ELKHORN, Neb. (KMTV) — "We're like a lot of communities across America. But what makes us special? It is the people. The people that came in and took a chance and built a business, a home, all those things."
- Olde Towne Elkhorn, formally known as the Elkhorn Commercial Historic District was build in the 1860's when the city of Elkhorn was developed.
- We talk to Elkhorn historical society president, Patsy Schmidt and Olde Towne Elkhorn business owner and the register applicant, Tyler Curnes.
- "We should really be trying to push for this. One, you can get potential tax breaks and grants for these buildings and then on top of that, you know, it keeps the integrity of the entire downtown Elkhorn community"
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
When Elkhorn was developed in the 1860's this downtown area became a community hub.
We talked to neighbor Patsy Schmidt who grew up in Olde Towne in what used to be The Grove Hotel.
Now she's the area's historical society president and is excited to see Olde Towne Elkhorn join the national register of historic places.
"For me, what it means is saving some of the buildings that were so important, you know, the railroad coming through in 1866,” said Schmidt.
Back when Elkhorn was developed people were drawn in with the influence of the nearby railroad and later, the Lincoln Highway.
Today, it continues to draw people in with an old bank, post office, and auto shop transformed into restaurants, retail and art spaces.
"And we just became a place to live and do your shopping... Elkhorn did,” said Schmidt.
But becoming a nationally recognized historical place takes a lot of work.
We talked to the applicant, Tyler Curnes who owns Main Street Art Studios in Old Towne, about what this means for the future of the area.
"We should really be trying to push for this. One, you can get potential tax breaks and grants for these buildings and then on top of that, you know, it keeps the integrity of the entire downtown Elkhorn community,” said Curnes.
Preservation for a brighter future.
Those tax credits will come from the national and state level, helping to fund repairs needed to the older buildings.
"You know, there's a lot of people here that have lived here for a long time and, you know, I really like to see this community stay the way it is and grow a little bit, but you know, still keep that hometown feel,” said Curnes.
"We're like a lot of communities across America. We are a lot, but what makes us special and it is the people that make it special, the people that came in and took a chance and built a business, a home, all those things,” said Schmidt.
Next steps for this district to put up signage outside of each historical property sharing the stories of what was and is.
