Standing as a landmark of late 19th-century public education architecture, community resilience, and historical preservation in the Gold Coast Historic District, . Built at the turn of the century to serve a rapidly expanding city, it served the neighborhood for over 80 years before finding new life in adaptive reuse.

The Era of the Last Governor

In the late 1880s, streetcar lines shot west along Cuming Street and Dodge Street and forever changed the countryside. Within a decade, the area west of North 40th Street became Omaha’s premier suburban enclave. Known then as Lowe’s Addition, it was eventually referred to as the city’s new Gold Coast. Getting away from downtown’s industrial soot and density, rich people and middle-class managers rushed to build huge houses across the hills of what was then thought of as the West End.

Business titan George Joslyn (1848-1916) and his wife Sarah (1851-1940) bought land for their estate in 1898, an opulent castle they called Lynhurst. After that, the West End boomed, fast. All the sudden, wealthy young families quickly overwhelmed the schoolhouses around them. Little one- and two-room buildings faced massive overcrowding within short periods of time, forcing the Omaha School Board to respond in 1899.

By all accounts, Alvin Saunders (1817–1899) was popular when he died the same year the school board took action. Appointed by President Abraham Lincoln to be the Nebraska Territory’s last governor in 1861, Saunders served as until statehood was granted in 1867. He went on to represent Nebraska in the US Senate and eventually served on the original Omaha High School Board of Regents, playing a prominent role in advocating for public education across the city.

Architectural Beginnings (1899)

Designed as a classic grade school at 415 North 41st Avenue in 1899, the Saunders School was built as a two-story red brick building over a raised stone basement. It was built as a rectangular 106-by-68-foot box and looked like a factory building. It was designed by architect John Latenser, Sr. with distinct Romanesque Revival arches alongside a lot of beautiful details inside and outside of the building. This mix reflected the other 35+ commissions Latenser had with Omaha Public Schools, including several in North Omaha like Miller Park (1912), Central High (1900), and the third Saratoga School, all of which favored robust masonry, large window banks, central hallways with classrooms on the sides, and grand arcaded entrances.

Saunders School has masonry walls and heavy timber framing supporting a hipped roof, with ten spacious classrooms originally organized around wide central hallways. The building was designed to adhere strictly to national progressive trends in school planning. Heavy structural fireproofing, elevated basements, high ceilings, and expansive double-hung windows to maximize natural lighting and cross-ventilation. The school was purposely tucked into a quiet residential area instead of being placed along a major road like Dodge Street to keep young kids safe from heavy wagons, streetcars, and vehicles. In the early decades, students reached the school entirely on foot, walking from surrounding residential streets.

Originally, the school contained no dedicated cafeteria or gymnasium since students always went home for lunch. When standards for schools changed, a wood-frame annex was added to house a small gymnasium and stage was added to the north side in the 1950s, followed by a annex added in 1974 to give the building a proper kitchen and cafeteria.The surrounding three-quarters-of-an-acre lot was paved over time to form an asphalt playground, preserving the core historical footprint until the school closed and underwent adaptive reuse into apartments.

Key Architectural Highlights

• Design: Primarily designed in the Romanesque Revival style, seamlessly blended with Classical and Neoclassical details.
• Outside: Constructed with durable red brick and heavy stone masonry, featuring arched windows and ornamental detailing typical of turn-of-the-century public schools.
• Inside: Designed around large windows and wide central hallways to maximize natural light and ventilation before air conditioning existed.

The Easter Sunday Tornado of 1913

On March 23, 1913, one of the deadliest tornadoes in American history struck Omaha, tearing a path of destruction directly through the surrounding residential districts. Through severe damage from the tornado, Saunders School upper roof section was completely ripped away and heavy structural damage hit the top floor, requiring extensive repair and reconstruction.

Despite the devastation, Omaha Public Schools rebuilt the damaged upper level shortly after the disaster, allowing students to return and enabling the building to remain an anchor for the neighborhood.

Eight Decades of Service and Historic Preservation

For more than 80 years, generations of local children passed through the doors of Saunders School. However, by the late 20th century, changing demographics and shifting neighborhood boundaries led to its eventual closure as a public school.

Rather than facing demolition, the historic structure was recognized for its architectural and historical value. In 1985, it was designated an official City of Omaha Landmark, and in 1986 it was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

After the building was permanently closed in the 1980s, it was converted into an apartment building. The renovation preserved the outside brickwork and tall windows, as well as the grand entryways. The inside was wholly renovated for practical usage.

Today, the Saunders School building continues standing as a well-preserved piece of Omaha history. It is a testament to John Latenser Sr.’s architectural legacy and the resilience of Omaha’s early public school system.

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MY ARTICLES ABOUT THE HISTORY OF SCHOOLS IN NORTH OMAHA

GENERAL: Segregated Schools | Higher Education
PUBLIC GRADE SCHOOLS: Beechwood | Belvedere | Cass | Central Park | Dodge Street | Druid Hill | Florence | Fort Omaha School | Howard Kennedy | Kellom | Lake | Long | Miller Park | Minne Lusa | Monmouth Park | North Omaha (Izard) | Omaha View | Pershing | Ponca | Saratoga | Saunders | Sherman | Walnut Hill | Webster
PUBLIC MIDDLE SCHOOLS: McMillan | Technical
PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS: North | Technical | Florence
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS: Creighton | Dominican | Holy Angels | Holy Family | Sacred Heart | St. Benedict | St. John | St. Therese
LUTHERAN SCHOOLS: Hope | St. Paul
HIGHER EDUCATION: Omaha University | Creighton University | Presbyterian Theological Seminary | Joslyn Hall | Jacobs Hall | Fort Omaha | Immanuel Deaconess Nursing School | Swedish Mission Hospital Nursing School |
EDUCATORS: Eugene Skinner | Lucinda Williams nee Lucy Gamble | Edmae Swain
COMMUNITY EDUCATION PLACES: Althouse Beauty School | Wesley House
COMMUNITY EDUCATORS: George McPherson | Florentine Pinkston | “Professor” PJ Waddle | Christine Althouse | Bertha Calloway | Beverly Blackburn | Helen Mahammitt
COMMUNITY EDUCATION ORGANIZERS: Edwin Overall | Lerlean N. Johnson | Nellie Mae Webb | Ernie Chambers | BANTU
MORE: Fort Street Special School for Incorrigible Boys | Nebraska School for the Deaf and Dumb

Listen to the North Omaha History Podcast on “The History of Schools in North Omaha” »

Elsewhere Online

• Saunders School Wikipedia article
• Original Saunders School National Register of Historic Places application, City of Omaha Landmark Heritage Preservation