A real estate advertisement in the April 15, 1923, issue of the Omaha Daily Bee featured one of the best brick homes in Dundee” on a large lot with "ample room for shrubbing." Details about the newly built three-story house called out the large living room, sunroom, breakfast room, and billiards room, as well as its five bedrooms and three baths.
Today that same gracious Colonial Revival is located in central Omaha's Dundee-Happy Hollow neighborhood, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. From the street, the house looks much as it did nearly 100 years ago, which was part of its appeal for current owners Brent and Emily Beller.
"I grew up in a newer part of town," Brent says. “What attracted me to Dundee was that it was developed in the early 1900s and the homes are all of the same lineage." (Of note: Warren Buffett, "the Oracle of Omaha," still lives in the house he bought there in 1958 for $31,500.) Brent liked that the brick foursquare had “great bones—it's very well built and solid."
The Bellers came across it while house hunting before the birth of their fourth child. "We loved the classic brick exterior, with the white pillars in front," says Emily. “Plus, there's a large park nearby for the kids.” After moving in, they replaced the leaking red-clay tile roof but did little else other than painting.
After a year, though, they missed some amenities of contemporary living, and decided to “bring the house up to current standards," Brent says.
Esta historia es de la edición Spring 2022 de This Old House Magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición Spring 2022 de This Old House Magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Mobile kitchen island
TOH DIY expert Jenn Largesse shows how to build a rolling kitchen cart with a butcher-block top
Bathtub tray
TOH general contractor Tom Silva and TOH host Kevin O'Connor construct a slatted zebrawood caddy to hold grooming essentials, a book, and even a glass of wine, for those who like a long soak
Navigating the rise in mortgage rates
Looking to buy—or refinance—and feeling frustrated by lenders’ sky-high interest rates? Here’s how to get the best deal
Graceful grasses
With dramatic foliage and distinctive plumes, ornamental grasses come in sizes to suit virtually any garden
A better asphalt driveway
It's long-lasting and recyclable, and it weathers extreme temperatures. You can repair small cracks and divots in asphalt, too. Here's what you need to know to get-and maintain-a great-looking asphalt driveway
Modernizing a mid-century house
A family turns to TOH to renovate a 1960 house that had been awkwardly expanded over time. Their goal: to create a contemporary, energy-efficient, open-plan home that is fully accessible for a son with mobility issues
Making a house her own
Renovating in stages over nearly two decades, a homeowner transforms a once forlorn bungalow into a cozy, very personal space
A little house that lives large
A reimagined interior and second-story addition double the living area inside a narrow shotgun house, while respecting its historical roots
Before & After: Bath Fit for a Queen Anne
Classic meets modern in this primary-suite retreat
Before & After: Kitchen Moving a wall makes it work
Grabbing a few feet from the adjacent dining room yields major layout improvements