708 N 40th Street
Building Permit: September 1887
Building Style: Dutch Colonial Revival with gambrel roof
Building Cost: $1,500 Architect: George Fisher
Owner: Lowe Avenue Building Association
This is the second house built on 40th Street by the Lowe Ave. Building Association. The land was owned by A.J. Poppleton, a prominent person in Omaha’s history. Mr. Poppleton came to Omaha in 1854. Hew was the first practicing attorney in Omaha, participating in creating the first laws of the Nebraska Territory, was a member of the first and second Legislatures, was the second mayor of Omaha (1858-59) and head attorney for the Union Pacific Railroad. Along with all these jobs, he also invested in Omaha real estate, and much of the land in this part of the neighborhood was owned by Mr. Poppleton, and is still referred to on many deeds as part of Poppleton Park or Poppleton Place subdivision.
In 1894, Mr. Poppleton took the Lowe Ave. Building Association to court, complaining that the Association failed to pay for 40 lots in Poppleton Park as set out in April 1887 agreement. The defendants argued that Poppleton overstated the value of the land and that the lots were presented to them as being worth $1,200 each when their true value was $600 each.
The district court judge, Edward Duffy, found in favor of Mr. Poppleton and ordered Lowe Avenue Building Association to pay $27,780.37, plus interest – the balance due for the lots. The money was not paid, and after Poppleton’s death his wife and son took Lowe Avenue Building Association back to District Court, suing them for the upaid monies.
The Lowe Ave. Building Association was only in business a short time before they formed a new business association, in 1888. An Omaha Bee article in November 1888 stated that this new company had a “paid up capital of $250,000” and was organized for the “purchase and negotiation of short time commercial paper” and they also handled “city, county and school bonds.”
This company was one of many business started in the late 1880’s when Omaha was experiencing a boom and the city boundaries were expanding to the western edge of what is now the Joslyn Castle Neighborhood Association.
