LIFE ON THE GOLD COAST

As Omaha and all of America slowly started to recover from the depressed economy of 1893-94, business began to regain confidence and thrive. Citizens looked forward to the new century for a new beginning and a return to prosperity.  Omaha, a gate city to the West, got an additional jump start to a stronger economy from the successful Trans-Mississippi Exposition it hosted in the summer of 1898.  With expanding business opportunities, new money, a recovering farm economy, and a growing population, Omaha began to bustle again. 

          In 1895, sixty of the most prominent businessmen in Omaha gathered to form a non-profit organization that would sponsor large scale entertainment and events to attract tourism and travel to the city. The organization was named Ak-Sar-Ben, and the astute businessmen who were elected to its board became the “Knights” of Ak-Sar-Ben and governed over the mythical Kingdom of Quivira.  By 1916, the Ak-Sar-Ben Board of Governors was recognized as the most influential body of men in Omaha.  The most public and high-profile civic event sponsored by the Knights was an annual pageant culminating with a coronation ball.  A king and queen were crowned to rule over the mythical kingdom.  The king was always a prominent leader of the business community. The pageant was typical of the era and similar to what was being done in other American cities to boost civic pride and economies.

As the city’s boundaries expanded and new neighborhoods developed, one neighborhood in particular stood out because of who lived there. It came to be known by Omaha’s citizenry as the “Gold Coast”.  It was the first time that the city had such a pretentious concentration of homes for the “well to do”.  The impact Ak-Sar-ben had was not just to solidify the leaders of the business community, but it also solidified the leadership of society.  Ak-Sar-Ben is mentioned here because of its direct relationship to the leadership of the community and the Gold Coast. Over the next few decades, more than 25 of the kings of Ak-Sar-Ben resided in the Gold Coast. The stature of these men was significant enough to persuade United States Presidents to call on them at their homes when traveling through Omaha.

Omaha citizens were agog with the activities of the “high society”. The social pages of the local newspapers covered the comings and goings of society. Their homes and their lifestyles were conspicuous.  Some houses fell into the category of mansions with extensive formal gardens that could accommodate the most lavish fete, either indoors or out. Rather than having a “yard”, houses were sited on half-block and quarter block lots—some even on acreages. The exterior grounds of the homes often were as lavish as were their interiors.  Renowned gardeners and horticulturalists were employed to create landscapes which included formal gardens with water features, hidden grottos and garden rooms, summerhouses, arbors, and other architectural features. The homes and the lifestyles reflected wealth, social position, and success.

The “Gold Coast” lifestyle required more of everything.  The larger residences required a service staff, possibly made up of a maid, valet, nursemaid, cook, chauffeur, and gardener.  Therefore, homes were designed to provide housing for the service help, either within the house or in another building, possibly a carriage house with a second story servant’s quarters. Even the lavish apartment buildings of the era often had a room off of the kitchen for a cook or maid.         It was the era of entertaining in one’s home rather than a private club or restaurant.  Homes were large in scale to accommodate large and lavish parties.  For entertaining on a grand scale, third floor ballrooms for private dinner dances and receptions were common. Some ballrooms had balconies looking east to view the city lights, the Missouri River, and the high bluffs of the Iowa countryside. Engagement parties and weddings were commonly held in private homes.  And, yes, even wakes and funeral receptions were held in the privacy of the parlor.

Children also enjoyed the privileges of wealth. Children’s parties rivaled those of the adults.  Elaborately dressed, the children enjoyed specially prepared food and desserts, decorations, party games and favors.

It was not uncommon to see a chauffeur driving children to school in the mornings.  Sometimes children of the rich were tutored at home or enrolled in private boarding schools such as Brownell Hall, founded in 1863, or Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, founded in 1882. Some were sent off to private boarding schools in the East.  Others completed their educations with study in Europe.  Travel was considered an essential element of a well-rounded education. Many young students were provided the opportunity to take a “grand tour” of Europe.    The era of the grand lifestyle did not last long.  Attitudes were dramatically changed by World War I. The automobile displaced the horse forever.  Automation of factories was on its way, and the middle class expanded and relocated from the farms to the cities.  Americans turned their backs on the hardships and horror of the World War and welcomed in an era of good times, the era of the “Roaring 20’s”

Information on Ak-Sar-B

en was taken from The As-Sar-Ben Story, by Arvid F.Nelson, Jr.

Published in 1967 by Johnsen Publishing Company, Lincoln, NE.