St. Francis Cabrini Church, designed by Thomas Kimball and erected as a cathedral in 1908, is one of several design treasures along the route.

Walking Tour of
Little Italy May 12

Little Italy is one of Omaha’s oldest neighborhoods. Its history and architecture will be celebrated during a one-mile walking tour set for Saturday, May 12.

Registration for the event, hosted by Landmarks Inc. and Activate Omaha, will begin at 9:30 a.m. at St. Francis Cabrini Church, 1335 S. 10th Street. The cost is $7 for non-members, $5 for members, and $2 for children age 12 and under.

St. Francis Cabrini Church, designed by Thomas Kimball and erected as a cathedral in 1908, is one of several design treasures along the route. Other tour highlights include the striking Cornish Residence - one of Omaha’s best examples of Second Empire architecture, and Santa Lucia Hall, which was built in 1891 as Fire Station 9.

Landmarks Inc. will display photographs of buildings as they used to appear, including Burlington Station with its original portico. Dahlman Park, which occupies some of the highest land near downtown, forms the southern border of the walking tour.

Long-time resident Nancy Calinger will present an oral history of Little Italy. Initially populated by immigrants from Germany, Ireland and Bohemia, Southern Italians arrived in the neighborhood in the early 1900s. Salerno’s repair shop at 6th & Pierce streets was the nucleus of the community. Further west on 10th Street, many of Omaha’s prominent business leaders made their homes on a hill overlooking the new city.

Calinger also will discuss recent transformations in the neighborhood, including Bluestone Development’s The Towns .

Landmarks Inc., a private, nonprofit organization, advocates for the preservation of Omaha’s historic environment. For more information, visit http://omahalandmarks.org/.