Gavilon HQ (World Herald Block)

Downtown, Midtown, and all parts east of 72nd.

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ItsAllAboutMe
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Gavilon HQ (World Herald Block)

Post by ItsAllAboutMe »

:D

WH is has begun demolition of the old loading docks along Capitol Ave.
All I can say is "ABOUT TIME"!!!.   Damn, its ugly, but once they incorporate the new landscaping it will really improve the look of the area.
I believe they are planning an extensive remodel of that side of the building with a new, plush customer entrance.  I've not seen any renderings of the proposed new look.

Not only is it ugly its a real hinderance to pedestrians.
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Post by omahaopinions.com »

agreed!
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OmahaDevelopmentMan
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Post by OmahaDevelopmentMan »

Why don't they just tear the whole thing down, a high rise would fit in nicely in that location.
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Post by MTO »

Hi-Rise Hi-Rise Hi-Rise. Give us Hi-Rises…..
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Post by projectman »

I agree. A poor use of space in it's current state.
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Post by ItsAllAboutMe »

Considerable interior demolition is/has been in progress on the old World Herald building.
Windows are covered so you can't see in.  Appears asbestos removal has taken place an an exterior piece of stone has been removed that contained historical information.

I can't tell if they are preparing to tear the entire building down or are preparing the interior for renovation.
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

I saw a few large piles of rubble out back yesterday.
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Post by the1wags »

Maybe for Christmas we are going to get a 400ft announcement. :) I hope the work is for demo and not for renovation.
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Post by DTO Luv »

I think (hope) they realize that lot is worth more for a new building than a remodel of the current. It they the significant parts of the exterior, I imagine they are clearing the building entirely.
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

DTO Luv wrote:It they the significant parts of the exterior, I imagine they are clearing the building entirely.
Translation?
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Post by DTO Luv »

Are you asking me?

They saved the worthwhile parts of the old UP building, they saved the worthwhile parts of the Medical Arts building, and they seem to be doing it for the old OWH building. If the pattern repeats then I imagine they will tear down the OWH building too.

And if the other part of the pattern hold out we'll have another skyline altering building. :)
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

DTO Luv wrote:Are you asking me?

They saved the worthwhile parts of the old UP building, they saved the worthwhile parts of the Medical Arts building, and they seem to be doing it for the old OWH building. If the pattern repeats then I imagine they will tear down the OWH building too.

And if the other part of the pattern hold out we'll have another skyline altering building. :)
I think you missed a few words:
It they the significant parts of the exterior
I am guessing after reading the latest post you meant "If they are saving the significant....."
midtown charlie
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Post by midtown charlie »

I think streets mentioned this before.  They should save the building and use it as a base for a much taller building.  I have seen it done in San Diego.  The stripped the old building down to the exterior walls and then build new inside and on top of the original.  It can be done and I think would look better years from now.
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Post by DTO Luv »

Nah. As terrible as the OWH is we should wipe away all memory of their existence. :)

I'm hoping we see something exciting out of all of this. I've always thought the OWH had something worked out long ago when they left the old building for the Qwest Building.
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Post by j4nu »

DTO Luv wrote:Nah. As terrible as the OWH is we should wipe away all memory of their existence. :)

I'm hoping we see something exciting out of all of this. I've always thought the OWH had something worked out long ago when they left the old building for the Qwest Building.
I often thought that too when they completely emptied their old building.  It makes you wonder if a deal isn't in the works and the powers that be want it 100% finalized before an announcement.  Maybe this is what Daub jumped the gun on mentioning months ago.

On the other hand, they could be prepping it to be sold and clearing all mention of their name etc. prior to doing so.
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thenewguy
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Post by thenewguy »

j4nu wrote:
DTO Luv wrote:Nah. As terrible as the OWH is we should wipe away all memory of their existence. :)

I'm hoping we see something exciting out of all of this. I've always thought the OWH had something worked out long ago when they left the old building for the Qwest Building.
I often thought that too when they completely emptied their old building.  It makes you wonder if a deal isn't in the works and the powers that be want it 100% finalized before an announcement.  Maybe this is what Daub jumped the gun on mentioning months ago.

On the other hand, they could be prepping it to be sold and clearing all mention of their name etc. prior to doing so.

That's what i was thinking, but my computer wouldn't let me post anything (p.o.s.).  Let's hope!
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StreetsOfOmaha
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

I drove by it yesterday, and honestly, that building looks like it's being prepped for demo.

If that's the case, I hope something IS in the works (as in something has already been planned for this site, it just hasn't been announced), and I hope it's BIG.
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thenewguy
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Post by thenewguy »

when is Daub going to come forward and announce this thing? :)  it'd be awesome of they'd come out and say that there's another something big coming to downtown Omaha, we could be on a roll here!
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Post by thenewguy »

thenewguy wrote:when is Daub going to come forward and announce this thing? :)  it'd be awesome of they'd come out and say that there's another something big coming to downtown Omaha, we could be on a roll here!
freakin seriously?
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Post by the1wags »

Here's a pic showing they removed the stone with historical info as ItsAllAboutMe noted. Also note the plywood in the window. It had vent holes in it which is usually due to asbestos removal. There were 4 or 5 vehicles parked along the east dock area and I'm assuming that they were workers cars.
Image

This does make me think something is definitely going on. If the World Herald was renovating it for their use (office, storage or otherwise) why would they remove the marker? I also don't see them spending the money for demo to just sit on an empty block in hopes of bringing new development. They would just hand over the building and let the developer assume the demo costs. Something is brewing here, but what?
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Post by thenewguy »

the1wags wrote:Here's a pic showing they removed the stone with historical info as ItsAllAboutMe noted. Also note the plywood in the window. It had vent holes in it which is usually due to asbestos removal. There were 4 or 5 vehicles parked along the east dock area and I'm assuming that they were workers cars.
Image

This does make me think something is definitely going on. If the World Herald was renovating it for their use (office, storage or otherwise) why would they remove the marker? I also don't see them spending the money for demo to just sit on an empty block in hopes of bringing new development. They would just hand over the building and let the developer assume the demo costs. Something is brewing here, but what?

A partnership of sorts?  I don't think this is a reality, but what if [a company] had made an agreement to buy the land and have them complete demo to save [whomever] the time and hassle?  Kind of like buying a house, and having the seller pay for the inspectors, closing costs, etc, as part of an agreement to purchase?  Then again, that's assuming it was a tough sell, which i don't think it would be.
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

That's just odd.  I bet if anyone other than the OWH owned the property the OWH would be doing a story on it, but since its their own, they don't have to if they are hiding a big surprise.  If they are selling the property they would not have done the demo work they have.
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Post by mchine73 »

what if they're doing the demo just to keep the sale out of the public records and thus once an announcement is made construction can start right away limiting the time between announcement and completion?
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

May be they are making room for a real computer server..... :;):
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Big E
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Post by Big E »

Brad wrote:May be they are making room for a real computer server..... :;):
How much room do two extra hamsters need?

-Big E

(Edit:  Don't say it, D'Shawn.) :no:
Stable genius.
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

God, that sure is beautiful stone.  I wonder what happens to it when the building is torn down.  I'd take it off their hands!
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Post by the1wags »

Well it's official. The old World Herald building is going by-by.

"The Omaha World-Herald Co. will demolish its former headquarters building at 14th and Dodge Streets and replace it with a public plaza, at least temporarily."

Link to the full Omaha World Herald article.
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1 ... d=10241941
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Post by Coyote »

Finally! This is great  news indeed. So this is where the 50 story Pac Life building is going. :D   :yes:  :lol:
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

Great!

Demolish it and then Build TALL!!!!
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Post by thenewguy »

this and the swanson site will make for a nice addition to the skyline :)  I say shoot for 30-35 stories...unless we wouldn't want FNB to be the centerpiece to the skyline :)  Then i say 55 stories.
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Post by Ben »

they're further along on this demolition than can be seen from the outside.  I drove past several times today, and there's a steady stream of semis with dump truck type beds pulling into and out of the large hole on the Capitol side of the building.  You can also see several pieces of wrecking equipment  (dozers, backhoes with jackhammer attachments) through the opening.  Looks like they're taking out the interior walls and junk first.  While this building is significantly smaller, it'll be interesting to see which of these two side by side demo projects (OWH, WTO) gets completed first, as they both project a spring completion...
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Post by OmahaJaysCU »

I really do hope this park turns out to be temporary.  This area needs the density.  As much as I would love to see a huge corporate high rise here, it would be awesome, and much more realistic, to have a nice 10-12 story mixed use condo building with ground level retail.
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Post by Vince Furlong »

CUJays man is right about the need for density of buildings and activity that a downtown needs.
Here we will have a huge park expanse with the Gene Leahy Mall a couple blocks away, a FNBO plaza nearby, etc......too much wide open space.

It would be cool if they could keep the historical frontage of the building along the streets and save enough space for some offices, retail, and other street-level uses....then demolish the rest if that is what the economics tell us.

We need more density of small spaces with different activities anywhere we can put them downtown.  Keep it small - keep it simple - keep it human-sized - keep it active - keep it going year-round - keep it going 18-24 hours/day.

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Brad
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Post by Brad »

I can't imagine it staying park for long.  I am sure it is just going to take the right $$$ and then we will see something, hopefully 30+ stories!
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Post by guitarguy »

ya i dont really think this site would be a good pick for a "density" site maybe more so the swanson factory lot for that i think with the proximity to the cluster of the towers here a really tall tower would be the only thing i would like to see.
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Post by DTO Luv »

I still would stand by the possibility of a PacLife building there.
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Post by SaOmaha »

With all this talk about building a skyscraper at World Herald Square, the site of the original Newspaper Building, there is no proposal yet on the table.  Until than, according to an article in the Saturday World-Herald, the former Newspaper building will be replaced by an open plaza.

World-Herald to raze its longtime headquarters
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1 ... d=10241941

Image
Drawing from the Omaha World-Herald
OWH wrote:The Omaha World-Herald Co. will demolish its former headquarters building at 14th and Dodge Streets and replace it with a public plaza, at least temporarily.

World-Herald CEO and President Terry Kroeger announced the plan Friday during the company's annual shareholders' meeting. He said the vacant World-Herald Square Building should be completely razed by late spring. The company will retain ownership of the site, which is a full city block.

The land eventually may be redeveloped further. But its immediate future is as a plaza intended to be a safe walkway between World-Herald buildings and an attractive place to relax and enjoy downtown surroundings.

The World-Herald's new plaza should be ready for public use by fall, Kroeger said.

"This is an important piece of land for our company, as it literally sits between our primary offices at the Omaha World-Herald Building and our manufacturing plant at the Freedom Center," Kroeger said. "Therefore, long-term control of this property is critical."
OWH wrote:The plaza will be open and well-lighted. It will include walkways, grass and trees but not hiding places, Kroeger said. It is designed, he said, to be an attractive, safe area "that will enhance our work neighborhood."

An effort is being made to preserve the distinctive, rounded-corner main entrance of the 60-year-old building as a walkway into the plaza. The block will continue to be known as World-Herald Square.
OWH wrote:The plaza will be sandwiched by the Omaha World-Herald Building, which the company bought from Qwest Communications in 2006, and the $150 million Freedom Center, the newspaper production facility that The World-Herald opened in 2001.

The square's neighbors include the Union Pacific Corp.'s new headquarters and the Holland Performing Arts Center. The plaza also will be kitty-corner to a park that is part of First National Bank's eight-block office campus. And it has frontage on Capitol Avenue, which the city plans as a tree-lined boulevard from the Qwest Center Omaha on 10th Street up to Central High School at 20th Street.

The property, appraised last year at $4.2 million for tax purposes, lies across 14th Street from the old Union Pacific headquarters. The U.P. building is being demolished to make way for a $105 million, 32-story condominium and retail building.
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

Thats article is posted on page 1
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Post by thenewguy »

Nice plaza...if it weren't in a prime spot.  Spend about 100k on a plaza (i'm sure it's a lot more, though), have an announcement in a few months for something else.  Oh well, at least it won't look like |expletive| until they do.
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

I'm guessing that shabby plaza design is just an excuse to start tearing the building down, because something is definitely in the works.  Then, around the time the site is cleared, conveniently, a major project will be announced.
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