P.E. Iler Building (1113 Howard Street)

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Mon Jun 23, 2008 4:41 pm

That's what I heard too. What a dumb thing to do. "Why yes I'm an architect. It only took me 4 years to begin to to start to think about finishing this project."

What a horrible use.

OmahaChef · Post by **OmahaChef** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 11:10 pm

Why is this such a bad thing? Â Everyone screams mixed use, mixed use. Â Does it not apply to the Old Market? Â Better it be yet another martini bar, trendy lounge, t-shirt emporium or yet another restaurant, fighting for all the others for business in the long cold months of winter here? Â The Old Market thrives in summer, and those businesses have to bank money to cover the losses in winter, when the wind chill is -10, and no one is casually wandering around looking to spend some money. Â The space on the first floor is huge, perhaps a Walgreens then? Â Why can't the Old Market also have business people who have to eat lunch every day?

nativeomahan · Post by **nativeomahan** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 11:15 pm

1. I agree that the Market needs more mixed use than just bars and restaurants. People need things to do and places to shop at when they are not hungry or thirsty, and the restaurants need people to patronize them during the "off season" and weekdays.

2. The architects/developers of the Iler building really should keep a low profile. If they were building the pedestrian bridge it would be a bridge to the 22nd century!

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 1:25 am

OmahaChef wrote:Why is this such a bad thing? Everyone screams mixed use, mixed use. Does it not apply to the Old Market? Better it be yet another martini bar, trendy lounge, t-shirt emporium or yet another restaurant, fighting for all the others for business in the long cold months of winter here? The Old Market thrives in summer, and those businesses have to bank money to cover the losses in winter, when the wind chill is -10, and no one is casually wandering around looking to spend some money. The space on the first floor is huge, perhaps a Walgreens then? Why can't the Old Market also have business people who have to eat lunch every day?

Totally agree.

ItsAllAboutMe · Post by **ItsAllAboutMe** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 6:11 am

In this case I have to disagree. Â Why? Â IMO because of the shear amount of real estate this takes up on Howard street. Â If it were on one of the cross streets I think that would be fine or possible just half of the store front but I don't believe this is good to take that much of Howard street for offices. Retail shops would be much better for this space. I agree we don't need another bar or place to eat but for this location it would be a waste of amazing space.

riceweb · Post by **riceweb** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 8:08 am

Maybe the Old Market can't sustain any more retail and restaurants? C'mon guys, we've seen a crazy expansion of retail and restaurant offerings in Omaha in the last few years while our population has remained largely the same; there's a good chance we're now oversaturated, and could be for some time. And at the end of the day, there probably isn't a daytime population great enough to support more. heck, even in downtown Chicago, it can take a couple blocks at times to find a restaurant.

Let's just be glad the building is *finally* on the verge of a completed renovation.

the1wags · Post by **the1wags** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:39 pm

The building at 12th and Howard that houses the Scooters/First National is expanding. Pretty cool. Here's a pic from today of the steel going up.

Post by **Brad** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:56 pm

Isn't that just an expansion on the scaffolding museum?

the1wags · Post by **the1wags** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:01 pm

Not sure but see those two beams that go to the 12th and Howard building? I'm not sure though.

Post by **Brad** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:17 pm

I was just thinking of the foundation. Â Whatever it is it kicks |expletive|!

the1wags · Post by **the1wags** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:44 pm

Yeah I think the ramp goes down into the Iler building. Maybe its a partnership of sorts. Ramp for your building, expansion above for mine kinda thing? I dunno but agree that it's kickass either way.

Post by **Coyote** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:49 pm

Didn't we have plans for this posted last year or earlier?

the1wags · Post by **the1wags** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:55 pm

I couldn't remember. I dug up the Scooters/1st National thread and didn't see anything in there so I started a new one. Â Merge this with an existing if there was one.

Post by **Brad** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:56 pm

Looking at the back of the scooter building, there was a building there at one time.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 3:19 pm

I am very perplexed as to what this construction is. Â At first I thought it was just some sort of fire-escape/elevator shaft addition to meet code or something...

This looks more substantial than that. Â Does anyone know what it actually is, or if there are any renderings?

Post by **Brad** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 3:33 pm

It is definitely part of 1113 Howard (the scaffolding building, not the bank/scooters)

You can't look at the roof on ortho photos, you have to look at the foundation.

Ben · Post by **Ben** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 12:46 pm

Don't get too excited guys, I'm fairly sure this is a fire stairwell for the PE Iler building. Â Yes, there was another building there, and they tore it down to create basement/garage access from the alley for the Iler builing.

I just hope that this is a skeleton, and it gets enclosed, and doesn't end up like the ugly structure that they hung off of the back of the Johnstone builiding as a fire escape.

omahastylee459 · Post by **omahastylee459** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 1:08 pm

to bad it covers up the writing, i thought that gave the building some character. Â

I think this stairwell would look kind of neat if it were modern up against the old building. Â Like if it were encased in glass and had nice lighting inside to show it off.

Historic Omaha · Post by **Historic Omaha** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 4:31 pm

1st story: ped. access to Iler, car ramp to Iler basement, garage stalls off of alley
2nd story (roof): outdoor patio
1st and up: elevator and stair tower for Iler

It is my understanding that the foundation was constructed as to allow for future build-out of floors 2 and up.

windsor · Post by **windsor** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:14 pm

I wish they would build it all at one time. Â The will be a odd looking building until they do any future build outs.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 12:41 pm

I couldn't find a better spot for this, but over lunch today I saw that they have been putting new windows on the building where Stokes is. Some of the old ones were boarded up and I don't know what was in the upstairs of that building. Hopefully this is the sign of something useful going in there.

There were tons of people I could see working in the building too.

In other news the Scaffolding Musuem across the street had a whopping one guy working that I could see.

ShawJ · Post by **ShawJ** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 6:40 pm

quick Â update:

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 2:23 pm

Once again the Scaffolding Museum will be hinderance to ped activity. The sidewalk was being torn up today. Couldn't really tell why though. Hopefully it's not gone long but with this massive titanic project we could expect there to be no sidewalk for at least another 10 years.

windsor · Post by **windsor** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 11:13 am

Was the sidewalk in disrepair?

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 11:32 am

Not that I remember.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 9:54 pm

I hate this project. There was maybe 2 sections of concrete pulled out making a 4 inch hole across but that somehow warrants having to block the whole goddam side walk AND barricade it out into traffic and take up every parking space into the building. From the looks of the whole their was still enough room to just put some cones in front of the whole and then walk around on the regular part.

How long has this building been vacant? How |expletive| hard could it be to attract a bar/restaurant on the first floors and a developer to put residential on the upper floors? It's on 11th and |expletive| Howard! You can't ask for a better spot to put anything. The owner of this building needs tarred and feathered. And for fun, kicked in the nuts repeatedly.

GetUrban · Post by **GetUrban** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 10:35 pm

How would you like having that guy for a land lord?

That explains the difficult task of finding tenants. What a shame such a great building has such an inept owner. I'm concerned how the addition on the backside, southwest corner is going to look. We'll see, I guess.

nativeomahan · Post by **nativeomahan** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 7:45 pm

Maybe this building should be renamed...the Pee on You and I-ler Building. Â This project should have been finished and fully leased in spring 2008.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 12:38 am

Update from this afternoon:

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:59 am

i don't think i'd like to be the one that had to get hoisted up in that bucket.

Historic Omaha · Post by **Historic Omaha** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:33 pm

Settle down everyone. Â They probably tore out the sidewalk to create an appropriate ADA ramp similar to the what is in front of the Morse Coe Shoe Co. Bldg. (Mayfair Apts./Scooters/FNBO).

As for the addition...
It will be brick (full width veneer - unfortunately no one does solid brick masonry construction for bldgs.). Â This is a 20% Rehabilitation Tax Credit - not to mention that it is within a Locally Landmarked HD thus subject to exterior design review.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Fri Apr 03, 2009 12:46 pm

Yeah, I noticed the brick and asked a construction worker about it yesterday. The brick will go all the way up the elevator shaft. It doesn't look too bad and matches the brick of the existing building pretty well.

I have some update photos that I will post later today.

S33 · Post by **S33** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 11:56 am

Yeah, I wouldn't be too worried about the exterior finish. I'm sure it will look nice as Prochaska plans to move their offices from 117th & Chicago Cir. to the first floor of that building. (Prochaska being the architect)

I'm sure they have a nice design in mind.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:15 pm

GetUrban · Post by **GetUrban** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 2:06 pm

That brick actually looks like it will blend in pretty well...not a bad choice.

Seeing an architecture firm functioning on the first floor might add some interest to the street level store front, not unlike like The Architectural Offices in Dundee, in the old Buffet Grocery location. Retail or restaurant use would be the logical choice, but it will be good for the Old Market to increase mixed uses. Â I'm optimistic it will turn-out well, although it's been a long time coming, obviously.

windsor · Post by **windsor** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 5:01 pm

I am so glad to see the brick being used. Â The way this project has been going with the scaffolding museum and all I thought they would use a bunch of junk materials.

Midtown Gal · Post by **Midtown Gal** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 10:40 am

What in the heck are they building back there? Â I've probably driven past that place 50 times and I can figure it out. Â Are they adding living space onto the spaces above?

S33 · Post by **S33** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 12:57 pm

The new section consists of a hallway leading to the elevator and stairwell. Each floor will also have an outdoor patio.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Mon Aug 31, 2009 1:03 pm

Thanks to my friend Bob (Swift), I was able to get in and see this place.

It's nearing full completion, and for as long as it has taken... well, I can only say that it has been worth it! Â The place is incredible with unrivaled views (as it is, I believe, the tallest building in the Old Market), and location RIGHT in the Old Market.

We will try to go back soon to take pictures, so stay tuned.

windsor · Post by **windsor** » Mon Aug 31, 2009 1:15 pm

Were you able to get any photographs inside there?

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