Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (June 4, 1992)
Good Historic Fun Photos by Therrese Goodlett Top: Val Didrichsons works at The Mill, 800 P St., in the Haymarket. The business special izes in selling and brewing gourmet coffees. Left:The Haymarket crawls with Lincolnites on the weekends. Lazio’s, an eatery and beer brewery, is one of the most popular restau rants downtown. Right: Jerry Lewis escorts patrons by horse and carriage through downtown Lincoln on Friday and Saturday nights for Four Seasons Carriage. Jerry and his wife Jean, who drives the other carriage, have been giving tours for more than a year. Haymarket link&old, new for unique atmosphere iBy Ingrid Youngquist Staff Reporter A (though the Haymarket /A District may be one of the ^ oldest places to gather in Lincoln, it is also one of the newest. In the latter part of the 1800s, the Haymarket was a busy meeting place. It served as a camping ground for immigrants and an open air market for produce and livestock that bustled with people, animals and wagons. This slowly deteriorated in the mid- 1960s, as several warehouses left the district and many buildings stood empty. The most significant departure came in 1979, when Russel Stover moved out and consequently left seven buildings empty. But in 1985, the Historic Haymarket Association formed and began a process of restoration and rebirth that has turned the Haymarket into a hot and happen ing place for people to enjoy once again. Located a couple of blocks away from the western edge of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s city campus, this area is especially attractive to college students. One of the most unique and attractive things about tnc district is the atmosphere, said Sally Oglesby, program assistant for the Historic Haymarket Association. “The people down here arc really friendly, and the area has a commu nity feel,”Oglesby said. The community feel is reinforced by the 150 people who dwell in the two Haymarket housing projects, the Hardy and the Grainger. Just stepping into the district, which runs from O to R streets and 7th to 9th streets, gives people a sense of being in another place and time, Oglesby said. “It is an adventurous area with historic buildings, interesting shops and lots of nooks and crannies to explore,” Oglesby said. “There is no other place like it in Lincoln.” Perhaps the best part of the district is the wide variety of things to see and do, ranging from dining to taking a ride in a Clydesdale pulled carriage. The carriage rides arc given by Four Season Carriage Service, and owners Jerry and Jean Lewis have been giving rides in the Haymarkct for about a year and a half. The rides are available Thursday through Saturday, weather permit ting, along two routes. The short route carries sightseers 12 blocks and costs $5 a person with a minimum charge of $15. The long route runs 23 blocks and costs $10 a person with a minimum charge of $30. Jerry Lewis said the rides arc enjoyable because of the slow travel. The short ride takes 20 to 25 minutes and the long ride takes at least 45 minutes. “People have time to look around and talk and they sec things that they don’t normally notice,” he said. “It’s relaxing.” While carriage rides are one form of entertainment Haymarket visitors can enjoy, dinning out is another. In the area of dining, Oglesby said, the Haymarkct has something I for every budget — be it feasting on Indian cuisine at The Oven, 201 N. 8th St., or enjoying a sandwich and a soda at the Haymarkct General Store, 816 P St. Although there are many places to dine in the Haymarkct, Lazio’s Brewery & Grill, 710 P St., is a popular place among the college crowd. Co-owner Scott Boles said Lazio’s is Nebraska’s oldest and largest brewery, and he said the most unique thing about Lazio’s is that the food is cooked over a live fire of hickory wood. “We work hard to serve great food and great beer at a great price,” Boles said. Lazio’s menu includes every thing from hamburgers to fillets and chicken to salads. Prices start at $4.25 for a hamburger. Another unique offering of the district is The Tubbery, 814 P St., Lincoln’s only private in-house hot tub rental establishment. In addition to the four private hot tub rooms which arc furnished with showers, restrooms, towels and a radio. The Tubbery also has two tanning beds. The Tubbery is open from 10 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and 4 to 11 p.m. on Sunday. Oglesby said that the Haymarkct also has a lot to offer for shoppers. The Haymarkct has everything from antiques, gifts, books, cloth ing, collectibles, flowers to fine coffees and teas, Oglesby said. Also, she said, on Saturday mornings from mid-May to mid October, the district has a farmers market, complete with ethnic foods, baked goods, fresh produce and live entertainment and demonstrations. Because of its community . atmosphere and historical surround ings, the Haymarket is home to many artists and art galleries, Oglesby said. The Burkholder Project, 719 P St., is an artist community that houses studios for a number of artists who work in a variety of mediums, from watercolors and sculptures to furniture and fabrics. The Project is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Other art galleries in the district include the Haydon Art Gallery, 335 N. 8th St., the Haymarket Art Gallery, 119 S. 9th St. and the Surya Art Gallery, 227 N. 9lh St. The Haymarket even has a place to fix hair, Oglesby said, at both the Hair Market Junction, 700 P St. and the Haymarket Hair Studio, 824 P. St. In addition to shopping in the beautifully restored buildings, visitors may also want to check out Iron Horse Park, located on the north end of Lincoln Station, Oglesby said. The park features a world-class mural in brick relief depicting the first locomotive to cross the prairies into Lincoln as well as “Old 710,” a restored steam engine parked neitfby. Oglesby said these are just a few of the many activities that make the Haymarket special. "With people bustling about day and night, the area is a safe and fun place to visit,” Oglesby said.