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$4.8 million TIF request to tear down a building on 71st and Center and build a 6 floor, $42.6 million, 120K sq foot office building in it's place.

You gotta love that! 6 stories is pretty significant for that area of town..

Don't get too excited, that's nearly identical in size to what's already there.  Its the one unused building on the east end of that small corporate park on the NW corner of 72nd and Center...  

Its currently roped off with yellow caution tape.

Modern office buildings have taller floor to ceiling heights than the old ones.  It will have a little more presence than the building there right now.  The developer is the same one that was behind the BCBS building as well.

Still is another major office project in Omaha.  $42 million is a Gavilon level investment.

Which building exactly are we talking about?

Ah, so this: http://goo.gl/95tPYD

Yep.

This is good.. get rid of that monstrosity and build a cookie cutter suburban office!!

Another piece of 60's architecture bites the dust.

And we broke the weird 4-5 story glass ceiling that seems to predominate a lot of office architecture to boot. I really hope they go with something unique here. It stands pretty much by itself. It would be the perfect location to make an architectural statement.

Good. That building looks like a commieblock.

Read more of the agenda on this project.  Claims that it will house over 300 jobs, most of which will be newly created high skill positions.  Also used the word "iconic" in it's description of the building.  There is a rendering on the page, but it is really dark and hard to see much detail.  Elevations look like the building will be a cool 100 ft tall.

If you ask me (I know you didn't) this just sounds stupid.  Replace a building with a similarly sized building.  Couldn't the new building be built next door, on the sight of the other multi story building that was torn down a couple of years ago?

nativeomahan wrote:If you ask me (I know you didn't) this just sounds stupid.  Replace a building with a similarly sized building.  Couldn't the new building be built next door, on the sight of the other multi story building that was torn down a couple of years ago?

No way they hit their parking mark with the other building still standing there.  360 stalls are planned and a new connection to Center St, lots of space.  The building being empty since 2008 makes it a pretty easy candidate to come down.

I would prefer the old to stay and the new to go up, but it is pretty obvious there isn't much demand for that place.  My perfect world would be this new building goes up on the empty square in A/V, how cool would that be next to BCBS.

nativeomahan wrote:If you ask me (I know you didn't) this just sounds stupid.  Replace a building with a similarly sized building.  Couldn't the new building be built next door, on the sight of the other multi story building that was torn down a couple of years ago?

Well, why does the currently pile of asbestos have to stay? They simply want the lot, not the building. It's their money.

S33 wrote:

nativeomahan wrote:If you ask me (I know you didn't) this just sounds stupid.  Replace a building with a similarly sized building.  Couldn't the new building be built next door, on the sight of the other multi story building that was torn down a couple of years ago?

Well, why does the currently pile of asbestos have to stay? They simply want the lot, not the building. It's their money.

We need architecture from the past 60 years in this city to complain about on this forum.

iamjacobm wrote:Read more of the agenda on this project.  Claims that it will house over 300 jobs, most of which will be newly created high skill positions.  Also used the word "iconic" in it's description of the building.  There is a rendering on the page, but it is really dark and hard to see much detail.  Elevations look like the building will be a cool 100 ft tall.

That's what I really hate about those agendas. They post what appears to be monochrome faxed copies. If that's the case, why can't they send the original as a PDF attachment in an email to whoever publishes those so we can actually see better detail? I mean, it's the 21st century and it's not like it's that difficult to do this. But then again it is the government who tend to be way behind the times with most things.  :roll:

I was at Aksarben last night. Sitting on the bench outside Jones Bros. Cupcakes, you can see the current building well over the trees on the top of the hill. They best take advantage of that position and follow through on their 'iconic' promise. It would be a shame to see such potential wasted.

iamjacobm wrote:Read more of the agenda on this project.  Claims that it will house over 300 jobs, most of which will be newly created high skill positions.  Also used the word "iconic" in it's description of the building.  There is a rendering on the page, but it is really dark and hard to see much detail.  Elevations look like the building will be a cool 100 ft tall.

Is the agenda something that is available online?

RNcyanide wrote:

iamjacobm wrote:Read more of the agenda on this project.  Claims that it will house over 300 jobs, most of which will be newly created high skill positions.  Also used the word "iconic" in it's description of the building.  There is a rendering on the page, but it is really dark and hard to see much detail.  Elevations look like the building will be a cool 100 ft tall.

Is the agenda something that is available online?

On the City Council's page.

iamjacobm wrote:

RNcyanide wrote:

iamjacobm wrote:Read more of the agenda on this project.  Claims that it will house over 300 jobs, most of which will be newly created high skill positions.  Also used the word "iconic" in it's description of the building.  There is a rendering on the page, but it is really dark and hard to see much detail.  Elevations look like the building will be a cool 100 ft tall.

Is the agenda something that is available online?

On the City Council's page.

Having problems finding it. Can you post the link to it? Please??

iamjacobm wrote:http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/cityclerk/cit ... il/agendas

Thanks!

http://www.cityofomaha.org/cityclerk/im ... c/1294.pdf

You weren't kidding when you said the profile was a muddy facsimile... From the looks of it, we're going to have a really unique exterior pattern, some kind of diamond pattern. Not what I would call 'iconic,' but dagnabbit, I'm rather impressed with the elevations. I kind of wished they would keep more green space; it's going to be in another concrete ocean. Also, I hope they vary the shades of color of the glass to make it more interesting looking.

Otherwise, pleasantly pleased, I would be.

Looking at the documents...it appears that demolition was originally scheduled for completion by November 2013.  The anticipated construction finish date is September 2014.

I thought we had a thread on this,  Apparently not. Trenton and Jeff talked about it a month or so ago.  

Anyways the Wrecking Ball has been there since last Thursday.

It's still going to be medical offices. Do we know for which health system?

RNcyanide wrote:It's still going to be medical offices. Do we know for which health system?

The title might need a change.  The building is called "Think."  It isn't exactly offices, it will basically be an outpatient hospital.  It will be a sort of one stop shop for medical services, anything from x-rays to pharmacy service to basic checkups to minor surgeries.  No over night stays or emergency services though.  Apparently a big part of Obamacare is the get people out of hospitals that don't need to be there so this will offer an alternative.

That would explain the large parking lot as people will be coming and going a lot.

iamjacobm wrote:

RNcyanide wrote:It's still going to be medical offices. Do we know for which health system?

The title might need a change.  The building is called "Think."  It isn't exactly offices, it will basically be an outpatient hospital.  It will be a sort of one stop shop for medical services, anything from x-rays to pharmacy service to basic checkups to minor surgeries.  No over night stays or emergency services though.  Apparently a big part of Obamacare is the get people out of hospitals that don't need to be there so this will offer an alternative.

That would explain the large parking lot as people will be coming and going a lot.

Oh okay. So would it be more private practice rather than health system affiliate?

RNcyanide wrote:

iamjacobm wrote:

RNcyanide wrote:It's still going to be medical offices. Do we know for which health system?

The title might need a change.  The building is called "Think."  It isn't exactly offices, it will basically be an outpatient hospital.  It will be a sort of one stop shop for medical services, anything from x-rays to pharmacy service to basic checkups to minor surgeries.  No over night stays or emergency services though.  Apparently a big part of Obamacare is the get people out of hospitals that don't need to be there so this will offer an alternative.

That would explain the large parking lot as people will be coming and going a lot.

Oh okay. So would it be more private practice rather than health system affiliate?

Yeah as far as I understand it wont be run by one entity.

Nice! Now that we have one medical monstrosity coming down, maybe we could take out Methodist Physician's Clinic by Regency...

Pre-Construction Photos.

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I'll bet you won't see anyone chain themselves to that building trying to save it! If I remember correctly, I think that building was part of the Xerox - Univac "campus" which first occupied the site.. It looks like it was designed to mimic a computer punch card, for those of you old enough to remember those.

GetUrban wrote:I'll bet you won't see anyone chain themselves to that building trying to save it! If I remember correctly, I think that building was part of the Xerox - Univac "campus" which first occupied the site.. It looks like it was designed to mimic a computer punch card, for those of you old enough to remember those.

I can see that.

I guess Franklin Credit Union used to own the building and the top floor was decked out lavish party rooms right above normal offices.  A dark period of Omaha's history going down with this one.

iamjacobm wrote:I guess Franklin Credit Union used to own the building and the top floor was decked out lavish party rooms right above normal offices.  A dark period of Omaha's history going down with this one.

Dark period of Omaha's history? What was it about?

Google it dude...

RNcyanide wrote:

iamjacobm wrote:I guess Franklin Credit Union used to own the building and the top floor was decked out lavish party rooms right above normal offices.  A dark period of Omaha's history going down with this one.

Dark period of Omaha's history? What was it about?

Google Franklin Scandal.  There is a huge conspiracy about a child prostitution ring being run out of Omaha including everything from embezzling millions to sabotaging an air plane for murder to George Bush Sr partaking in the festivities.  It is interesting if nothing else.

Oh wow.