This 1927 photograph was taken at 52nd and Blondo Streets looking east, across open ground toward a neighborhood that was developing just ahead of the Country Club District.

In September 1927, the Omaha World-Herald published the names of many of the first people who purchased lots in Omaha’s newest and most talked-about neighborhood.

For more than 20 years, Harry A. Tukey had walked the old golf course fairways. Watching the transformation unfold, he wrote: “Never did I walk down number one without looking south over Dundee and realizing what a magnificent location it would be for a home.”

When the Metcalfe Company unveiled the Country Club District in September 1927, Omaha’s civic and business leaders were eager to share their impressions.

On Sept. 10, 1927, the Country Club neighborhood quite literally shined.

That evening, the district’s artistically designed streetlights glowed for the first time — marking the final touch in completing Omaha’s newest premier residential addition. The Omaha World-Herald proudly reported that every street was paved and that water, gas and electricity had been brought to every lot.

Before the first families had even settled in, Omaha’s new Country Club District was already attracting national attention.

In September 1927, the Country Club neighborhood introduced Omaha to something entirely new — the “Blue Star Home.”

Located at 2012 N. 52nd St., the newly completed residence opened for public inspection as a showcase of modern living.

When the Metcalfe Company began planning the Country Club neighborhood, they imagined something extraordinary along Military Avenue — a Spanish-inspired commercial village known as the Country Club Plaza. Designed to serve as a lively shopping and gathering destination just west of 52nd Street, it would have been Omaha’s answer to Kansas City’s famous Plaza District. But the vision never came to life.

“START PLAZA WORK—Grading on $250,000 Project Will Begin Monday,” announced The Omaha Daily News on Aug. 1, 1926.

With that headline, Omaha residents were introduced to an ambitious new plan for the edge of the Country Club District: a Spanish Revival–style commercial center to be called Country Club Plaza—modeled after the celebrated Country Club Plaza in Kansas City.

When the Metcalfe Company sold lots in the Country Club District, buyers agreed to a detailed set of building conditions—rules designed to shape the look, feel, and “status” of the new neighborhood. According to the property abstracts, these provisions remained in effect until January 1968.

Why Schools Sold the Country Club Neighborhood

When developers began marketing the new Country Club District in the 1920s, they didn’t just sell winding streets and beautiful homes — they sold education

When the Metcalfe Company platted the Country Club District in late 1925, they weren’t just selling land — they were selling a vision of modern living

In the fall of 1925, as the former Omaha Country Club land was being transformed into a new residential district, the Metcalfe Company launched a clever marketing campaign: “Wanted — A Slogan.”

The next generation behind the Country Club District. Theodore “Ted” Metcalfe grew up surrounded by ink, headlines and campaign buttons. Born in Omaha in 1894, he was the son of Richard L. and Bessie Metcalfe—and journalism and politics ran in his blood.

The man behind the Country Club Neighborhood. Before winding streets and elegant homes defined the Country Club Neighborhood, one remarkable figure helped shape its vision: Richard L. “Met” Metcalfe — president of the Metcalfe Company and Country Club District, Inc.

When the Omaha Country Club sold its 105 acres in 1925, it wasn’t just land changing hands—it was the future of a neighborhood taking shape. The buyer was the Metcalfe Co., a young but fast-rising Omaha firm that had already earned a reputation as realtors, developers and community builders.

While plans for a new Omaha Country Club were underway, disaster struck the old clubhouse at 11:30 a.m. on April 30, 1925. A caddy spotted flames above the soda fountain and grill room, and staff rushed to rescue furniture and trophies as firefighters battled the blaze for more than an hour.

Annexation, Rising Taxes & A Club No Longer “In the Country”. When Omaha annexed Benson in 1917, the Omaha Country Club suddenly found itself inside city limits — and facing a sharp increase in property taxes, reportedly four times higher than before.

Over time, many of the summer homes along North 56th Street became year-round residences — and several still stand today.

Some founding Omaha Country Club members loved the peaceful setting so much that they built summer homes along the west side of the golf course on what was then Rose Hill Avenue (now North 56th Street). The road earned its name from the wild roses that once grew across the hillside and fields.