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A proposal to make the South Haymarket a historic landmark district won the approval of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission Wednesday. The commission unanimously recommended approval of the landmark district, which would include 23 properties in an area roughly bounded by J, M, Sixth and Ninth streets. It still needs the approval of the City Council.
The city is considering a proposal to designate the South Haymarket area near downtown Lincoln a historical district. The area was home to early manufacturing and industrial businesses. Shown at bottom is the Mill Towne Building, which housed manufacturers of interior and exterior woodwork.
The historic district would recognize the role the area played in the Capital City’s industrial and manufacturing growth from 1890 to 1946. In addition to the 23 properties that would be part of the landmark district, the area includes another 10 “non-conforming” properties, which are either vacant or parking lots, those built after the time period or those that have been changed so much they have little remaining of their original structure, said Jill Dolberg, the city’s historic preservation planner. People are also reading.
.. Becoming a local landmark district is a way to preserve the area’s history but has other advantages: Relaxing the floodplain requirements for businesses, allowing zoning flexibility for redevelopment projects and making projects eligible for federal tax credits, Dolberg told the commissioners.
Traditionally, historic districts perform better economically, she said. Three buildings in the area already have local or national historic landmarks: the K Street Power Plant, the Cotswold Building and the Meadow Gold complex. Dolberg said city planners reached out to area business owners, who are supportive of the change.
Commissioner Rich Rodenberg asked if the designation would restrict businesses from making updates to the building. Dolberg said the city is primarily concerned with the exterior of the building, not the interior, and additions would need to be compatible with existing architecture but wouldn’t have to match it. The proposed historic district became the center of industrial development when the city began attracting major railroad lines after 1870.
A network of rail sidings — offshoots of the main lines that extended to businesses so the trains could unload materials — were common in the area and remain a remnant of the past, when trains became a significant means of transporting goods. The industrial development of the area came at a cost: between 1891 and 1928 about 80 domestic buildings — houses, shanties and boarding houses where Lincoln’s poorest citizens lived, some of whom likely worked in the industrial areas — were razed in the nine-block area. Another 50 homes were demolished in a six-block area bounded by K, G, Sixth and Eighth streets.
An insurance company described a handful of the homes as “negro shanties.” The South Haymarket also was home to early Lincoln’s red light district, located primarily on the northwest corner of Sixth and M streets. As the railroads came in, they pushed the houses further east but they prospered and by the early 1900s 16 houses of ill repute were located in the area, despite an 1885 ordinance outlawing prostitution, according to planning documents.
Reformers — including businessmen in the South Haymarket district — worked hard to enforce the law, the planning documents say, and by 1910 the madams and their businesses were gone, replaced primarily by warehouses. Another noteworthy part of the South Haymarket was its location in a floodplain, which nearby Salt Creek flooded every few years. The worst flood happened in 1908, when floodwaters destroyed homes, and killed seven people, according to city planners.
A flood control project in 1943 helped, but didn't stop the flooding. In the 1950s, a federal flood control project that included the construction of 10 dams and the Salt Creek levee significantly reduced flooding but didn’t eliminate it — with severe flooding as late as 2015. Still, the manufacturing district blossomed, though it differed from the West Haymarket, now a well-established entertainment, business and residential area featuring Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Early on the West Haymarket — which also has a historic landmark designation — was a wholesaler, or jobber’s, district with a handful of hotels, restaurants, shops and saloons mixed in. Although most of the major companies in the South Haymarket were in place by 1933, the district continued to be among Lincoln’s most important industrial centers through about 1960. In recent years, the city has focused on redeveloping the area, including plans for a new city park, a new spot for food trucks and helping with recent business redevelopments.
The E-edition is available to you every morning, and is updated throughout the day Top Journal Star photos for March 2025 A man walks through swath of light shining through an upper window in the rotunda last week at the Capitol, where lawmakers plan to spend 37 more days working on legislation that has been introduced. Speaker John Arch warned Monday that only "essential" bills are likely to receive attention as the clock winds down toward the end of the 90-day session. Lauren Schilz of Wadsworth, Ill.
(left), and her mother Robin Schilz play a game of cornhole during Admitted Students Day on Saturday at Nebraska Coliseum. The day offered students who are considering attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln a chance to explore campus and talk to students, faculty and alumni. Nebraska celebrates after a home run against Oregon State on Friday at Haymarket Park.
Fourth grade students from Grant Elementary in Norfolk eat lunch on the lawn of the Capitol after a field trip Thursday, where they learned about the building's architecture and the Legislature. Driving instructor Tariq Qasim guides Najla Shamo as she practices driving using a simulator during a driving class for refugee women at Lutheran Family Services' Lincoln office Friday. The resettlement agency was able to purchase the simulator and curriculum for the classes thanks to a grant from the Nebraska Presbyterian Foundation.
The Nebraska Mens Gymnastics Team celebrates Joey Pepe’s performance in the horizontal bar event on Friday, March 21, 2025, at Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln. Framed through glasses of water, Sen. Deb Fischer speaks to invited guests during the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce's Congressional Report at the Lincoln Country Club on Thursday.
Nebraska’s Lauren Camenzind slides into home plate on Sunday, March 23, 2025, at Bowlin Stadium in Lincoln. Nebraska's Britt Prince (center) and Jessica Petrie walk out of the court after losing to Louisville in the NCAA Tournament on Friday at the Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Kevin McCaffrey runs at Holmes Lake on Sunday.
McCaffrey has been running a 50-mile ultra-marathon at the lake each month this year, inviting others to join him and raise money for good causes. A blood moon during a total lunar eclipse is seen over the sower on top of the Nebraska Capitol early Friday morning. Lunar eclipses happen when the moon, Earth and sun align just so, causing the moon to blush a coppery red because of stray bits of sunlight filtering through Earth's atmosphere.
Lunar and solar eclipses happen anywhere from four to seven times a year, according to NASA. If you missed out on Friday, the next total lunar eclipse visible from Nebraska will be on March 3, 2026. Omaha Skutt's George Ziebell (50) is mobbed by his teammates after scoring the game winning bucket with .
5 seconds left on the clock to secure the win for the SkyHawks during their Class B semifinal state tournament game against Norris on Friday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Omaha Westside's Lee'Murhion Robinson brings his jersey up to cover his face after falling to Papillion-La Vista South in the Class A state championship game Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. O’Neill St.
Mary’s John Mlnarik (22) embraces O’Neill St. Mary’s Gage Hedstrom (24) after cutting off a piece of the basketball net following the Class D2 State Championship game on Saturday, March 15, 2025, at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. Lincoln Fire and Rescue crews battle a fire on Thursday at an automotive business near 36th Street and Cleveland Avenue.
Ashland-Greenwood players lift the championship trophy after defeating Omaha Concordia to win the Class C-1 state championship game Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Lincoln Southeast celebrates winning the game on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. Papillion-La Vista South's Reece Kircher (22) waves the net after defeating Omaha Westside to win the Class A state championship game Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Papillion-La Vista South's Jayden Herrera (24) recovers the ball after it was shot by Omaha Westside's Lee'Murhion Robinson (second right) as he was boxed out by La Vista South's Bryson Bahl (first right) and Grant Beckenhauer (23) in the first half of the Class A state championship game Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Johnson-Brock's Casen Dalinghaus (13) scores over Howells-Dodge's Dane Meyer (1) in the second half of the Class D-1 state championship game Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska’s Jordyn Bahl claps with dust on her hands after sliding into home base on Sunday, March 9, 2025, at Bowlin Stadium in Lincoln.
Ja’mylah Barbee, 7, adds glue to pipe cleaners while making a model house out of recycled materials on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at Belmont Community Center in Lincoln. Lincoln Pius X's Michael Haith (4), Charles Morrow (10) and Parker Kelly (5) go up to defend a shot by Norris' Evan Greenfield (22) in the first half of a Class B first-round state tournament game Thursday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Lincoln Lutheran's Ryan Hager (12) is hit in the face by Fillmore Central's Jarin Tweedy (5) as he tries to score a layup in the second half of a Class C-1 first-round state tournament game Wednesday at the Devaney Sports Center.
(From left) Oakland-Craig's Sabrina Rost (11), Oakland-Craig's Carolyn Magnusson (13) and Oakland-Craig's Brinley Burton (15) celebrate winning the Class C-2 state championship game on Saturday, March 8, 2025, at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. Rob Andersen (left) helps Keiron Taylor put on a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Personal Protective Equipment suit during HazMat inventory and training on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Nebraska Task Force One Warehouse in Lincoln.
Waverly's Mia Jackson (left) protects the ball as York’s Kinslee Kern attempts to steal it from her on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. Dorchester's Mackenzie Yager (23) and Falls City Sacred Heart's Alise Reschke (11) battle for the ball during the Class D-2 state championship game on Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Lincoln Christian team celebrates after defeating Milford during the Class C-1 state championship game Saturday, March 8, 2025, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
A baby goat mills around the Lincoln Children's Zoo on Monday. Goats have returned to the zoo's feeding space after leaving in September 2023. Milford players celebrate the win over Minden during a Class C-1 semifinal state basketball tournament game on Friday, March 7, 2025, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Congressman Mike Flood addresses the questions and concerns of audience members during his town hall on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at Columbus High School in Lincoln. Elizabeth Evans, a food service manager at Open Harvest Co-op Grocery, cradles a selection of cheeses featured in this year's Cheese Madness tournament. The bracket-style competition pits various cheeses against each other for customers to vote on.
Contact the writer at [email protected] or 402-473-7226. On Twitter at @LJSReist.
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