Red farmhouse near Omaha's Elmwood Park features a sophisticated look on the inside

If you've ever driven down Pacific Street near Elmwood Park, chances are you've probably wondered about the red house with the matching three-car carriage house.

Set back from the road on the south side of the street, the property at 6547 Pacific St. doesn't fit the neighborhood around it.

That's because it's the original farmhouse of a property that used to sit miles outside the city limits, stretching from 64th to 66th and Pacific to Poppleton Streets, according to documents from an earlier owner.

It's the bones of that farmhouse that first caught the eye of LeAnne Crocker, who was born in New Zealand, raised in Australia, traveled the world for 30 years with her job with a hotel chain and then landed in Omaha to stay.

She stepped inside the house for the first time 13 years ago and fell in love. That farmhouse vibe appealed to her farming roots.

"I looked at homes for a good year, and I drove my real estate agent nuts," she said. "I didn't want something cookie cutter that looked like everything else."

Don't be misled by the exterior. Inside is a sophisticated retreat filled with mementos of Crocker's world travels. Prince William, a six-foot knight, stands in the foyer, a salute to Crocker's fondness for all things royal.

That foyer, clad in colorful wallpaper floor and ceiling, is what once used to be the main living area of the farmhouse. Her office was the entryway and the first-floor spare bedroom the kitchen. The original oak floors remain.

The square farmhouse was expanded while owned by Fella Vaughn and Ric Klaas, owner of Omaha Interiors & Design, who lived there for 14 years.

A large living room with a cozy fireplace and a formal dining room were added on one side and a breakfast room, kitchen and an amazing bathroom with a fireplace and deep soaker tub to the other.

The main bedroom is on the second floor, along with a smaller room that Crocker uses as a closet. The hallway is filled with storage, including one area just for her shoes. The shower in the bath doubles as a sauna.

In 2020, Crocker connected again with Omaha Interiors & Design to update the kitchen with new counters and backsplashes. She loved how they had made the additions look like they had been there from the start.

"It's an adult house, ready for family entertaining," Crocker said. "It's not your typical beige. It's full of color and vibrancy."

Crocker also has done extensive work on the landscape of the property. As well as a patio and fire pit, she added hundreds of pink and white peonies along the driveway. Trees help hide the house from busy Pacific Street and the house is so well made noise is not an issue.

An apartment over the garages is rented to traveling nurses.

"She's brought it up to another level," Klaas said.

Although she loves the house, Crocker is on the lookout for something smaller. With the help of Marie O'Hara of Nebraska Realty, she's selling the property for $725,000.

With it will come a plastic tote filled with past deeds from the property. Crocker got a little teary-eyed as she sorted through the documents as she stood at the kitchen island.

"You just put your heart and soul into a place," she said.

A smaller place, however — once she can find another unique one — will give her the chance to just lock up and travel the world, she says.

But she doesn't plan to leave Nebraska.

"Omahans and other Americans underestimate Omaha," she said. After visiting overpopulated and oversmogged cities, "I get to come back to clean and green."

, 402-444-1034, twitter.com/mduceyowh

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