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Urban Exploration #3 Abandoned Grotto, Omaha, NE

    When I first started exploring the locally abandoned historical sites here in Omaha, Nebraska, it amazed me at the number of places that still exist.  There is a hidden gem in the form of an abandoned grotto which resembles the home of a hobbit from “The Lord of the Rings.” It is probably one of Omaha's best-kept secrets. My research has turned up some very interesting stories about this particular grotto.

     Although the true story of the grotto is a mystery, this is one account of the history of the mysterious grotto. The grotto was allegedly built in the early 1920's by a priest that collected rocks one by one until he gathered enough cobblestone to build it. The property in the area in which it stood was owned by St. Joseph Hospital. The Original hospital stood at the corners of 10th and Castelar St. During this time in which it was owned by the Sisters of St. Francis. But it all changed in 1907 when a famous Omaha philanthropist, John A. Creighton passed away. John A. Creighton was a prominent businessman in Omaha Nebraska at the time of his death. He had expressed to his wife that he had a strong desire to start a university. When he died, his wife honored him by opening Creighton University. In addition, Creighton was one of the organizers of the Omaha stockyards as well.When Creighton passed away he left a large amount of money to the Sisters of St. Francis in his will. With this inheritance from Creighton, they were able to expand the St. Joseph Hospital from the years 1908-1911. A new addition was added on to the building, with renovations to the existing structure.

     In 1945 a man named Edward J. Koenig who was a famous landscape artist at the time arrived in Omaha. According to one source, Koenig's specialty was building religious grottos-small shrines, that are often dedicated to religious figures for people to pray in. One story that is retold about Koenig is that he built the religious grotto all by hand, without the use of blueprints or lists at all. He created his own work from plans drawn in his head.

    Throughout his career he had many advertisements boast about his intricate designs and others were intimidated as well. The plan at one time was to model it off of the famous Our lady of Lourdes Grotto, which is located in France. This is also where the Virgin Mary is said to have visited at one time. Although there are two major differences between the two grotto's, located inside the grotto in Omaha there are at least two statues located inside. One of which was Mary. The other statue was that of St. Dymphna, who is the patron saint of the mentally ill.

    During that time it became the first hospital in Omaha Nebraska to create a program dedicated to treating psychiatric disorders.

    Later on through more expansions as the hospital grew. St. Joseph in 1923 added the neuropsychiatry addition. This addition stood on the east side of the building where the grotto was located. The statue of St. Dymphna was added to link the connection between the mental health mission St. Joseph was trying to create.

    When the grotto opened to the public it was open throughout the day for both patients and visitors. They were able to enter into the grotto, light some candles and pray. You could find people day or night praying inside the grotto.

    Throughout time as the hospital continued to grow in size so did its location. In 1977, the main campus hospital which is now known as Creighton University was moved from 10th and Castelar to its current location on 30th street. The old St. Joseph hospital was demolished in 1985. Although the mental health center and the grotto remained.

  The director of pastoral care at St. Joseph who served from 1992 to 2004 stated that he remembered hospital visitors and employees using the grotto. There were many indentations in the walls for candles to be placed inside.

    Over the years the grotto relied on help from a nearby neighborhood. They would bring flowers to the grotto and they would clean up old burned out candles. As times changed so did the hospitals ties to the grotto. In 1999, St. Joseph mental health services merged with Alegent Health and moved to Immanuel Medical Center. This left the mental health building vacant. As a result, the statues inside the grotto were removed and it was forgotten about. A heavy door was added over time because it was an active spot for drug deals and other illegal activities.

    Throughout the years the property underwent numerous owners.  Today the property is owned by Victory apartments. The grotto continues to remain abandoned. It’s sad that an amazing piece of history like this is so unknown! There are so many people and so much history tied to this property.  

There are so many stories left unheard. I want to bring light to the subject to make history enjoyable. I hope everyone enjoyed reading this article. Keep a looking out for more content to come!!! Thanks for reading.