New mural celebrates history and community of Omaha neighborhood

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - A formerly blank and boring wall now pops with color in Omaha’s Morton Meadows neighborhood.

The newest addition replaces a previous piece.

“We had a mural at one point on 42nd and Leavenworth, but that building was torn down,” said Morton Meadows Neighborhood Association board member Stephanie Hartig.

This new piece sits on the back side of the Mizpah Masonic Lodge off 48th Street. Lodge leaders reached out to neighbors, wanting a mural of their own.

“We didn’t want the mural to just be about our lodge and who we are and celebrate Mizpah,” said TJ Brumfield, the lodge’s master. “We said, ‘Hey, we’ve got this building. Let’s make this building about the community and celebrate the neighborhood.’”

After coordinating with the South Omaha Mural Project, the finished product is ready to go. Leading creator Anne Newman said her vision was to highlight the focal points of the neighborhood -- which she, too, calls home.

“The schools and the buildings and the architecture, definitely the landscaping and the nature aspect were big,” Newman said.

Neighbors even lent a helping hand on Community Paint Day.

“Parts of this neighborhood were a military land grant,” Hartig said. “The part I live in was. People are really proud of their lawns and trees, and it’s a very gardening neighborhood.”

Lodge members and neighbors alike hope it paints the story of what its streets have to offer.

“It brought the neighborhood, the lodge, and the artists together, and it’s really been a great partnership.”

The mural will be officially unveiled at 3:30 Sunday afternoon, followed by a neighborhood block party.

Copyright 2023 WOWT. All rights reserved.