Restore Omaha Conference Uncovers Jewels
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
February 24, 2010, at 07:00 AM
Tim Reeder's Restored Victorian
Tim Reeder
You don’t have to be batty about bungalows or crazy for colonials to check out the Restore Omaha Conference planned for Friday, Mar. 5 and Saturday, Mar. 6 at the Metro Community College South Omaha Campus.
Those interested in the practice and techniques of restoration will be squarely in their element at the annual event, but the gathering also offers a host of related opportunities for others drawn to such diverse topics as planting Victorian gardens or the subterranean history of Omaha’s rumrunners.
One of the more stunning visuals of the conference will come with Tim Reeder’s session, “From Rags to Riches - The Restoration of a Grand Victorian,” where the NP Dodge sales associate recounts a journey that turned a condemned eyesore into an ornate jewel of the Ford Birthsite neighborhood.
“When you see the ‘before’ picture, you’ll discover why people thought I was crazy,” Reeder said.
The conference opens with a Friday reception at 814 S 14th St. The restored warehouse complex at that address is impressive in its own right, but the true treasures lie within its brick walls. It is there that architectural salvager Frank Horejsi will offer glimpses of history saved from the wrecking ball. Attendees can peruse such memorable sights as peaks from the old Fontenelle Hotel and the entire façade of the in-pieces, waiting-to-be-reassembled streetcar barn once found at 20th and Ames. Horejsi’s menagerie is truly a one-of-a-kind collection.
That 7 – 8 p.m. reception then moves to Lucile's in the Old market to continue with food and drink.
Nationally renowned economist Donovan Rypkema (visit placeeconomics.com for more information) will deliver a Saturday keynote address, one that speaks to the power of nail guns and table saws in transforming historic properties to drive economic redevelopment at the neighborhood level.
And Louie M’s Burger Lust owner Louie Marcuzzo returns for his popular explorations of Omaha’s darker side of history, this time descending into the dank tunnels where fedora-topped goons once ferried Prohibition-era hooch.
Admission to the Friday, 7 p.m. reception at 814 S 14th St. and the 8 p.m. event at Lucile’s comes with one $15 ticket purchase and includes food and drink. Lucile’s is located at 510 S 10th Street. Tickets are $35 (lunch included) for the Saturday conference held at the Industrial Training Center of Metro Community College’s South Omaha Campus located at 27th and Q Streets. Visit restoreomaha.org for additional information.
- This story appears in the following editions:
- [Featured] [Midtown Downtown] [North Central] [Peony] [South Omaha]