North 16th and Locust Streets, North Omaha, Nebraska — This is a video still of North 16th and Locust Streets in 1950. Visible is the northeast corner anchored by Lane Drug. Video by Richard Orr.

I have written about different parts of the area around N. 16th and Locust Streets. I’ve researched and written about the town of Saratoga and Sulphur Springs; I have explored and highlighted North 16th Street; and I have examined the theatres at the intersection. However, anytime I see pictures of this particular intersection, my imagination flares up and my hopes are raised.

Bakeries and drug stores, doctors’ offices and saloons, grocery stories and theatres: The intersection of N. 16th and Locust Streets in North Omaha was once a very lively, very interesting place. While its a bit empty and shuttered and kind of dangerous there today, its hard to imagine trolleys coming and going, a huge viaduct over chugging trains, and people hustling and bustling around. But those were the days.

Whether you “went up the hill” from East Omaha or down the block from North Omaha, everyone came to the intersection of North 16th and Locust to take care of business. This is a short history of the North 16th and Locust Street Historic District.

The Town of Saratoga

Grand Hotel, Saratoga, Nebraska — This is the Grand Hotel located at North 24th and Grand Avenue in 1857. It became the Brownell Hall when it was founded in Saratoga.

Omaha was founded in 1854 in the area we known as downtown today. That same year, speculators started founding towns up and down the Missouri River. Four miles north of Omaha there was a spring flowed from the bluffs looking over the river at a bend in the river. A half mile away a town was started at the bend where the Sulphur Springs flowed. The town was called Saratoga, and the bend in the river was made into a boat landing called the Saratoga Bend.

Within a few years, a dozen houses, businesses and a school had sprung up in the town of Saratoga, which surrounded the present-day intersection of N. 24th and Ames. There were also streets laid out next to the river at Sulphur Springs.

This is a map of Sulphur Springs, Nebraska Territory by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com.

The town went broke in 1857 and was officially wiped off the map. Wealthy Omaha real estate tycoon Herman Kountze bought much of the land. Some homes stayed there for decades afterwards, and the people and businesses that made up the community stayed intact. Omaha annexed the area in the 1870s. It was the area above Sulphur Springs where Nebraska’s first legal execution was held in 1863, when the Douglas County Sheriff hanged a former Kansas Territory legislator for killing a man.

The Sulphur Springs boat ramp was located located on the Missouri River at Saratoga Bend, which was located on the northwest corner of the present-day intersection of present-day Locust Street and Carter Lake Drive, just east of the intersection of N. 16th and Locust. Apparently, all signs of that town have been obliterated in modern times.

Omaha Driving Park

Starting in the 1860s, Omaha’s elite had been building country estates throughout the fields and forests of present-day North Omaha to keep themselves away from the regular riff raff living in present-day downtown Omaha. Even the wealthy needed a place to recreate though, so they opened the Omaha Driving Park just north of 16th and Locust in the 1870s. Their association made the track and built grandstands for observers to watch them race buggies and have good times.

Over the next 40 years, the Driving Park went in and out of style and came back again during the Trans-Mississippi Expo. During a time of low usage, Buffalo Bill worked out his Wild West Show there, performing regularly for crowds that came out from Omaha to watch the affair. The Omaha Driving Park Association also hosted the Nebraska State Fair at the site several times, when Omaha and Lincoln took turns hosting the Fair for five years at a time.

Emil Brandeis, Omaha Driving Park, North Omaha, Nebraska — This is Emil Brandeis racing on the wooden track at the Sprague Street Track, aka Omaha Driving Park.

Emil Brandeis, one of the scions of the Brandeis Department Store family, raced early automotive race cars in the 1910s. Lacking organized tracks, his crew made use of the Omaha Driving Park for its last time. The last recorded event I can find evidence of there happened in 1913, when old fashioned racers took to speeding over its wooden track. The park was closed and the land was bulldozed almost immediately afterward to be made into houses.

The intersection of N. 16th and Locust was built up right after that.

2821-23 North 16th Street, North Omaha, Nebraska — In 1935, Lakeside Billiards Restaurant and the B&R Food Center were located at 2821-23 North 16th Street. Today, the space is used for storage.

20th Century Construction

New Star Theatre, North Omaha, Nebraska — The New Star Theater was on the intersection of North 16th and Locust in 1915, when this ad appeared. It was on the northeast corner where the Hinky Dinky was built in the 1930s.

Starting with the close of the Trans-Mississippi Expo in late 1898, real estate speculators were selling land all around the intersection. Way back in the 1890s, land barons from Detroit and other East Coast interests began selling land in present-day Carter Lake, Iowa. Lots were being sold near Courtland Beach and at the Carter Lake Club, an exclusive resort where home values were booming. One of the earliest electric streetcars in Omaha ran from the 16th and Locust Street intersection down Locust into what was then called East Omaha, what we now call the town of Carter Lake.

By 1899, the real estate speculators were trying to help sell their properties by making sure that the streetcars kept running down Sherman Avenue all the way to Locust from downtown Omaha. The Omaha Street Railway Company made that happen.

Circa 1890s, this streetcar took riders from North 16th and Locust Street to 39th and Q Street.

In the first decade of the 20th century the N. 16th and Locust intersection experienced a building boom. In 1900, a two story building with a bar, card room and offices above it was constructed on the southeast corner. It’s still standing there now. In 1905, William H. Patton built a two-story blacksmith shop on the northeast corner, and in 1906, J. R. Salisbury built a one-story brick hardware store just off the intersection.

The State Bar sat on the southeast corner for more than 50 years, and the red two-story building is still there. Joseph Houska built a two-story store at the end of that block that’s still there today, and McKenna’s Hall was the first occupant there. Political rallies, social events and more filled the building for years.

The Stanley Drug Store was located at 2825 N. 16th starting at the turn of the century, and Lane Drug Store was located catty corner from it at 2902 N. 16th, directly on the corner, from the 1910s into the 1980s. The Blake-Bradish Drug Co. was located at 2902 Sherman Avenue from the 1890s through the 1930s, at least.

Bakery, North 16th and Locust Streets, North Omaha, Nebraska — This is the interior of a bakery that was located at North 16th and Locust Streets. Do you know the name?

The southwest corner of the intersection, which held 2828 Sherman Avenue, has a long, interesting history. Otto Wolff was a storeowner and reportedly a vice consul for the Danish government. Basically, he had his native government’s permission to act on their behalf in business matters. He built his office at 2828 N. 16th in 1878 and stayed there at least until 1909. By 1918, Dr. James C. Bishop was practicing medicine at this address.

Missouri Pacific roundhouse, North 14th and Locust Streets, North Omaha, Nebraska — This is the only known image of the Missouri Pacific roundhouse west of Carter Lake and north of North 14th and Locust Streets.

There was a lot going on just east of the intersection. One of Omaha’s early baseball fields was located on the bluff looking down on Carter Lake. At different points after 1900, at the bottom of the bluff there was a racetrack, velodrome and horse stables. Less attractive were the “hobo jungles” located north of Locust along the railroad tracks in the 1920s and 1930s. None of that kept the intersection from being successful.

Recreation at the Intersection

This is a then-and-now comparison image of the Grand Theater at 2920 North 16th Street. This building was recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In addition to successful commercial activities, there were also recreational things going on. Bars and taverns near the intersection included The Nip, the State Bar, Shawnees’, A-1, and the Doghouse.

There were four theaters at the intersection of 16th and Locust Streets. They were the IT Theater; the New Star Theatre; the Corby Theatre and the Grand Theatre. Three buildings are still standing today, including one recently recognized for its historical significance.

The first theater near this intersection was called the IT Theater, and was located at 2910 Sherman Avenue starting in at least 1909. They showed moving pictures, and eventually transitioned to movies. The theater changed hands a lot throughout its life, but its building still stands today. Today it can be found at 2910 N. 16th Street.

The Corby Theatre was built in 1928, and is located at 2803 N. 16th, a block from the intersection. Inside the same building was Tuts Cafe, J and G Bakery, and Letha’s Beauty Shop. Next door to it is a small one-story building that was built in 1900.

Corby Theater, 2803 North 16th Street, North Omaha, Nebraska — This is a then-and-now comparison pic of Corby Theater at 2803 North 16th Street, shown in 1928 and 2015.

The New Star Theatre was a short-lived enterprise on the northeast corner of 16th and Locust. When it was built, the theater was housed in a two-story building next door to the Safeway grocery store. It was torn down within a decade after it opened in 1910 to make way for a larger grocery store.

The McPherson Theater Company built the Grand Theater just north of 16th and Locust in 1915 and opened it in 1916. Lasting into the 1920s, the theater didn’t survive the Great Depression. However, it still stands today and is cared for by a church. In 2019, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Even though two of them are in dubious condition, three of the intersection’s four movie theater buildings are still standing today: the Grand, the Corby and the IT.

In 1913, the notorious Easter Sunday tornado blasted through the area just east of the intersection. When it touched down below the bluff at N. 14th and Spencer, it destroyed the Missouri Pacific Railroad roundhouse that was there. Apparently there was a fire at the new roundhouse that destroyed it again in 1915.

Change Through the Decades

N. 16th and Binney, North Omaha, Nebraska — This is a then-and-now comparison of looking south from North 16th and Binney in 1960 and in 2016.

By the 1940s, the first generation of businesses had cycled out and the next generation was coming in. For the next few decades, Lane’s Drug was on the northwest corner and Hinky Dinkey groceries was on the northeast corner. Wolf Brothers Clothing was on the southwest corner and the State Bar stayed open on the southeast corner. The Corby Theatre and a diner were at Corby Street, and an Italian barber shop played opera on the radio. The corner had a good restaurant, a second clothing store, and Woolworth’s, a popular five and dime store with red and white awning across the front. At North 16th and Binney there was a little drive in with really great hamburgers. In the late 1950s, the Ohio Fish Market was opened two blocks from the intersection.

Dr. Cosgrave was a dentist that kept and office at the intersection, while Drs. Kemp and Reichstadt kept family practices on the corner, too.

A restaurant has stood on the northwest corner of N. 16th and Binney Streets for almost a century. Recently home to LaVada’s Place and J&D’s Down Home Cooking Restaurant, the restaurant at 3002 North 16th Street has been many different businesses. From 1968 to 1977 it was home to the Big Steer Drive-In. From 1963 to 1968, it was Joe’s Corner Drive-In. Coney Island was there from 1961 to 1963, and before that it was the Pree-Ma Drive-In. The current building was constructed in 1954. The corner was first an A&W Drive-In starting in 1936.

A restaurant has been on the corner of N. 16th and Binney Streets. — *A restaurant has been on the corner of N. 16th and Binney Streets* since the 1920s.

Lakeside Billiards and the B and R Food Center at 2821 North 16th in 1935.Into the 1970s, businesses around the intersection included the two-story Gambels Department Store across the street from the Corby Theatre, as well as Laird Hardware and Wolf Brothers. A store called Paska’s was next door to the five and dime, which was next to the barber shop. A fire burnt down the Five and Dime. Hinky Dinky built a new 15,000 square foot supermarket at N. 16th and Locust in 1965. The location became Harold’s Supermarket in the 1980s, then No Frills and is now a Chubbs Supermarket.

Regular businesses continued near the intersection, too. The Sheet Metal Company became Aksarben Roofing, which is still based there. The Nip Bar changed to R. R. Jobbers then to Sugar Bears Auto Repair. The barber shop kept operating. At the Brothers Shoe Shine Parlor, older kids would hang out and play pool.

By the 1960s, the west side of North 16th was predominately African American homes, while the east side were mostly white.

The Old Locust Street Viaduct

This is the Locust Street Viaduct in North Omaha around 1945. — This is a pic of the Locust Street Viaduct, looking west towards the intersection of North 16th and Locust Streets from 11th Avenue.

Starting in the first decade of the 1900s, the City of Omaha wanted a massive elevated roadway over the train tracks cross Locust Street just east of N. 16th Street. In the 1909 mayoral campaign, the viaduct was an issue for candidates, particularly with the recent donation by Levi Carter of parklands at the east end of where the viaduct would be. In 1913, the City Council allocated $100,000 for the 26′ wide roadway. Within a year, they were in the Nebraska State Supreme Court with the Missouri Pacific Railroad, the Union Pacific Railroad, and they won a trial that the railroads said they never needed. In 1916, the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railroad paid another $25,000 into the construction of the viaduct, and it was finished that year.

The viaduct was 40′ above the railroad, and was more than two blocks long, extending from about 14th Street almost all the way to Carter Lake Drive.

This is a view from the Locust Street Viaduct looking west towards the intersection of North 16th and Locust in the 1940s.

With a team of horses and its wagon coming up the Locust Street viaduct from Carter Lake, one day in 1920 a City of Omaha dogcatcher truck came flying around the corner from N. 16th. Not seeing the wagon, the dogcatcher truck hit the wagon and horses. Albert Jackson, the dogcatcher, jumped out and started yelling at the old man who was driving the wagon. Getting mad, he pulled out his gun and soon hit the wagon driver over the head with it. Across the street, Roy Teeter saw what happened and rushed over to intervene. He was a young guy, and when Jackson started yelling at the old man again, Teeter punched him to the ground in defense of the old man. When Jackson was able to get up again, he pointed his weapon at Teeter and shot him dead. Jackson was found guilty of murder in the first degree, and was sent to the Nebraska State Penitentiary for life.

Fast-forward 50 years, and in 1974 the bridge was closed for three months because of structural deficiencies. Two years later it was closed for several months while it was repaired.

Looking east from the west end of the viaduct. Visible is N. 14th and Locust Streets, looking at Carter Lake. — Looking east from the west end of the viaduct. Visible is N. 14th and Locust Streets, looking at the town of Carter Lake.

At 11am in the morning on March 30, 1990, the viaduct collapsed. A train with four cars derailed on the railroad below it and hit support beams, taking the bridge down with it. Three cars were traveling across the viaduct when it happened, and five people were taken to the hospital. Nobody was killed. The entire viaduct was removed shortly afterward, and all signs of it are gone now.

Before the 1913 Easter Sunday tornado, these locomotives were parked IN the Missouri Pacific Railroad roundhouse near North 16th and Locust Streets.

In 2015, the City of Omaha withdrew a bid to develop an industrial park on the site of the original Sulphur Springs landing on the Missouri River, claiming toxins from the roundhouse and other railroad-related activities have poisoned the land beyond its affordability. Today, the land continues to be unoccupied by anything useful.

Hard Times at 16th & Locust

Zion Wheel Baptist Church at 2822 1/2 North 16th Street; the Locust Street Liquor Store; and a Max I. Walker Dry Cleaners at North 16th and Locust Streets, North Omaha, Nebraska — In 1970, the southwest intersection of N. 16th and Locust was home to the Zion Wheel Baptist Church at 2822 1/2 North 16th Street; the Locust Street Liquor Store; and a Max I. Walker Dry Cleaners. Notice the old ad for Nesbitt’s Soda, once available at Otto Wolff’s store in the corner of the building.

For more than 30 years, the intersection of N. 16th and Locust Streets has been neglected by the City of Omaha, festering with wounds from white flight in the area. A restaurant called Broadway’s Place was on the corner at 2828 N 16th for a long time. The Hinky Dinky changed hands a lot, and is now Chubb’s Foods. Slowly but steadily though, Cohen’s IGA, Gambles Hardware, Lane Drug, and Stanley Recall Rexall, Max I. Walker Dry Cleaners, the State Bar, and Laird’s Hardware all closed.

Corby Theatre closed down in the late 1950s, probably in conjunction with the white flight already sweeping the area. A furniture store was there for a little while, then a thrift store, then a nightclub. Today, the building is apparently used for storage and is all boarded up.

Little Frank's Tavern, 2918 North 16th Street, North Omaha, Nebraska — *Little Frank’s Tavern was located 2918 North 16th Street was open from the 1920s through the 1950s, when it moved to South Omaha.*

When the viaduct came down, old buildings along the railroad became obvious. Today, there’s a single railroad line where there were once dozens, and just a few warehouses where there used to be several.

Given the murders in their parking lot, the regularly unfulfilled need for police to patrol the area, and the other crime all around them, the only apparent legal activity at 16th and Locust is Chubb’s Foods and Allied Furniture. Chubb’s is a neighborhood fixture though, and locals attest to its success.

Locust Street Liquor Store, North Omaha, Nebraska — This is the Locust Street Liquor Store, located at the intersection. Notice the metal security grate is mangled after the 1969 riot.

A new development with several duplexes was built recently just west of the intersection. These homes, along with other residences and businesses opening further south, provide hope that this could be a viable commercial intersection again in the future.

For now, maybe it is best to just roam with the ghosts of the intersection at N. 16th and Locust and to simply think about what was, and wonder what could be again in the future.

Tour of the 16th and Locust Historic District

Corby Theater, 2803 N 16th Street
Commercial building, 2820 N 16th Street
King Cash Groceries building, then a drug store, 2819 N 16th Street
Allied Furniture, 2821 N 16th Street
Lakeside Billiards building, 2823 N 16th Street
Stanley Drug Store building, 2825 N 16th Street
Commercial building, 2827 N 16th Street
Lane Drug, 2902 N 16th Street
Chubb Foods, 2905 N 16th Street
IT Theatre, 2906 N 16th Street
A&W Drive-In site, 2908 N 16th Street
Superior Heating and Cooling, 2915 N 16th Street
Grand Theatre building, 2920 N 16th Street
Jackson Furniture & Variety, 2922 N 16th Street
Atlas (Allas) Apartments, 1609 Binney Street

You Might Like…

BONUS PICS!

Looking east from North 14th and Locust Streets, the Locust Street viaduct is seen going over the Missouri Pacific Railroad in the 1940s.

This is looking west on the viaduct in 1955. The warehouse below the viaduct on the left is still there, as are several of the houses at the top of the hill.

This is a then-and-now comparison of the intersection of North 16th and Locust Streets in North Omaha, Nebraska, between 1950 and 2015. — This is a then-and-now comparison of the intersection of North 16th and Locust Streets between 1950 and 2015.

Name That Business!

2916 N 16th: Grand Theatre opened in 1916, later becoming the Grand Bar, the Universal Life Church, and today the Mount Vernon Baptist Church. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.
2908 N 16th: Originally the site of an A&W Restaurant in the 1930s, this building became many other drive-in restaurants through its life
2906 N 16th: Originally the “IT Theatre,” this became a hardware store
2918 N 16th: Originally Little Frank’s Tavern, what did this become?
2922 N 16th: In 1935, this was the Atlantic and Pacific Grocery Store. It was later combined with its neighborhood to become a furniture store that closed in the 1970s.
2902 N 16th: This was a drug store from the time of its construction in the 1910s. It was Lane Drug from the 1950s through the 80s.
2828 N 16th: There was a corner grocery here, along with a dentist and a family doctor on the second floor. Anything else?
2822 N 16th: That’s Zion Wheel Baptist Church with a Max I Walker next door in 1969.
2817 N 16th: The State Bar, which was open from 1898 through 2005
2821 N 16th: This was a longtime drug store.
2823 N 16th: The Lakeside Billiards was located here starting in the 1880s, and afterward it became a clothing store.
2819 N 16th: This was a King Kash Grocery, and then several other chains through the 1980s.
2801 N 16th: This was the Corby Theater, also with King Tut’s Diner, Harry Smith Firestone Store, Harry Smith Marine Store, and Club Allusions.
N 16th: Safeway built a store here in 1916, and a new Hinky Dinky opened on this corner in 1945.
N 16th: What were these storefront businesses?

Jump in! Any and all responses are welcome!!!

N. 16th and Locust Streets in North Omaha, Nebraska — This 1940s era pic shows the northwest corner of North 16th and Locust, including B-J Cafe, Young and Henderson Hardware, and to the north, a bar with a Metz Beer sign and the Grand Theater.

Stanley Drug, 2826 North 16th Street, North Omaha, Nebraska — This is a then-and-now comparison image of Stanley Drug at 2826 North 16th Street in 1968 and in 2016.

Airport Drive-In, N. 11th and Locust Streets, North Omaha, Nebraska — *This is the Omaha Airport Drive-In in 1954. Opened two seasons earlier, it was located at N. 11th and Locust Streets. Later it was called the Capri Drive-In.*

Safeway, N. 16th and Locust, North Omaha, Nebraska — *This is an ad for the opening of Safeway at North 16th and Locust in 1920.*

*A 1930 aerial photo of the 16th and Locust intersection, along with the Locust Street overpass.*

This is a close-up of the former State Bar at 2827 N 16th in North Omaha. — This is a close-up of the former State Bar at 2827 North 16th Street.

The IGA grocery store was at 2824 N. 16th St. in 1968 when it was ransacked during riots. — The IGA grocery store was at 2824 North 16th Street in 1968 when it was ransacked during riots.

Listen to the North Omaha History Podcast shows 6 and 7 about the history of North 16th Street in Omaha, Nebraska. — Click here to listen to the North Omaha History Podcast shows 6 and 7 about the history of North 16th Street!

Preema Drive-In, North 16th and Binney Streets, North Omaha, Nebraska — This was the Preema Drive-In located at North 16th and Binney Streets in the 1950s.

16 Comments

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Nick Schaefer says:

July 3 at 3:03 pm

Cool article on the viaduct. Like I said before I was the first on scene and 2 vehicles drove off after it had already fell .It looked like a bomb had gone off. I never bought that there was a derailment since the cars would go through there about 5 mph max speed. I thought it just finally had a support beam go out. That thing was junk and would shake when driving over it. The rail cars were knocked partially off the tracks I feel by the bridge falling on top of the train. Which, like I said was moving at maybe 5mph

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1. Adam Fletcher says:
  
  July 3 at 3:41 pm
  
  Firsthand accounts like yours are what’s missing from history Nick. Can I quote you in the article?
  
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  1. Nick Schaefer says:
    
    July 3 at 3:55 pm
    
    Sure! The Pottawattamie county com-center advised me that the bridge in Carter lake had just fallen. I advised we didn’t have one. I was actually on Locust heading towards the viaduct (in Omaha) at the time. Then I could see the viaduct was gone. I drove up to the approach and could see the scene. Cars were on the bridge that “rode it down” (One elderly lady was standing next to her car! One more drove off and landed on a rail car and then a second one onto the rubble. I told Com Center to have Omaha close off the entrance up top and I started attending to the injured. It took awhile for ambulances to get there because they had to go to the north side of the lake and wind around the lake to get there.
    
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Suellyn Cudd says:

July 5 at 8:08 pm

I love this article! I used to walk across the bridge with our babysitter. She lived right on 16th and Locust, my mom worked at the State Bar, she also worked at a pharmacy that was next door to the bar.
I did not like the bridge, I always feared the wooden walkway would give under us.

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1. Ron Potter says:
  
  April 27 at 12:44 pm
  
  I had to walk over it at night so many of the board were gone I had the be very careful not to fall tho
  
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A Reader says:

August 24 at 4:24 am

Chubbs is most certainly not struggling to stay open. They are a thriving business and one of the few successful grocery stores in the area. Where else can you get chitlins, pigs feet, and glory canned foods in the area?

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1. Adam Fletcher says:
  
  August 25 at 5:06 pm
  
  Point taken and correction made! Thanks for sharing!
  
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diane buck-cook maiden name Urlaub says:

November 5 at 11:09 pm

I was raised in east Omaha my home address was 3410 North 34th Street Omaha ne I went to Pershing Elementary School from kindergarten to 8th grade. Then I went to North High School from 9 1971 to 6 1975. We all had to ride the bus up locust street and north 16th street and get another bus. when it was cold out side the bar on the corner locust and north 16 would let us sit in the bar until our bus came. I loved living in east Omaha. My home number is 402 502 2660 I now live in north omaha

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Jeff Sobczyk says:

October 5 at 7:07 pm

Does any know the history of the brick commercial building at 2465 N 16 ST (16th/Lake)? I know it was built in 1941 and currently, it is used for auto repair. I am assuming that has not always been the case. It looks like its original intended use may have been for a grocery store or hardware store. Does anyone know?
This building is interesting to me because there is an identical building that was constructed one year prior (1940) located at 5166 Leavenworth. Any insight would be a huge help!

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1. Adam F.C. Fletcher says:
  
  October 6 at 6:15 pm
  
  Hi Jeff, and thanks for your note. That was built as Safeway #611 around 1945. If you’re interested, you can find the locations of almost 20 Safeway stores in North Omaha’s history at https://northomahahistory.com/2017/10/13/a-history-of-grocery-stores-in-north-omaha/
  
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  1. Jeff Sobczyk says:
    
    October 6 at 8:48 pm
    
    Just as I thought, thank you!
    
    LikeLike
2. Adam F.C. Fletcher says:
  
  October 6 at 6:15 pm
  
  You might also want to check out my article on the history of North 16th Street at https://northomahahistory.com/2012/11/30/a-history-of-omahas-n-16th-street-aka-sherman-avenue/
  
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Patrick Sweaney says:

August 4 at 1:33 am

For quite a while I’ve been thinking about the intersection of 16th and Locust. What a wonderful article you have written. I was raised in the Miller Park neighborhood and we would go through the intersection on the #9 bus. I worked at Bronco’s on north 30th starting in 1969 and heard many stories about Preemas, which I believe was owned by the family that built the Bronco’s franchise. An old man who worked there told me that after eating a bowl of chili at Preemas a patron pulled out a dead fly, placed it in his now empty bowl,and said that he wasn’t going to pay the 15 cents that was due. They had a fistfight over it which continued on across the street and ended up on the floor of the State Bar. The bartender, knowing the manager, helped him get his 15 cents.

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