Leet-Hager House

Built in 1905

1980 C Street

C.A. Schaaf, Contractor—No. 69 in the new edition of the NSNA Walking Tour Books

Current owner: Carmen Maurer

Why am I so passionate about these old houses in the Near South Neighborhood?  I truly believe that we all lose something important, when we fail to care for the history that defines us--the story that explains why we are, who we are, where we are. 

This neighborhood is the very historical heart of Lincoln.  It explains our City’s successes, its challenges, and the lessons we may still need to learn.  It’s where our first business leaders, our governors and mayors, our lawmakers and educators, built what is Lincoln today.  Do you know where Black Jack Pershing lived?  Who were the Woods Brothers? Where’s the house of that guy who wrote the fight song “Hail Varsity”?  It’s all here in the Near South Neighborhood.  Every house has a story. It’s our story.

My home project is a little different from the other “works-in-progress.” I do not, and likely will not, ever live in my fixer-upper.  I live across the street in the “Hewitt House.” When I moved onto C Street some years ago, I got to know Bill and Naomi Wayne, “iconic” residents, who lived in this house for over 50 years. They were retired (Bill was a geology professor at UNL), but they remained very active, growing and planting around their house.  Bill sang “Silent Night” in German at the annual holiday party, and the two of them danced together…until about 18 months ago.  Bill went first and then Naomi a few months later, both in their mid-90s.  

I got to know Bill’s son and daughter-in-law a bit, and they felt I might be the right person to bring their parents’ home respectfully into the 21st Century, and they sold it to me with a promise that I’d do just that.  The maid’s kitchen is now large enough for today’s family to eat; the master bedroom now has a bathroom, and there’s central AC…. a bit of a trick in these old homes with no ductwork.  But the charm of the woodwork in the dueling parlors, the beamed dining room, and the many decorative windows are safely preserved.  “Flipping” isn’t something I ever plan to do again (yikes--heaven’s no!).  Soon my project will be ready for its next owner, and I can ensure that the story of the lives in this home will continue and be a special place for the next old-house lovers, layering their memories on those of the Waynes, the Leets, the Hagers, and all those in between.