Downtown Omaha

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Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and is located in Omaha, Nebraska. The boundaries are 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline of Leavenworth Street on the south to the centerline of Chicago Street on the north, also including the Qwest Center.^[1] Downtown sits on the Missouri River, with commanding views from the tallest skyscrapers.

Dating almost to the city's inception, downtown has been a popular location for the headquarters of a variety of companies. The Union Pacific Railroad has been headquartered in Omaha since its establishment in 1862. Once the location of 24 historical warehouses, Jobbers Canyon Historic District was the site of many import and export businesses necessary for the settlement and development of the American West. Today, downtown boasts national and regional headquarters for dozens of companies.^[2]

The area is home to more than 30 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with two historic districts. Downtown Omaha was also the site of the Jobbers Canyon Historic District, all 24 buildings of which were demolished in 1989, representing the largest single loss of buildings to date from the National Register.^[3]

Contents 1 History 2 Neighborhoods 2.1 NoDo 3 Restoration and expansion projects 4 Headquarters 5 Attractions 6 Architecture 6.1 Tallest buildings 6.2 Historic districts 6.3 Historic buildings 6.4 Former locations 7 Transportation 8 Environmental concerns 9 See also 10 Image gallery 11 References 12 Related publications 13 External links

[edit] History

Downtown Omaha was the location of the settlement of the city. William D. Brown's Lone Tree Ferry landing was the site of Omaha's first development. In 2004 a map expert using GPS and old maps identified a location near Gallup University as the location of the ferry landing.^[4] Omaha Central High School, located at 124 North 20th Street, is on the site where the city's founders first met on July 4, 1854 for a celebration to found the city.

Much of Omaha's grim history happened downtown, as well. The Douglas County Courthouse was twice the location of racially motivated lynchings. The first occurred when George Smith, a local worker, was accused of raping a white woman and dragged from the jail in the courthouse to his death.^[5] The second was the mass mob murder of Willy Brown in 1919, in which Mayor Ed Smith was lynched and almost murdered as well. The event, coordinated by city boss Tom Dennison, was in retaliation of Smith's reform administration. Dennison operated a private bank at 1409 Douglas Street, bankrolling a number of illegal operations throughout the city.^[6] He was likely in control of the city's Sporting District, a downtown neighborhood where debauchery of all sorts took place.

Today the highlight of downtown's social scene, the Old Market was once a warehouse district on par with the Jobbers Canyon. Torn down in 1989, Jobbers Canyon was a large area of warehouses in which much of Omaha's industrial wealth was made. Other historical areas downtown included Chinatown, the Burnt District and the Sporting District. The latter two areas were locations for much of the crime in Omaha in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

[edit] Neighborhoods

Downtown Omaha is generally thought of as a large neighborhood itself; however, currently and historically within it are several distinct areas. The Old Market Historic District has been rehabilitated into boutique shops, offices and loft residential units. On the south edge of downtown bordering Little Italy, the Burlington Station is one of the buildings in the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District that has been renovated into residential apartments.

[edit] NoDo

A new mixed-use development on the northern edge of downtown is called "NoDo", short for "North Downtown". NoDo extends 80 blocks, from the campus of Creighton University to the Qwest Center and new developments along the Missouri River. The boundaries are Seward Street on the north, I-480 on the south, 17th Street to the west and Riverfront Drive on the east.^[7] It includes the new Slowdown venue.^[8] There are tentative plans to move the Omaha Royals baseball team from Rosenblatt Stadium in South Omaha to a new stadium located in the area, as well.^[9]

The movement in Omaha to reintroduce street cars is led by former mayor Hal Daub.^[10] The proposed streetcars would cost $55 million and run in a 3.5-mile loop through Downtown Omaha and NoDo. The system would cost about $2 million per year to operate and would serve almost 7,000 passengers in its first year. One route would run the cars from Creighton University near 20th and Webster streets, proceeding east to 10th Street, passing by the Qwest Center and moving south to Jackson Street in the Old Market. After that it would then move west to 16th Street and then north to Farnam before returning to 10th Street.^[11]

NoDo establishments
Name	Location
Qwest Center	455 North 10th Street
Slowdown	729 North 14th Street
Morrison Stadium	2500 California Plaza
Miller's Landing
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters	601 Riverfront Drive

[edit] Restoration and expansion projects

Several projects commencing in Downtown Omaha are restoring and expanding the city's core. One is the 32 story 373-foot (114 m) condominium tower called WallStreet Tower Omaha, which will be the third tallest building in Omaha, passing the Masonic Manor. The project was designed by Townsend Inc. of Overland Park, Kansas, which is also attempting to purchase the Brandeis Building in downtown. The project is estimated to be completed by 2010.

The Missouri River Pedestrian Bridge is sparking a riverfront expansion project in Omaha and Council Bluffs. The bridge has a very modern design with two 200-foot (61 m) spires that will have sail-like appearances. The Omaha side of the riverfront project will have a commercial area, twin twelve story towers and a large plaza area.

There are also plans for a new downtown baseball stadium in NoDo that will be located on the Qwest Center's current parking lots C and E. The stadium will seat 24,000 and could be expanded to hold as many as 35,500. The plan will feature open councourses and will have impressive views of the downtown skyline from the third base side. The stadium will face southeast towards the Qwest Center and the new pedestrian bridge and Riverfront Place condominium towers on the riverfront.

[edit] Headquarters

Downtown Omaha is home to several corporate headquarters for businesses of international, national and regional importance. Among the earliest were the U.S. Army's Department of the Platte^[12] and the Union Pacific Railroad. Union Pacific laid its first rails in Omaha in 1862, and its headquarters have been located in Downtown Omaha since then. The company has stated their commitment to maintain their headquarters in Omaha, particularly with the opening of the new Union Pacific Center in 2004.^[13] The Enron corporation began in downtown as Northern Natural Gas Company.^[14] ConAgra Foods relocated their headquarters to downtown in 1991, after a contentious battle with local historians of the destruction of the Jobbers Canyon Historic District to make room for their buildings. In 2002, First National Bank of Omaha moved into the 42-story First National Bank Tower as headquarters for the company.

The Gallup Organization built an $81 million operational headquarters that employs 650 people on the edge of downtown in 2001.^[15] RDG Planning & Design followed in 2004, winning awards for moving and contributing to downtown's growth.^[16] The Scoular Company, a grain trading & storing company, is headquartered in downtown Omaha in the Northern Natural Gas Building. The new Carl T. Curtis National Park Service Midwest Headquarters located downtown on the Missouri Riverfront is the first building in Nebraska to be rated under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design system.^[17]

Neighboring Creighton University has been steadily expanding their campus in order to "integrate with Downtown Omaha". New facilities such as Morrison Stadium bring the university closer.^[18] Other locally relevant organizations downtown include all of the city's utilities. The Metropolitan Utilities District, Omaha Public Power District, Omaha Police Department, the Omaha Housing Authority and Metro Area Transit are each located within downtown. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District is headquartered in Downtown Omaha, as well.^[19]

Pacific Life is also planning to build a new headquarters in downtown in the form of a tower. No information has been released on height, design, or location.

[edit] Attractions

Aside from the Old Market, other attractions in Downtown Omaha include the historic Orpheum Theater, which was built by influential Omaha philanthropist John A. Creighton, whose family also built the city's Creighton University. Along with the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center, this is the oldest theater left in downtown. Other performance spaces downtown include the Magic Theatre, which features experimental theater.

The Omaha Children's Museum, Durham Western Heritage Museum, and the Holland Performing Arts Center are all important visual arts spaces downtown, while the Qwest Center and the Omaha Civic Auditorium play host to many different events, including concerts, sports and more. Slowdown is a new cultural center that straddles the boundaries of NoDo and the Near North Side neighborhood.

Heartland of America Park and the Gene Leahy Mall play host to outdoor concerts and other events throughout the year.

[edit] Architecture

Downtown Omaha was the original site of the city of Omaha, where the riverfront held businesses and the area surrounding it bore the brunt of its commercial, residential, and social activities. There has been a recent revitalization of the area, with several notable new buildings and other developments taking place. Following are some of the notable locations throughout the area.

[edit] Tallest buildings

Omaha's tallest building, the 45-story First National Bank Tower, is in Downtown. There is a proposed 373-foot (114 m), 32-story downtown condominium tower in the works. The WallStreet Tower Omaha would be built as soon as fall 2009 in Downtown as well.^[20]

Tallest buildings in Downtown Omaha
Name	Location	Stories	Height
One First National Center	1601 Dodge Street	45	634 ft (193 m)
Woodmen Tower	1805 Douglas Street	30	478 ft (146 m)
Union Pacific Center	1400 Douglas Street	19	317 ft (97 m)
First National Center	1620 Dodge Street	22	295 ft (90 m)
AT&T Building		16	265 ft (81 m)
Northern Natural Gas Building		19	260 ft (79 m)
1200 Landmark Center		15	255 ft (78 m)
Omaha World Herald Building		16	250 ft (76 m)

[edit] Historic districts

The Old Market Historic District is bordered by Farnam Street on the north to Leavenworth on the south, from South 10th Street on the east to South 14th Street on the west. The Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District is bounded by Jackson, 15th and 8th Streets, as well as the Union Pacific main line. Both are also listed as historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places. Downtown Omaha is also the site of the largest single loss of buildings included on the National Register of Historic Places to date.^[21] All of the 24 buildings in the Jobbers Canyon were demolished in 1989, to be replaced by the ConAgra headquarters and Heartland of America Park.^[22] The Warehouses in Omaha Multiple Property Submission brings together several historic locations around Downtown Omaha, as well.

[edit] Historic buildings

According to a 1939 publication by the Federal Writers Project, the downtown core has at least 23 historic sites that were central to the growth and development of the city.^[23] Many significant buildings have been recognized as landmarks, including the following, which are all included on the National Register of Historic Places.^[24]

Historic buildings in Downtown Omaha
Place name	Location	Notes
Anheuser-Busch Beer Depot	1215 Jones Street	Built in 1916.
Astro Theater	2001 Farnam Street	Built in 1926.
Beebe and Runyan Furniture Showroom and Warehouse	105 South 9th Street	Built in 1913.
Bemis Omaha Bag Company Building	614-624 South 11th Street	Built in 1887.
Burlington Headquarters Building	1004 Farnam Street	Built in 1879.
Burlington Station	925 South 10th Street	Built in 1898.
Douglas County Courthouse	1819 Farnam Street	Built in 1908, this site was labeled a key historic site by the Federal Writers Project.[25]
Douglas Eggerss-O'Flyng Building	801 South 15th Street	Built in 1902.
Farnam Building	1613 Farnam Street	Built in 1929.
First National Bank Building	300-312 South 16th Street	1917.
Flatiron Hotel	1722 St. Mary's Avenue	Built in 1914.
G.C. Moses Block	1234-1244 South 13th Street	Built in 1887.
Hill Hotel	505 South 16th Street	Built in 1919.
Hospe Anton Music Warehouse	109-111 South 10th Street	Built in 1919.
J.L. Brandeis and Sons Store Building	200 South 16 Street	Built in 1906.
Keeline Building	319 South 17th Street	Built in 1911.
Nash Block	902-912 Farnam Street	Built in 1905.
Omaha Bolt, Nut and Screw Building	1316 Jones Street	Built in 1889.
Omaha High School	124 North 20th Street	Built in 1912, the Capitol Hill site was labeled a key historic site by the Federal Writers Project.[26]
Omaha Public Library	1823 Harney Street	Built in 1891.
Omaha National Bank Building	1650 Farnam Street	Built in 1889, this site was labeled a key historic site by the Federal Writers Project].[27]
Orpheum Theater	409 South 16th Street	Built between 1892 and 1927
Poppleton Block	1001 Farnam Street	Built in 1890.
Redick Tower	1504 Harney Street	Built in 1930.
Rose Realty-Securities Building	305 South 16th Street	Built in 1916.
Sanford Hotel	1913 Farnam Street	Constructed in 1913.
Simon Brothers Company	1024 Dodge Street	This building was constructed in 1919.
Christian Specht Building	1110 Douglas Street	Built in 1884, this building barely survived destruction in 2007.
Standard Oil Company Building of Nebraska	500 South 18th Street
Union Station (Omaha)	801 South 10th Street	Built in 1931, it currently houses the Durham Western Heritage Museum.

[edit] Former locations

The location of the William D. Brown's Lone Tree Ferry, downtown has been the pivotal site for Omaha's growth since the city's inception in 1854. The following are all buildings, districts and other notable locations in Omaha that have been lost over the last 150 years.^[28][29]

Former locations in Downtown Omaha
Name	Location	Notes
Bee Building	17th and Farnam	Built in 1888 and demolished in 1966, along with the Old City Hall, this site was labeled a key historic site by the Federal Writers Project.[30]
Boyd's Theater and Opera House	1621 Harney Street	Built in 1891, this building was razed in 1920 to make space for the expanded Burgess-Nash Department store.
Douglas Building	19th and Douglas Streets	Originally the Masonic Temple, this 1918 building was demolished in 1997, this site was labeled a key historic site by the Federal Writers Project.[31]
Douglas House	13th and Harney Streets	Built in 1854, this site was labeled a key historic site by the Federal Writers Project.[32]
Emergency Hospital	912 Douglas Street	Built in the 1870s for Madam Anna Wilson as a brothel, this building was made into a hospital in the 1890s and demolished in the 1940s, and was labeled a key historic site by the Federal Writers Project.[33]
First Methodist Episcopal Church	20th and Davenport Streets	Built in 1891, this building burnt down in 1954.
George W. Lininger Residence	18th and Davenport Streets	Built in the late 1860s, this widely regarded architectural treasure was demolished in the 1930s
Grand Central Hotel	14th and Farnam Street	Built in 1873, this building was demolished in 1878.
Grand Opera House	15th and Davenport Streets	Built in 1885 this edifice burnt down in 1894.
Hotel Fontenelle	1806 Douglas Street	Designed by Thomas Rogers Kimball and built in 1914, it was demolished in 1983.
Jefferson Square	Bounded by 15th, 16th, Farnam and Douglas Streets	Dedicated November 25, 1865, it was razed by the city March 18, 1969. The first park in Omaha, it was the location of the first school and hot air balloon in Omaha.
Jobbers Canyon	Bound by Farnam Street, South Eighth Street, Jackson Street, and South Tenth Street.	Built up from the 1860s, the entirety of the area was demolished in 1989.
Lone Tree Ferry	Port of Omaha	Established in 1850 by William D. Brown, the original impetus for founding Omaha became the Council Bluffs & Nebraska Ferry Company in 1853.
Medical Arts Building	17th and Dodge Streets	This Thomas R. Kimball design was constructed in 1926 and demolished in 1999.
Old Post Office	16th and Dodge Streets	Built in 1898, the building was demolished in 1966, this site was labeled a key historic site by the Federal Writers Project.[34]
Old City Hall	18th and Farnam Streets.	Completed in 1890, the building was demolished 1966.
Omaha Athletic Club	1714 Douglas Street	This John Latenser, Sr. building was constructed in 1918 and demolished in 1992, and was was labeled a key historic site by the Federal Writers Project.[35]
Omaha Theater	1506 Douglas Street	Originally called the World Theatre, this building was constructed in 1922, and was demolished in 1980.
Rialto Theatre	1424 Douglas Street	This John Latenser, Sr. building was constructed in 1918 and demolished in 1986.
St. Mary's Academy	2236 St Mary's Avenue	Originally built in 1864
The Omaha House	2002 Douglas Street	Built in 1895, this building was demolished in 1965.
Union Pacific Shops	9th and Webster Streets	Receiving its first cars in 1865, this facility was demolished in phases starting in 1988, and is now the site of the Qwest Center Omaha.
Woodmen of the World Building	1323 Farnam Street	Built in 1912, the Woodmen of the World leased office space there until 1934 when they relocated to the Insurance Building. The building was demolished in 1978.

Other sites labeled as key historic sites by the Federal Writers Project include the Douglas Street Bridge, Herndon House, First Territorial Capitol, Diamond Gambling House, Original Union Pacific Headquarters, Joslyn Memorial, Original World-Herald Building, Apex Saloon, St. Nicholas House, Omaha Municipal Auditorium and the Union Passenger Terminal.^[36]

[edit] Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Omaha

Omaha's main east-west street, Dodge Street begins downtown as a westbound one-way offramp from I-480 right after it crosses the Missouri River from Iowa. This route of the former Lincoln Highway in Omaha includes several buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Kirschbraun and Sons Creamery, Inc. at 901 Dodge Street, The Logan at 1804 Dodge Street, and the Simon Brothers Company at 1024 Dodge Street. The street was once lined by the Old Post Office. Accommodating U.S. 6 it conjoins with Douglas Street at 30th Street to hold six lanes of two-way traffic.

The City of Omaha is considering developing a light rail system that would extend from NoDo to the Rosenblatt Stadium/Henry Doorly Zoo area in South Omaha.^[37] The historical Omaha port site was located in downtown, with dozens of businesses lining the riverside to serve the steamboats and other water traffic. Jobbers Canyon was originally built here to accommodate river traffic. That same area today is home to Miller's Landing, which is a riverboat excursion launching site, and the new Missouri River Pedestrian Bridge that will take walkers to Council Bluffs.

Downtown has been the location of the Union Pacific Railroad headquarters since its founding in 1865^[38]; they constructed a bridge, shops and a station downtown for their traffic. In 1989 the railroad combined all of its nationwide operational coordination into the rehabilitated 1892 Harriman Dispatch Center^[39][40]; in 2002 they opened a new headquarters building downtown as well. In a similar fashion, the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad built their headquarters in downtown in 1879, with renowned Omaha architect Thomas R. Kimball redesigning the building extensively in 1899.^[41] That company's depot in the downtown area was recently rehabilitated for use as high-end condominiums.

[edit] Environmental concerns

In 1889 ASARCO, a smeltering company, consolidated several plants at the corner of 5th & Douglas Streets in Downtown Omaha. By 1915 it was the largest lead refinery in the world. In 1972 the plant was found to be releasing high amounts of lead into the air and ground surrounding the plant, and in 1995 ASARCO submitted a demolition and site cleanup plan to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. The company was fined $3.6 million in 1996 for discharging lead and other pollutants into the Missouri River, and the plant was closed in July, 1997.^[42] After extensive cleanup the land was turned over to the City of Omaha for use as a 23-acre park. All of North Omaha, comprising more than 8,000 acres (32 km²), was declared a Superfund site, and as of 2003, 290 acres (1.2 km²) had been cleaned.^[43]

[edit] See also

• List of businesses in Omaha
• Culture in Omaha
• Music in Omaha

[edit] Image gallery

Downtown Omaha on South 16th Street looking north

Christmas lights in Downtown Omaha

Downtown Omaha from the ConAgra campus

Downtown Omaha from the Riverfront

[edit] References

[edit] Related publications

• Bednarek, J.R.D. (1992) The Changing Image of the City: Planning for Downtown Omaha, 1945-1973. University of Nebraska Press.
• Adrian, J.C. Jr. (2006) Downtown Revitalization: Parks in the Sky. Theses from the Architecture Program. Architecture Program at University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
• Beals, J. "Magic Number: Third stage in downtown Omaha development charging ahead", Omaha City Weekly. Retrieved 8/21/07.

[edit] External links

• Downtown Omaha, Inc. website.
• Downtown Omaha Business Improvement District website.
• "Downtown Omaha", Early Omaha: Gateway to the West. Omaha Public Library website.
• Map of NoDo from the Omaha Chamber of Commerce.

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