The Turner Family
In 1889, Charles Turner and his wife Charlotte built a 45-room mansion which they called Rayhorn Manor. One of Turner’s best investments in Omaha was the tract of land called Summit Place, which was on top of the hill at 33rd and Farnam in the area known as West Farnam. It was one of the most fashionable areas in the city of Omaha in which to live, and Turner became a catalyst that encouraged other wealthy Omahans to build their mansions in this neighborhood. The Turners owned the land from the top of the hill to the boulevard. Their immense property included stables, a carriage house, gardens and parks – all supported by a large staff dedicated to making the estate run smoothly. It is estimated that they paid $36,000 to build their home.
Charles Turner was a genuine Omaha pioneer. He was born in 1823 in Pittsburgh. After leaving Pittsburgh, he moved to Oconto, Wisconsin, where he became heavily involved in the lumber business and had large and valuable interests. From there he came to Omaha and soon after his arrival, he began to purchase a considerable amount of real estate from which he amassed a large fortune. He had a natural aptitude for mathematics and early in life became a practical surveyor. For some years he was engaged in government surveying, and this work brought him to Nebraska in 1855.
In 1855, he married Charlotte Kennedy, and in that same year they began life together in Omaha. For a short time after their arrival, Charlotte worked as an assistant teacher. Charles and Charlotte had four sons; however, three of them died in infancy. Only Curtiss lived to adulthood. They also had a daughter, who by some accounts was an adopted child.
Charles Turner was for half a century a member of the Masonic order, and the year he came to Omaha he joined Lodge Number 3 in Omaha as one of its earliest members. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Commercial National Bank, organized by Ezra Millard which later became the United States National Bank.
Curtiss Turner & Turner Park
The Turners’ son, Curtiss, was born in 1863 and graduated from high school in 1881. He attended Yale College from which he graduated with honor. He was an ardent advocate of good roads and made a special study of road building. Before beginning his career in Omaha as a civil engineer, at his own expense, he inspected every road being built in all of Douglas County. In 1886, when he was only 23 years old, Curtiss was considered an authority in the construction of roads.
Seeing opportunities for engineering feats in Alaska, Curtiss traveled there. While involved in planning a tram line from Chilkoot pass to Dawson, he was caught in a snow slide and killed. His remains were recovered and he is buried in Forest Lawn cemetery. In 1900, the Turners donated six acres of Summit Place to be used as a public park to be known as Curtiss Turner Park in memory of his son. Both Turner Park and Turner Boulevard are named for Curtiss Turner.
Charlotte Turner & Sarah Joslyn
Records show that Sarah Joslyn and Charlotte Turner were friends, and that they worked on civic committees and projects together. In addition, Charlotte Turner’s family lived in Bolton, Vermont and George Joslyn’s family was from Waitsfield, Vermont - less than 25 miles apart. It is highly likely that they knew each other before they moved to Omaha.
In the Turners’ day important homes in the West Farnam area included the Joslyn Castle and the Turner Mansion. Carrying on the tradition, the condominiums at Midtown Crossing create that same glamorous look with the conveniences of today.
After the Turners
Charlotte Turner died in 1911 – just 13 years after their son’s tragic death, and one year later their daughter Mary died. Charles, although in very poor health, lived in their mansion two more years requiring full time nursing care. He passed away on November 8, 1913, at the age of 90.
The Turner Mansion was then sold to Dr. D. T. Quigley who operated it as the Radium Hospital used for the treatment of tuberculosis. It later became the Birchmont Hospital affiliated with the Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
In 1939, the Turner mansion was demolished to make way for the construction of what is today Mutual of Omaha’s main building. Mutual began construction on September 5 of that year, and the building was dedicated on May 1, 1940. Mutual of Omaha has owned the Turner Property from 1939 until today.
Midtown Crossing is Born
Midtown Crossing’s story began in 2002 when representatives of Midtown’s large and small businesses, neighborhood associations, residents and city leaders met at Mutual of Omaha to discuss their concern over the future of the neighborhood. The result of this meeting was the Destination Midtown project, which began with a detailed study of the neighborhood, identifying opportunities to stabilize and revitalize the area. A strong recommendation of the Destination Midtown study was the development of a mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood that would bring much-needed retail to serve current Midtown residents as well as new residential offerings to attract residents to the area.
The Destination Midtown initiative was occurring at the same time Mutual of Omaha was driving significant changes in its business, leaving it with under-utilized real estate in a several-block area immediately east of its headquarters building.
On May 18, 2005, Mutual of Omaha announced that it would launch a feasibility study to determine if a mixed-use urban neighborhood was appropriate for the property adjacent to its headquarters building. ECI Investment Advisors, Inc. was charged with completing an economic analysis, feasibility reviews, environmental studies and cost estimates. In announcing the feasibility study, Mutual Chairman and CEO Dan Neary said: “We wouldn’t be doing our duty as a corporate citizen if we didn’t explore the maximum potential for this property. As a leader in Destination Midtown, we know our neighborhood is primed for revitalization.”
After more than a year of study, design and planning, on Oct. 19, 2006, Mutual announced its plans to proceed with Midtown Crossing and unveiled details of the project, which featured a million square feet of commercial and residential space in seven buildings, an expanded and revitalized Turner Park, and parking for more than 3,000 vehicles. ECI Investment Advisors was named developer of the project.
Following extensive site preparation that included the demolition of no fewer than eight buildings and the removal of 10,000 truckloads of dirt, ground was officially broken for the project on Sept. 20, 2007.
These events – along with the company’s visionary leadership – led to the transformation of Mutual of Omaha’s surplus property into Midtown Crossing, a million-square-foot mixed-use urban redevelopment project.
Their hard work began to come to fruition on Nov. 6, 2009, when Midtown Crossing’s first business, Marcus Midtown Cinema, opened to rave reviews. Prairie Life Fitness soon followed, beginning the cascade of openings that continues to this day.
Exactly five years after announcing the feasibility study that lead to Midtown Crossing at Turner Park, the community gathered in Turner Park on May 18, 2010, to officially cut the ribbon on Omaha’s most exciting new urban development.
What we can say about Midtown Crossing Today
It’s bold but sophisticated. World class but Omaha proud. It’s energy and community, the place where fresh meets the future. Always on. Always inviting. Always in style. It’s Friday night with friends at an exclusive, four-star restaurant and a Saturday morning stroll through beautiful Turner Park. It’s Omaha condominiums and luxury living with all the amenities. Convenience. Not Compromise. It’s time you experienced 222,000-square-feet of diverse retail and extraordinary diversion. An unprecedented development in the middle of it all. Mid Summer to Mid Winter. Mid Morning to Mid Night. And everything in between.