The Elsasser Bakery is a building at 1802 and 1804 Vinton Street in
South Omaha South Omaha is a former city and current district of Omaha, Nebraska, United States. During its initial development phase the town's nickname was "The Magic City" because of the seemingly overnight growth, due to the rapid development of the Union S ...
,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
. The building was built in 1923 for the William L. Elsasser Bakery. The Elsasser name is carved into a stone panel at the top of the red brick building. The building was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 2006 as part of the admission of the
Vinton Street Commercial Historic District. The building's main occupant is currently the River City Saloon.
History
The Elsasser family were bakers from the town of
Vaihingen,
Württemberg
Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart.
Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Württ ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. After arriving in Omaha in the early 1880s, the family patriarch, Christian G. Elsasser, opened the first Elsasser family bakery at 709 Leavenworth Street.
The bakery was appropriately named The Leavenworth Street Bakery and appears in the 1883 Wolfe's Omaha City Directory.
In 1887, Christian's son, William Ludwig Elsasser, established the W. L. Elsasser Bakery at 2014 South 19th Street.
Around the late 1890s, William moved the bakery to 2416 South 19th Street.
In 1904, the bakery operation was moved to its final location at 1802 Vinton Street.
At the time, the building was a wood-frame structure previously occupied by another bakery.
William Elsasser's family conveniently moved to a two-story home behind the bakery at 2706 South 18th Street.
When William L. Elsasser died unexpectedly on July 27, 1914, his widow, Susanna, continued to run the bakery with the assistance of other family members.
It was under her direction in 1923 that the current brick building was built.
The general contractor was Frederick W. Rice, a relative of the family.
[Frame, Bob, and Chad Moffett. Retrieved 2014-03-14.] After Susanna Elsasser died in 1926, sons William J. and Carl L. Elsasser took over bakery operations.
The sons' running of the bakery was relatively short-lived. The last listing for the bakery in the city directories was 1931.
By 1940, the bakery had been converted to a bar.
Currently, the main occupant of the building is the River City Saloon.
The Elsasser Bakery building is a two-story red brick commercial
vernacular
A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...
building.
In addition to the Elsasser name carved into a stone panel at the top of the building, other decorative aspects of the building include a stone-capped
parapet
A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...
roof, brick banding, window hoods and stone sills.
The center window on the second story is bricked in.
When the Elsasser Bakery was in operation there was a large front awning imprinted with "''1802 Elsasser's Bakery''".
The Elsasser Bakery was a neighborhood bakery serving the residents surrounding it. The bakery's specialties were Vienna and German
rye bread
Rye bread is a type of bread made with various proportions of flour from rye grain. It can be light or dark in color, depending on the type of flour used and the addition of coloring agents, and is typically denser than bread made from whea ...
.
During a Food Administration hearing on the price of bread, Elsasser's Bakery reported total sales in December 1917 of $2,140, with the retail price of a loaf of bread set at 9 cents.
The value of the plant and the equipment was estimated at $2,500.
The Elsasser family was known throughout Omaha for their large, annual family reunions. The first Elsasser reunion was held on November 1, 1913, across the street from the bakery at Miller's Hall at 1724 Vinton Street.
A stained glass window as a memorial to William L. Elsasser was installed by the Elsasser family on the south wall of the sanctuary of Cross Lutheran Church at 3101 South 20th Street.
Gallery
File:Elsasser_Bakery,_2416_South_19th_Street,_Omaha,_Nebraska.jpg, Elsasser Bakery, 2416 South 19th Street
File:Elsasser_Bakery_Basement,_Omaha,_Nebraska.jpg, Baking Bread in the Basement of the Elsasser Bakery
File:William_Elsasser_leaning_on_the_counter_of_his_bakery,_Elsasser_Bakery,_1802_Vinton_Street,_Omaha,_Nebraska.jpg, William Elsasser Inside His 1802 Vinton Street Bakery
File:Elsasser Bakery Truck, Omaha, Nebraska.jpg, Elsasser Bakery Truck
File:Walter Elsasser, left, in front of the Elsasser Bakery Awning, 1802 Vinton Street, Omaha, Nebraska.jpg, Elsasser Bakery Awning
File:William Elsasser, of the Elsasser Bakery, Family Home at 2706 South 18th Street, Omaha, Nebraska.jpg, Elsasser Family Home, 2706 South 18th Street
See also
*
History of Omaha
The history of Omaha, Nebraska, began before the settlement of the city, with speculators from neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa staking land across the Missouri River illegally as early as the 1840s. When it was legal to claim land in Indian Co ...
*
Vinton Street Commercial Historic District
*
Arthur G. Rocheford Building
References
{{NRHP Omaha
National Register of Historic Places in Omaha, Nebraska
History of Omaha, Nebraska
History of South Omaha, Nebraska
Commercial buildings completed in 1923
Landmarks in South Omaha, Nebraska
Bakeries of the United States
German-American culture in Omaha, Nebraska
Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska
1923 establishments in Nebraska