Elks Hall and Omaha Colored Commercial Club

Elks Hall (first known as Columbia Hall) was constructed in 1919 and operated as a social hall for North Omaha's African American community throughout the 20th century. The building served as a home for African American clubs and political rallies and was also the headquarters of the Omaha Colored Commercial Club. Black World War I veterans also met here under the auspices of the American Legion. In later years, the building became the home of the Black Elks organization, the Prince Hall Masons, and many other organizations while also hosting a variety of events. During an era of limited opportunities, the Commercial Club helped hundreds, if not thousands of African Americans find jobs throughout Omaha in the 1920s. The Commercial Club and successor organizations also promoted Black-owned businesses and supported social work services to members of the Black community. The building was unique in its size and scope, and white city leaders of Omaha only supported its construction of the, part of the city's desire to maintain and enforce Jim Crow practices. The historic building saw speeches of both white and African American leaders, including Teddy Roosevelt in 1928, Omaha native Malcolm X in 1964.

Columbia Hall opened as a social hall for North Omaha's African American community, and in the era of segregation, everything from social gatherings to political rallies took place in this building. Columbia Hall was also home to the Omaha Colored Commercial Club from 1920 to 1928. Harrison Pinkett, the first credentialed African-American lawyer to practice in Nebraska, moved to Omaha from Washington, D.C., and founded the Commercial Club. In addition to his work as a lawyer, he wrote for Black newspapers, actively supported the enforcement of laws on drug sales, and served as a first lieutenant in the 92nd Infantry Division during World War I. Pinkett's organization served as a business referral and employment agency, while the community building hosted a range of events that served Omaha's African American residents. 

The Hall and Colored Commercial Club was constructed under the backdrop of racial violence with the lynching of Will Brown and the ensuing racial violence against African Americans in the summer of 1919. Omaha grew increasingly segregated during the Great Migration and by 1920, African American businesspersons felt it necessary to organize and promote their businesses across Omaha and the Midwest. The Commercial Club kept local money within the local community by making it clear to the local African American community which companies were Black-owned and which hired African American labor. The Commercial Club also lent books and provided social work to the community. 

In 1928, the American Legion bought the building to convert it into a Black community center. Omaha's Black Elks, who organized in 1905, started meeting in the building in 1929. Ten years later, in 1939, Lodge 92 hosted a major regional Elks conference in Omaha that drew more than 6,000 Elks from seven Midwestern states. In 1942, The Iroquois Lodge No. 92 bought Columbia Hall. In addition to operating club rooms, a barber shop, and lodge rooms, the nearly 300 members provided services and support to the Black community. They also supported an officially recognized women's auxiliary unit called the Daughters of the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World. 

Omaha's Prince Hall Masons also held events at the building during this era since it was bigger than their original lodge at North 22nd and Cuming Street. During the 1920s, a Civil Liberties department and an education department developed and met in the hall. From the time they organized after WWI, the segregated Teddy Roosevelt American Legion Post #30 met at Columbia Hall for a decade before getting their own facility. Some other groups that met there included the Douglas County Colored Republican League and the Douglas County Colored Women's Republican Club. During the 1920s, every African American political candidate in Omaha held events at Columbia Hall. As well, White candidates running for major political offices routinely spoke at the hall to appeal to Black voters. Teddy Roosevelt spoke there in 1928, and many years later (1964), Omaha native Malcolm X spoke at Elks Hall. 

All told, locals referred to Columbia Hall as a community center for decades. The organizations in the hall also supported, organized, and hosted Christmas parties, dances, weddings, parades, and countless social events. The "colored boxing" circuit, which traveled the Midwest, held bouts in the hall. Meanwhile, the establishment of Omaha's Colored Amateur Baseball League took place there, too. In short, the famous hall born out of segregation served as the center of the Black Community for numerous years. 

McKanna, Clare V. “Seeds of Destruction: Homicide, Race, and Justice in Omaha, 1880-1920.” Journal of American Ethnic History 14, no. 1 (1994): 65–90.

"Pinkett, Harrison J. (1882-1960)." Jane Addams Digital Site. digital.janeaddams.ramapo.edu. Accessed February 18, 2023. https://digital.janeaddams.ramapo.edu/items/show/2968.

Sasse, Adam Fletcher. "History of the Omaha Colored Commercial Club." North Omaha History. NorthOmahaHistory.com. 2022. https://northomahahistory.com/2015/10/26/a-history-of-the-omaha-colored-commercial-club/.

--- --- ---. "A History of North Omaha’s Elks Hall and Iroquois Lodge 92." North Omaha History. NorthOmahaHistory.com. 2022. https://northomahahistory.com/2016/07/09/a-history-of-the-elks-hall-and-iroquois-lodge-92-in-north-omaha-nebraska/.