Dworak. The building, made with red brick and green trim around its three doors and multiple windows, is larger than most of the structures nearby. The top half was used as living quarters, while the bottom was for the business. Swoboda Bakery occupied the space until the end of WWII in 1945. From the late-1940s through the 1960s, the building housed a plumbing business, a repair shop and a carpet service, among other tenants. In the 1970s and 1980s, as the neighborhood went into sharp decline, the structure stood vacant.

In the end, the businesses housed in this building were ultimately a casualty of the street car ending in the 1940s, the movement of large numbers of people to the suburbs and the decline of industry to the north and south of the area. Today, as some of the surrounding neighborhoods, like “Little Bohemia,” experience revitalization, perhaps that renewed vitality might ultimately reach this neighborhood. If so, maybe a business could open again at 1422 William Street and attract a new, young crowd and be sustainable for years to come.

The Beranek pharmacy opened on 1402 South 16th Street in 1889 by Stanley A. Beranek. The outside of the pharmacy is made of reddish-pink wood and includes a wood sign that stretches above the top of the roof. The front of the building has four windows for the display. It now is a residential building that is run down.

During the early part of the 20th Century, pharmacists were more than just the person your doctor called to fill a prescription. Pharmacists back then had the main purpose of being closer to a doctor, particularly in working-class communities where local people could not always afford to see the doctor. Instead, they often visited the local pharmacist, described their ailment and the pharmacist would suggest a remedy. In addition to being an important professional figure in his neighborhood, Mr. Beranek was also a prominent and generous member of his community beyond that. He was active in his church, where he had perfect attendance at Sunday services for forty-six years, and helped raise $1223.00 with a group of other pharmacists to give to help build the Children’s Memorial Hospital in Omaha.

Stanley Beranek, who died in 1935, served as his neighborhood pharmacist for 37 years. When he retired in 1926, he passed on his practice and store to his son, Stanley C. Beranek, who continued the business until 1960. The 1960s were a time of decline for the neighborhood, making it increasingly difficult for local businesses to survive. With the move of many residents to the suburbs after WWII, the decline of industry in South Omaha and to the North in what is today the Old Market, and the loss of the streetcar on 16th street in the 1940s, it became harder and harder to get the foot traffic necessary to bring people into the store. After the pharmacy closed it was converted into a residential home which it functions as until this day.

This artifact from the Omaha World-Herald shows the official closing of the Beranek pharmacy after 71 years of operation. This artifact is important because it marks the end of both the pharmacy in our neighborhood and marks the decline of Hartman Addition.