Bradford–Pettis House

The Bradford–Pettis House is a historic house located at 400 South 39th Street[2] in Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. It was designated an Omaha Landmark on February 26, 1980, and added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 21, 1983.

Bradford–Pettis House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
View from the front (east)
Location	Omaha, Nebraska
Coordinates	41°15′25.2″N 95°58′20″W
Built	1910
Architect	John McDonald
Architectural style	Prairie School, Georgian Revival, Pueblo
NRHP reference No.	83001090 [1]
Added to NRHP	July 21, 1983

About

The Bradford–Pettis House is a combination of Prairie School and Georgian Revival architecture.[3] Interior amenities include leaded and stained glass, and inlaid wood and tile-faced fireplaces.[4] It was originally designed in 1910 by Omaha-based architect, John McDonald, for the owner of one of the largest wholesale lumber businesses in the west in the early twentieth century, Dana C. Bradford. His firm was the Bradford-Kennedy Lumber Company.[4] After his death in 1923, Bradford's widow, Savilla King Bradford, married Edward Fitch Pettis, the secretary-treasurer of the J. L. Brandeis and Sons Store.[5] The second owner, Edward F. Pettis, was instrumental in the early development of the College World Series.[4] Mrs. Bradford Pettis was a paternal aunt of Gerald R. Ford, Jr., who was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr. in Omaha in 1913.[6]

The house later became an antiques store and a Montessori educational center.[3] In 1964, Louis and Jack Drew renovated the residence to house their antiques business, Drew Antiques and Art Objects.[7] In 1981, it became the House of Montessori.[7] In 1982 the house was the Omaha Symphony's Designer Showhouse.[7]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
2. Address is visible on door in photo.
3. "3 Pieces of History Join Register List". The Omaha World-Herald Newspaper, Omaha, Douglas County, NE, USA. August 21, 1983. p. 101.
4. "Bradford–Pettis House" Archived 2014-03-09 at the Wayback Machine, City of Omaha Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
5. "Nebraska National Register Sites in Douglas County", Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved 1/12/08.
6. "President's Aunt Gets in Early Vote". The Omaha World-Herald Newspaper, Omaha, Douglas County, NE, USA. May 8, 1976. p. 13.
7. "The Omaha Symphony - ASID, Designers' Showhouse '82". The Omaha World-Herald Newspaper, Omaha, Douglas County, NE, USA. April 25, 1982. p. 177.