Market House (Omaha)
The Market House was a controversial fresh produce, meat and fish outlet on Capitol Avenue from North 12th to North 14th Avenues in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. After almost 40 years of debate and delays in building it, the City of Omaha built the Market House in 1904. The local National Guard squatted in the building for almost 20 years, and afterward it was entirely demolished by 1930. History The market square is a feature of many European and colonial towns. It is an area where market stalls are traditionally set out for trading of a variety of goods, commonly on one particular day of the week known as market day. In Omaha, there was agitation for a market square as early as 1860, but nothing happened for more than two decades. The 1846 plat for Winter Quarters and the 1856 plat for the town of Florence both included market squares. Today, the North Market Square Park in Florence commemorates the historic location. 1860s Jefferson Square was platted as a park in the original Omaha City plat of 1854. Despite being the only park in city limits, it was often the target of ambitious politicians and others. For instance, in 1858