5168 Leavenworth

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

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iamjacobm
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5168 Leavenworth

Post by iamjacobm »

This building had two full dumpsters outside of it today. Could make for a nice rehab project, they have a ton of parking on site for whatever would happen here too.

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Foundations
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by Foundations »

The owner of this property bought the building to the west at the end of last year.
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GetUrban
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by GetUrban »

That once was a King's Food Host restaurant....part of a chain. My family used to eat there back in the early to mid 70s. There was another larger one in Benson near the southeast corner of 60th & Northwest Radial...among others around town. They had phones in each booth that you would call-in your order to the kitchen at the back, which was open to the dining area. You could hear the voices echoing around the place as people placed their orders.

I've always thought that building had great potential for a rehab. Nothing historical obviously, but it could become something cool for that neighborhood, plus it's across the street from J Coco.

I think this location was an orange version of this decor...or was it blue?

Image
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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nativeomahan
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by nativeomahan »

Wow. What a blast from the past. Thanks for sharing.
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Coyote
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by Coyote »

nativeomahan wrote:Wow. What a blast from the past. Thanks for sharing.
No kidding. I remember being there some time ago....
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Greg S
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by Greg S »

Yeah, that picture really takes me back. We used to eat at that one, and on the east side of 72nd near Crossroads. Loved their shakes, burgers and fries. I think the last two were in Lincoln. One was off Cornhusker, and was the original style building, and the final surviving one was on South St.

Really liked that place. Don and Millie's uses some of their recipes.

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debradomayer
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by debradomayer »

My first job was at the Kings on 72nd just south of L. Loved their burgers & cheese frenchees.
ShawJ
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by ShawJ »

Has anyone heard any news about this? All I know about that building is that for a while it was full of really nice older cars.

It'd be cool to see this area pick up. I'd love to see the gas station on 52nd replaced with a building fronting the street and a few of the other buildings and empty lots developed.
choke
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by choke »

I haven't heard about that; however, my mother-in-law lives on 52nd and Leavenworth, right down from the Manor on the corner. Some developer purchased the houses and land that sits behind the strip mall on the south side of 51st and Leavenworth. Neighborhood association has heard that apartments are going to be built. May be an substantial number from what they are hearing.
choke
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by choke »

I need to correct that statement about apartments behind the strip mall on 51st and Leavenworth. My mother-in-law received another invite for a neighborhood meeting regarding the construction of a "multi-family dwelling" behind that strip mall. She said the same people that purchased that land also built the row houses down by Orsi's Bakery.
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Coyote
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by Coyote »

Construction underway near Elmwood Park lending to neighborhood's growth

A stretch of Leavenworth Street near Elmwood Park is seeing some revitalization with businesses returning to the area.
almighty_tuna
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by almighty_tuna »

"Businesses returning to the area"....because the previous ones got the boot to crank up rent! Gtfo with this nonsense.
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Coyote
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by Coyote »


Leavenworth Street corridor seeing solid business growth
Elmwood Pharmacy staying in the neighborhood, anticipates further growth


OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Elmwood Pharmacy is, in a way, back to where it started 25 years ago. The pharmacy started in the back of the old Wohlner’s grocery store -- then it moved around the corner, sharing space with the medical clinic. “The opportunity to come back to the building and have it renovated to the pharmacy was something that took a long process to get there, but it was something that we had really outgrown the space we were at for the previous 10 or 12 years,” said Jeff Kilborn with Elmwood Pharmacy. Now, Kilborn and his pharmacy have plenty of room. And not only has his pharmacy grown -- the neighborhood itself is also starting to grow. There’s a pizza parlor coming right next door, and there’s construction work going on to build more housing along Leavenworth Street near Elmwood Park.
legato9
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by legato9 »

This pharmacy is so lame.

The building used to have a cool restaurant and a comic book shop. Now it’s a freaking pharmacy.

Leavenworth has a chance to get cool, and I can see the start of this area getting trendy.

Why they needed to put that pharmacy there is just beyond me. This is a cool neighborhood. And there are Target, Walmart and Walgreens pharmacies each like a four minute drive from this one.
Athomsfere
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by Athomsfere »

legato9 wrote: Fri Jan 13, 2023 3:38 pm This pharmacy is so lame.

The building used to have a cool restaurant and a comic book shop. Now it’s a freaking pharmacy.

Leavenworth has a chance to get cool, and I can see the start of this area getting trendy.

Why they needed to put that pharmacy there is just beyond me. This is a cool neighborhood. And there are Target, Walmart and Walgreens pharmacies each like a four minute drive from this one.
I'd much rather support a local pharmacy, or any local business personally.
legato9
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by legato9 »

Athomsfere wrote: Fri Jan 13, 2023 3:57 pm
legato9 wrote: Fri Jan 13, 2023 3:38 pm This pharmacy is so lame.

The building used to have a cool restaurant and a comic book shop. Now it’s a freaking pharmacy.

Leavenworth has a chance to get cool, and I can see the start of this area getting trendy.

Why they needed to put that pharmacy there is just beyond me. This is a cool neighborhood. And there are Target, Walmart and Walgreens pharmacies each like a four minute drive from this one.
I'd much rather support a local pharmacy, or any local business personally.
I really don’t care where a place is from. If they offer the best value, that’s what’s important.

That said, I intentionally avoid this place, because it’s super annoying that the neighborhood lost two cool businesses to accommodate one boring business that could just as easily have moved anywhere.
NEDodger
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by NEDodger »

Gotta go with Athomsfere here. Supporting local keeps the dollars in the community so that our neighbors are successful, there are stronger connections to the community, and maybe a little variety in what the places are like.

Just going with the corporations ensures that your money is going to a CEO instead of your community, and gives you a wasteland of Wal-Marts and McDonalds.
ricko
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by ricko »

legato9 wrote: Fri Jan 13, 2023 3:38 pm This pharmacy is so lame.

The building used to have a cool restaurant and a comic book shop. Now it’s a freaking pharmacy.

Leavenworth has a chance to get cool, and I can see the start of this area getting trendy.

Why they needed to put that pharmacy there is just beyond me. This is a cool neighborhood. And there are Target, Walmart and Walgreens pharmacies each like a four minute drive from this one.
The placement of the pharmacy probably has to do with the large number of retirees in Elmwood Tower less than a block away. I'd say it was a good marketing move since there are scant few people that age who aren't on multiple medications.
ricko
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by ricko »

GetUrban wrote: Tue Jul 07, 2015 10:44 pm That once was a King's Food Host restaurant....part of a chain. My family used to eat there back in the early to mid 70s. There was another larger one in Benson near the southeast corner of 60th & Northwest Radial...among others around town. They had phones in each booth that you would call-in your order to the kitchen at the back, which was open to the dining area. You could hear the voices echoing around the place as people placed their orders.

I've always thought that building had great potential for a rehab. Nothing historical obviously, but it could become something cool for that neighborhood, plus it's across the street from J Coco.

I think this location was an orange version of this decor...or was it blue?

Image
Day-glow orange. I think Kings introduced the Cheese Frenchee and the Tuna Frenchee to Omaha. At the time, I thought the phone ordering gimmick was very Jetson-ish/futuristic.
Athomsfere
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by Athomsfere »

legato9 wrote: Fri Jan 13, 2023 4:03 pm
Athomsfere wrote: Fri Jan 13, 2023 3:57 pm
legato9 wrote: Fri Jan 13, 2023 3:38 pm This pharmacy is so lame.

The building used to have a cool restaurant and a comic book shop. Now it’s a freaking pharmacy.

Leavenworth has a chance to get cool, and I can see the start of this area getting trendy.

Why they needed to put that pharmacy there is just beyond me. This is a cool neighborhood. And there are Target, Walmart and Walgreens pharmacies each like a four minute drive from this one.
I'd much rather support a local pharmacy, or any local business personally.
I really don’t care where a place is from. If they offer the best value, that’s what’s important.

That said, I intentionally avoid this place, because it’s super annoying that the neighborhood lost two cool businesses to accommodate one boring business that could just as easily have moved anywhere.
You are free to do you. But for all the things NPDodger I'll support local whenever I can.

The Walmartization of the US has really done a lot to ruin our cities though. I can afford to try and keep my dollars local. Small businesses are likely to treat their employees better, invest in our city, and not make every decision based solely on what looks best at the earnings call. I'll pay a couple dollars more to keep my community healthy.
JDJase
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by JDJase »

Not every neighborhood needs to be a "trendy" destination spot for West O people to come to once every two months to feel cool. Businesses and amenities useful to the people who actually live in the neighborhood should take top priority over trendiness. Sure, Walmart is a 4 minute drive away...Blackstone is also just a 4 minute drive away.
legato9
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by legato9 »

JDJase wrote: Sat Jan 14, 2023 7:24 pm Not every neighborhood needs to be a "trendy" destination spot for West O people to come to once every two months to feel cool. Businesses and amenities useful to the people who actually live in the neighborhood should take top priority over trendiness. Sure, Walmart is a 4 minute drive away...Blackstone is also just a 4 minute drive away.
I know. That’s why 99% Omaha neighborhoods are not trendy. Really. Can we have just a few residential neighborhoods that have an ounce of soul? Is that asking too much?

Not to mention that everyone I see moving into this particular neighborhood (me included) is a young professional. I’d be way willing to bet that the median age of this neighborhood has dropped pretty noticeably in the past 10 years. (I don’t know for sure. I haven’t been here that long.)

Also, this lame @$$ pharmacy is literally right next to a new trendy townhouse development and a new wine bar.

I’m not saying they don’t have a right to be there. They do.

I’m not saying nobody needs the place. Maybe they do.

I’m just saying it’s super lame. It is.

And on no planet does the 50,001st pharmacy within a one mile radius make a neighborhood cooler, nicer, or more vibrant than an upscale restaurant and a nice comic store. It doesn’t.
Padre
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by Padre »

legato9 wrote: Sat Jan 14, 2023 7:43 pm
JDJase wrote: Sat Jan 14, 2023 7:24 pm Not every neighborhood needs to be a "trendy" destination spot for West O people to come to once every two months to feel cool. Businesses and amenities useful to the people who actually live in the neighborhood should take top priority over trendiness. Sure, Walmart is a 4 minute drive away...Blackstone is also just a 4 minute drive away.
I know. That’s why 99% Omaha neighborhoods are not trendy. Really. Can we have just a few residential neighborhoods that have an ounce of soul? Is that asking too much?

Not to mention that everyone I see moving into this particular neighborhood (me included) is a young professional. I’d be way willing to bet that the median age of this neighborhood has dropped pretty noticeably in the past 10 years. (I don’t know for sure. I haven’t been here that long.)

Also, this lame @$$ pharmacy is literally right next to a new trendy townhouse development and a new wine bar.

I’m not saying they don’t have a right to be there. They do.

I’m not saying nobody needs the place. Maybe they do.

I’m just saying it’s super lame. It is.

And on no planet does the 50,001st pharmacy within a one mile radius make a neighborhood cooler, nicer, or more vibrant than an upscale restaurant and a nice comic store. It doesn’t.
Something you might want to consider is that what you described as "this lame @$$ pharmacy" has been either in that location, or just behind it, for 25 years, quite a long time in this day and age. And it was the development going on in the area that caused them to want to stay. I understand that you will miss the restaurant and comic store. But for a place to stay open for 25 years, I suspect many of your neighbors would regret losing their neighborhood pharmacy.
Athomsfere
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by Athomsfere »

legato9 wrote: Sat Jan 14, 2023 7:43 pm And on no planet does the 50,001st pharmacy within a one mile radius make a neighborhood cooler, nicer, or more vibrant than an upscale restaurant and a nice comic store. It doesn’t.
Hard disagree there. That's what a real walkable city has, tons of small shops that the average person can walk, or bike to on their car-free commute. You need the mom and pop pharmacy, or grocer, or hardware store. You don't need the sea of parking of a Target or Walmart.

We really need to encourage these local businesses and make them easier to create again. Pharmacies, barber shops, bars, regular neighborhood restaurants instead of everyone wanting to be the next instagram star that attracts every car from miles around...
legato9
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by legato9 »

We are actually debating a comic store and a nice restaurant being replaced by a freaking neighborhood pharmacy. In midtown. Not out in [whatever is west of 100th Street].

I swear, if one more person wonders why young people are leaving Omaha…
Athomsfere
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by Athomsfere »

legato9 wrote: Sun Jan 15, 2023 12:02 am We are actually debating a comic store and a nice restaurant being replaced by a freaking neighborhood pharmacy. In midtown. Not out in [whatever is west of 100th Street].
That isn't the argument anyone presented so far. It's been "lame @ss pharmacy ruins walkability" and why that's incorrect.
legato9 wrote: Sun Jan 15, 2023 12:02 am I swear, if one more person wonders why young people are leaving Omaha…
One, not exactly walkable corner lost two businesses you care about to become slightly more walkable and retained a business that does help the walkability remain / grow. That's not going to lose Omaha young people. Maybe the optics are bad in the short term for someone who liked those businesses, but in the long term it should help. Gerda's is still empty, that gas station could use a rehab or replacement. There are some other small commercial lots that would be great if rebuilt with resi over commercial. Even just two stories tall.

I'd say there are a lot of reasons younger people are leaving Omaha. Lack of good transit, bike greenways, that Blackstone, Benson and the OM are exceptions to our terrible planning, and Nebraska's backwards politics.

IMO, the concern you should have is making it easier for business to build walkable areas, not complaining about these two alone.
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Garrett
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Re: 5168 Leavenworth

Post by Garrett »

A successful neighborhood has space for businesses like pharmacies and other day to day stores, not just destination things.
OMA-->CHI-->NYC
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