A building that once housed all the heating equipment for a nearby Omaha, NE, train station is now a completely renovated space that’s ready for its next chapter.
It’s really about how a buyer “choo-chooses” to use it. (OK, OK. We’re done.)
Zoned for both commercial and residential use, this all-brick landmark could make for a great live-work arrangement.
“The beauty of this zoning is that it’s so flexible and allows anybody to create anything,” says listing agent Nico Marasco, with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Ambassador Real Estate. “It’s an old brick building that’s been extremely well maintained.”
The list price is $825,000, after a recent reduction from its original ask of $895,000 in September.
(Joe Braun)
(Joe Braun)
(Joe Braun)
Built for Burlington Northern
Tax records indicate the 3,527-square-foot building dates to 1930, but it might be even older.
“The Burlington Northern train station was completed in the summer of 1898 to house the [Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition] fair that was coming to Omaha,” Marasco says. “This building was constructed to house the boiler system that was used to heat the train station, as well as some other buildings in the area. That’s why we believe it was probably constructed in the fall of 1898.”
The seller bought and renovated the property in 2013 from a retired locomotive engineer, who had used it as an art gallery.
“It’s like nothing you have ever seen before,” Marasco says. “When you come down the driveway, there are these big iron gates; and it’s like you go into a whole other world.”
(Joe Braun)
(Joe Braun)
(Joe Braun)
The property sits on a half-acre near downtown Omaha.
“In the spring and summertime, you’re just surrounded by trees, plants, and wildlife,” Marasco says, adding that there is a cascading waterfall by the front door. “It’s easy to forget [where you are].”
Inside the doors is a large open space with a partial kitchen and half-bath.
“It’s kind of like a rec room,” Marasco explains. The kitchen does not have a stove or oven—just a microwave.
(Joe Braun)
(Joe Braun)
A staircase leads from the recreational space to a loft area, which includes a bedroom, bathroom, and living space.
‘Take a left at the smokestack’
“Some of the windows have all the original mechanisms that you would use to open them back in the 1800s,” Marasco says. “This was built from a utilitarian standpoint and has just aged so wonderfully. It just captures kind of that American history of the old railroad revolution.”
The original smokestack from when the building was a boiler house sits nearby.
“It’s not used for anything now, and it’s actually in really good condition,” Marasco says, adding the owner had it surveyed a few years ago. “She had a special coating from a masonry company put over it to protect its longevity.”
The unique feature definitely provides a talking point.
“It’s probably just cool to tell people, ‘Take a left at the smokestack—that’s my house,’” Marasco muses.
Teeming with brick and exposed beams—plus lots of outdoor space and a rooftop deck—the space embodies many of the city’s most charming details.
“It’s truly just an incredible piece of history,” Marasco says of the building. “Someone who is very lucky can have a chance to continue its legacy.”