A North Omaha castle that once provided safe accommodations for Black people during the Jim Crow era is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The three-story concrete-block house, now locally referred to as Trimble Castle, was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in December 2025. The designation recognizes both Trimble Castle’s architectural features and its historical role as a safe haven for Black folks.
Flatwater Free Press reported that the home was built in 1909 at the corner of Burdette Street and Florence Boulevard and has also been known as the Burkenroad home and the Broadview Hotel. From 1939 to 1966, the property was listed in The Negro Motorist Green Book, a travel guide that helped Black motorists identify businesses and homes where they could safely eat and stay.
Charles Trimble and his wife, Rosa, listed the home as a Green Book site. The Trimbles rented rooms to Black travelers passing through Omaha. Their grandson, Von R. Trimble Jr., told the Flatwater Free Press that several rooms in the home were used to host guests.
“There was a lot of activity in the house, especially on weekends because the bands that were coming through would leave and then head out, and then there’d maybe be some others coming in Thursday or Friday, so it was a pretty steady, constant flow,” Trimble said.
The property is currently owned by Wesley Dacus. Now a fourplex, Dacus lives on the main floor and rents out other units. The homeowner told Flatwater Free Press the supports efforts to preserve and document the site’s past.
“I want a plaque on that corner of the street that actually tells them what this house is all about,” he said.
The house was designed by architect Joseph P. Guth and constructed using decorative concrete blocks produced by the Omaha Concrete Stone Company. The building’s tower and unique varied block patterns contributed to its eligibility for the National Register.
The Trimble home is one of the few remaining sites in the area with confirmed Green Book documentation.RELATED CONTENT: Burr Oak Cemetery, Resting Place Of Emmett Till Headed Toward National Register Of Historic Places