Benson

Omaha's dining, arts and music scene

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iamjacobm
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Post by iamjacobm »

guitarguy wrote:Is that really a 'true' rooftop bar? its more of a open second level bar.. anyways I'm absolutely loving the focus on density in Benson the way things are going if you fast forward 2-3 years I don't see any other way that Benson won't be the premier bar scene in the city most likely even better than the Old Market!
I already lean to Benson over the Old Market as it is.  A lot of fun, cool bars and a different type of crowd than the Old Market.  I would really like to see An apartment pop up close to Maple Street in Benson.  Something like L14 would be really cool and help Benson a lot.
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Post by guitarguy »

My friends and I are trying to get situated to buy a house as fast as we can because a lot of the houses really close to the Benson strip are still really cheap but once they are bought up are going to be a lot more expensive. One of my buddies lives about a block away from the strip and its pretty awesome parking at his place and walking to the strip. A condo building would be insane and would be filled instantly..
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iamjacobm
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Post by iamjacobm »

http://www.omaha.com/article/20130829/L ... -to-benson
Carmichael hopes to open the spot this fall. The bar and grill will also have a ground-level patio out back, as well as both indoor and rooftop stages. Carmichael said he doesn't intend 1912 to be a venue, per se, but he does want to feature live music during Benson First Friday, the Omaha Entertainment Awards showcase and other neighborhood events.
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guitarguy
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Post by guitarguy »

Would be sweet to have a few more small music places in Benson.. This place is still just as exciting as ever now after this article.. Another big time bar operation opening up :mrgreen:
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iamjacobm
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Post by iamjacobm »

Looks like Benson might be getting the city's first bike corral.

Also according to some on Benson's FB page Ted & Wally's is moving forward with plans to open in Benson after all.
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iamjacobm
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Post by iamjacobm »

Also 80 parking stalls on their way next month.  It is charged parking though.

http://www.larkinsparkin.com/
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iamjacobm
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Post by iamjacobm »

http://www.omaha.com/article/20131015/N ... king-areas
Dan has done these walking tours in 3,500 different cities and towns, and here is what he sees: The abandoned warehouse's big windows would be perfect for a Benson apartment building. The cracked parking lot could easily be transformed into outdoor seating on the back side of a Maple Street restaurant. And those sagging telephone lines give this spot its character. They should stay.

Best of all, we could walk around the place that Dan has created in its mind. It would become a key part of a new kind of Benson.

A Benson that is friendly to strolling. A Benson weened off the almighty automobile.

“We can't blame the car. It isn't the car's fault,” Dan says. “We can blame ourselves for not understanding how cities work. The cities that figure it out first — they will win.”
We have a major opportunity here.  Benson is hot and if we do these next few years right we could have a really special corridor on our hands.
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Post by Coyote »

Can't find it right now, but I remember hearing Beercade is moving and something cool is taking its place?
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iamjacobm
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Post by iamjacobm »

Coyote wrote:Can't find it right now, but I remember hearing Beercade is moving and something cool is taking its place?
It is probably buried in this thread.  It is going to be a cocktail bar, but it wont have standing room.
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Post by Coyote »

iamjacobm wrote:
Coyote wrote:Can't find it right now, but I remember hearing Beercade is moving and something cool is taking its place?
It is probably buried in this thread.  It is going to be a cocktail bar, but it wont have standing room.
Ok, terms,
Cocktail bar=???
Standing room =???
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iamjacobm
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Post by iamjacobm »

Coyote wrote:
iamjacobm wrote:
Coyote wrote:Can't find it right now, but I remember hearing Beercade is moving and something cool is taking its place?
It is probably buried in this thread.  It is going to be a cocktail bar, but it wont have standing room.
Ok, terms,
Cocktail bar=???
Standing room =???
Found it back on page 3 of this thread.  This is the quote from the article linked there.
Once Beercade moves, Larkin and Roskelley are planning to open a craft cocktail lounge in the space currently occupied by Beercade. The yet-to-be-named lounge will feature cocktails along the lines of those served at the Boiler Room, Larkin said. Customers will be seated as if they were at a restaurant, and occupancy will be limited to the number of seats.
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Post by Coyote »

iamjacobm wrote:
Coyote wrote:
iamjacobm wrote:
Coyote wrote:Can't find it right now, but I remember hearing Beercade is moving and something cool is taking its place?
It is probably buried in this thread.  It is going to be a cocktail bar, but it wont have standing room.
Ok, terms,
Cocktail bar=???
Standing room =???
Found it back on page 3 of this thread.  This is the quote from the article linked there.
Once Beercade moves, Larkin and Roskelley are planning to open a craft cocktail lounge in the space currently occupied by Beercade. The yet-to-be-named lounge will feature cocktails along the lines of those served at the Boiler Room, Larkin said. Customers will be seated as if they were at a restaurant, and occupancy will be limited to the number of seats.
That is it, thanks! I can't remember who I was talking to a few weeks back, but that corner spot will really put a stamp on the Benson Highlife for real!
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Post by 9thfloor »

GetUrban wrote:It would be a shame if they didn't get rid of that old shingled canopy / facade while they're at it. There must be something better underneath all of that |expletive|.
I'm glad you said it haha. I was about to say, that's not a building that's Bill's!

I remember riding my bike up there as a kid to buy a pop out of the machine out front. They were only a quarter. Inside they had everything, meats and all.
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iamjacobm
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Post by iamjacobm »

For informations sake the wedge on the 1912 building is coming off, possibly already off.

Also bike corral is installed.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20131113/L ... ike-corral
The corral, made up of several bike racks, is an on-street parking option for cyclists. It's part of local bike enthusiasts' efforts to make Benson more bike-friendly.

There are plans to install more bike racks near popular destinations in Benson, and soon the area will house a self-serve bike repair station for minor adjustments. Several area businesses even offer discounts to cyclists to promote biking.

Carlos Morales, the bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for the city, called the bike corral a pilot program.

“Let's try it out, see how it works,” he said. “If it works and we can implement it citywide, we will.”

The corral houses 12 bikes comfortably and took the place of one parking stall in front of Sarah Johnson's Omaha Bicycle Co. The corral is marked with reflective tape to boost visibility. Two streets signs surrounding the corral designate the area as bike parking.
Bike corrals are already popular in New York City, Chicago and Portland. Bicycle parking options will continue to expand in Benson. The city hopes to install eight more bike racks by the end of the year in the neighborhood, which is considered a “high-demand” location, said Morales, the bicycle and pedestrian coordinator. There are currently 25 individual bike racks near 11 Benson businesses.
A shot of the corral from Omaha Bicycle Co's fb page.
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Linkin5
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Post by Linkin5 »

Just put a bid in on a house in Benson, hopefully going to move there next month!
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

Linkin5 wrote:Just put a bid in on a house in Benson, hopefully going to move there next month!
Awesome!  Congratulations!
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Post by Coyote »

RIP Louis

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Post by Coyote »

I just noticed Benson's East Entrance makeover today:

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Post by Linkin5 »

Brad wrote:
Linkin5 wrote:Just put a bid in on a house in Benson, hopefully going to move there next month!
Awesome!  Congratulations!
Thanks!  Officially just got it, I have spent way too long in Ralston!
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Post by Seth »

Linkin5 wrote:
Brad wrote:
Linkin5 wrote:Just put a bid in on a house in Benson, hopefully going to move there next month!
Awesome!  Congratulations!
Thanks!  Officially just got it, I have spent way too long in Ralston!
Congrats!  That is definitely a happening neighborhood lately.
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Post by Linkin5 »

Seth wrote:
Linkin5 wrote:
Brad wrote:
Linkin5 wrote:Just put a bid in on a house in Benson, hopefully going to move there next month!
Awesome!  Congratulations!
Thanks!  Officially just got it, I have spent way too long in Ralston!
Congrats!  That is definitely a happening neighborhood lately.
Thanks Seth!  Yeah I am definitely happy about moving there, it will be a farther drive to my job but is worth it.
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Post by S33 »

Linkin5 wrote:
Brad wrote:
Linkin5 wrote:Just put a bid in on a house in Benson, hopefully going to move there next month!
Awesome!  Congratulations!
Thanks!  Officially just got it, I have spent way too long in Ralston!
Any amount of time is too much time in Ralston!!! Congrats on the home.
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Re: Benson

Post by iamjacobm »

I keep forgetting that I have a smart phone now and could of snapped a photo, but the 1912 project has big windows like the ones at Krug next door installed and the wedge is completely off with brick exposed. It looks light years better.
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Re: Benson

Post by Coyote »

Has anyone been to the Sweatshop Gallery on 62nd. They are supposed to be an Avant-Garde artistic collaboration, and I see they will be having the band Perfect Pussy there next month?
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Re: Benson

Post by iamjacobm »

iamjacobm wrote:I keep forgetting that I have a smart phone now and could of snapped a photo, but the 1912 project has big windows like the ones at Krug next door installed and the wedge is completely off with brick exposed.  It looks light years better.
Image

Image

And this building used to be all white. It looks nice since they took the paint off, but that awning needs to be fixed in the worst way.
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Re: Benson

Post by iamjacobm »

Coyote wrote:Has anyone been to the Sweatshop Gallery on 62nd. They are supposed to be an Avant-Garde artistic collaboration, and I see they will be having the band Perfect Pussy there next month?
Small concerts and places like Sweatshop and Petshop are part of what makes Benson great. So much of the area is still entirely offbeat in the best possible way.

Even the local deli gets in on the arts.
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Re: Benson

Post by TitosBuritoBarn »

iamjacobm wrote: Image
That's quite a nice transformation.
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Re: Benson

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iamjacobm wrote:And this building used to be all white.  It looks nice since they took the paint off, but that awning needs to be fixed in the worst way.
Image
Didn't notice the white was gone when I was there the other day:

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Re: Benson

Post by Seth »

Wow, that looks so much better. I still will never understand what possesed people to paint over beautiful brick. Probably the same thing that posessed people to paint over quarter-sawn oak millwork in so many historic homes...
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Re: Benson

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Yeah, but I have to give it up to my father; when he built our house in '67, he carpeted all of our kids floors. When the last one left, he pulled up the carpeting, and there were perfect oak floors...
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Seth
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Re: Benson

Post by Seth »

Coyote wrote:Yeah, but I have to give it up to my father; when he built our house in '67, he carpeted all of our kids floors. When the last one left, he pulled up the carpeting, and there were perfect oak floors...
Wow, that's some pretty good planning! The only problem with carpeting over wood floors is when the installers go crazy with the tack strips and fill it with holes. That, or glue it down with glue that's a pain to remove. Otherwise, it does keep it protected. Paint is a little harder to strip off millwork, but since they usually didn't do very good prep, the original shellac generally keeps the paint from soaking into the grain. I've seen some amazing millwork uncovered under ugly paint. Definitely takes patience, though.
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Re: Benson

Post by Coyote »

iamjacobm wrote:And this building used to be all white.  It looks nice since they took the paint off, but that awning needs to be fixed in the worst way.
Ate across the street from this yesterday (Benson Star Deli). It looks like they still need to clean the area behind the awning before they put it back up.

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Re: Benson

Post by iamjacobm »

Coyote wrote:
iamjacobm wrote:And this building used to be all white.  It looks nice since they took the paint off, but that awning needs to be fixed in the worst way.
Ate across the street from this yesterday (Benson Star Deli). It looks like they still need to clean the area behind the awning before they put it back up.

Image
I am pretty confident that it has been cleaned up since the fall though. Maybe they stopped the cleaning for better weather.
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Re: Benson

Post by iamjacobm »

Parking crunch. Interesting commentary from business owners on both sides of the issue.

http://www.ketv.com/news/parking-limits ... s/25442832
For her, more parking means growth. Customers will buy more of an expanded selection of what Jane's Health Market wants to offer, but can't because current store traffic doesn't support offering those products, some perishable.

"I just think that our only big setback is parking, really, truly,” she said.

"It is not a driving neighborhood. It is not a parking neighborhood. It is a walking neighborhood, which is why we need the wider sidewalks,” said John Larkin, Benson business owner.

The priorities look different on Larkin's side of Maple Street, where he's busy growing -- moving Beercade and opening Saint Andrews. He said the improvement plan is not just about parking.

"We may lose a couple of spots on Maple street to add these pedestrian bump outs, which will slow traffic, increase safety and make it more walkable. Those few parking spots aren't going to make a dent in anyone's business,” Larkin said.

“At this point, there are a lot of ideas on the table and a lot of things being considered. The goal is to accommodate everyone in the neighborhood,” said Sarah Johnson, of Omaha Bicycle Company.

Like Larkin, Johnson is involved in the planning and said there's time for a solution for Jane’s.

"Maybe widening sidewalks on one side and adding parking on the other so that everybody's happy, because, again, Jane's can't leave,” Johnson said.
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Re: Benson

Post by iamjacobm »

Apparently the owners of Jane's have put their space on the market. Saying they will lease it out to someone else if parking doesn't change. Seems like the easiest solution would be to take out the mini 16th street concept on the side of their building and add a handful more parallel spaces.

Image

I think this would be a band-aid solution and wouldn't really make much of a dent in the overall scheme of the area. Also the other side is arguing that Benson already has some of the smallest sidewalks in the city and that we need to preserve and enhance them for an area that is much more inclined to walk and bike than nearly any there else in the city.
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Re: Benson

Post by Garrett »

So... Parking garage anyone?
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Re: Benson

Post by iamjacobm »

Garrett wrote:So... Parking garage anyone?
Would be nice, but who foots the bill? The city isn't going to bother with a small garage like that and there has been zero new construction from all the Benson momentum so a developer seems even less likely.
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Re: Benson

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iamjacobm wrote:Apparently the owners of Jane's have put their space on the market.  Saying they will lease it out to someone else if parking doesn't change.  Seems like the easiest solution would be to take out the mini 16th street concept on the side of their building and add a handful more parallel spaces.

Image

I think this would be a band-aid solution and wouldn't really make much of a dent in the overall scheme of the area.  Also the other side is arguing that Benson already has some of the smallest sidewalks in the city and that we need to preserve and enhance them for an area that is much more inclined to walk and bike than nearly any there else in the city.

I'm not sure why there's such a knee jerk reaction to cutting down every mature tree in every urban setting. Dundee looks ghastly with its pitiful twigs poking comically out of ridiculously puny rock gardens. Now 16th street will uproot the only decent decision the city made 35 years ago when annihilating what remained of the coolest urban retail space in the city by chopping down a gorgeous tree canopy. For parking. Ah yes, the holy car has no need for shade. Perhaps if people parked a block or two away they could walk the sidewalk UNDER the SHADE of mature landscape trees.
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Re: Benson

Post by NEDodger »

Globochem wrote:
iamjacobm wrote:Apparently the owners of Jane's have put their space on the market.  Saying they will lease it out to someone else if parking doesn't change.  Seems like the easiest solution would be to take out the mini 16th street concept on the side of their building and add a handful more parallel spaces.

Image

I think this would be a band-aid solution and wouldn't really make much of a dent in the overall scheme of the area.  Also the other side is arguing that Benson already has some of the smallest sidewalks in the city and that we need to preserve and enhance them for an area that is much more inclined to walk and bike than nearly any there else in the city.

I'm not sure why there's such a knee jerk reaction to cutting down every mature tree in every urban setting.  Dundee looks ghastly with its pitiful twigs poking comically out of ridiculously puny rock gardens.  Now 16th street will uproot the only decent decision the city made 35 years ago when annihilating what remained of the coolest urban retail space in the city by chopping down a gorgeous tree canopy.  For parking.  Ah yes, the holy car has no need for shade.  Perhaps if people parked a block or two away they could walk the sidewalk UNDER the SHADE of mature landscape trees.

Yes, because that tree canopy was able to spur so much development. People strive to walk down streets darkened by tree canopies in front of boarded up buildings. It becomes a real hotbed of activity.
Last edited by NEDodger on Mon Apr 14, 2014 7:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Benson

Post by FrankJones »

iamjacobm wrote:Apparently the owners of Jane's have put their space on the market.  Saying they will lease it out to someone else if parking doesn't change.  Seems like the easiest solution would be to take out the mini 16th street concept on the side of their building and add a handful more parallel spaces.

Image

I think this would be a band-aid solution and wouldn't really make much of a dent in the overall scheme of the area.  Also the other side is arguing that Benson already has some of the smallest sidewalks in the city and that we need to preserve and enhance them for an area that is much more inclined to walk and bike than nearly any there else in the city.
This is not a nice little walking mall. Never has been, and never will be. They could just as well tear out the trees, have only a 48" wide sidewalk on both sides, as well as angled parking on both sides. It'd only add about 12 parking spaces, but that a better use of that area than what's happening now.
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