Old Gold Coast

Old Gold Coast is the name of a historic district in south Omaha, Nebraska. With South 10th Street as the central artery, the area was home to neighborhoods such as Little Italy and Forest Hill. The area is referred to as "old" because it was replaced in prominence in the late 19th century when a new district usurped its importance. This area south of downtown was generally bounded by Leavenworth Street on the north, Bancroft Street on the south, the Missouri River on the east, and South 16th Street on the west.

Early in the city's history business owners built their homes close to their factories and businesses near downtown Omaha. Many of Omaha's most elite early settlers built mansions in this area. The hills along South 8th and South 10th Streets, from Mason Street to Riverview Park, was first recognized as the city's "Gold Coast" in the 1880s. The Omaha Horse and Railway Company allowed these business tycoons and others to commute from this suburban area to their downtown businesses.

There are many historically notable sites in the Old Gold Coast neighborhood today, with few remaining structures evidencing history. Located between Pacific and Hickory, from South 6th to South 13th, the Old Gold Coast has deep relevance in the establishment of Omaha. Because of that, several notable buildings were constructed there.

Some of the historically important sites in the neighborhood were established by the Kountze brothers. Founders of the First National Bank of Omaha in 1867, they also built several other banks from the Missouri River to the Rocky Mountains, including the Colorado National Bank in 1862. Each of the Kountze brothers was also a large landowner in the Missouri River Valley in Nebraska. Augustus, Charles and Herman all built large homes in the Old Gold Coast. Herman Kountze's estate was the largest landholding of the three in the neighborhood, capping a tall hill south of downtown Omaha along South 10th Street called Forest Hill. One of the fine homes demolished in the Old Gold Coast neighborhood is the Charles Kountze Mansion at 1234 South 10th Street, which was removed to make room for modern apartments in 2014.

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