MUD HQ building in jeopardy of demolition

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MUD HQ building in jeopardy of demolition

Post by OMA-4-EVER »

Not sure if this has been posted already, but according to the OWH, the Italianate 1926 downtown headquarters of MUD is under very real threat of demolition for a new Douglas Country juvenile justice center.
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iamjacobm
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Re: MUD HQ building in jeopardy of demolition

Post by iamjacobm »

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Re: MUD HQ building in jeopardy of demolition

Post by omahacacher »

Not necessarily so. Yes, Douglas County is in discussions with MUD about building on their property, but no decision has been made as to where. MUD owns the whole block. The HQ is 1/4 of the block. MUD also has an architectually insignificant annex (another 1/4 block) immediately to the south that is used for storage and maintenance that could be torn down for the new building. Parking lots make up the remaining half of the block, with a 1/4 block for customer parking and the remaining 1/4 block for employee parking, so the new juvenile justice center could be built on those parking lots as well. No decision has been made and the study that will determine the size requirements for the new building won’t be finalized until November. It’s possible the MUD HQ could come down, but no decision has been made to build there or on the other lots from that block.
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Re: MUD HQ building in jeopardy of demolition

Post by SaveOmaha »

omahacacher wrote:MUD also has an architectually insignificant annex (another 1/4 block) immediately to the south that is used for storage and maintenance that could be torn down for the new building.
I would say the building to the south is indeed architecturally significant. Granted it doesn't look like its ornate neighbor to the north, but it's still a great example of Art Moderne architecture with glass block windows and glazed black subway tile. It would be a shame for either to be torn down.
Last edited by SaveOmaha on Thu Jul 21, 2022 7:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: MUD HQ building in jeopardy of demolition

Post by Coyote »

The Douglas County Courthouse Juvenile Courtroom 6 at 17th & Farnam is getting a $450k renovation.
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Re: MUD HQ building in jeopardy of demolition

Post by daveoma »

Does anybody have the address of this building? I have no idea where it is.
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Re: MUD HQ building in jeopardy of demolition

Post by iamjacobm »

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states ... town-omaha
The Douglas County Board is expected to deliberate resolutions April 24 for making formal offers to purchase two buildings and a parking lot. The property includes Omaha Housing Authority headquarters and a former U.S. Army Corps of Engineers building, the Omaha World-Herald reported .

Resolutions up for deliberation propose the county offer $2.75 million to the Housing Authority for its headquarters and $900,000 to Marcy Mason LLC for its property. The buildings would be demolished to make way for the new facilities.

The county hopes to use the property to create juvenile and family courtrooms and related services to replace cramped quarters in the Douglas County Courthouse across the street.
Looks like the plan for buying MUD's property fell through, but they moved it just across the street to the west.

These three would be torn down to make way for the new facility.
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Re: MUD HQ building in jeopardy of demolition

Post by Louie »

I diubt that a family courtroom facility would be as dense/tall as these.
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Re: MUD HQ building in jeopardy of demolition

Post by skinzfan23 »

Too bad they can't use the existing buildings and just gut them and build the interior to their needs. I am guessing that all these buildings are over 100 years old?
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Re: MUD HQ building in jeopardy of demolition

Post by guy4omaha »

I don't usually get too torn up either way on these building preservation issues. But this area has always screamed potential to me. Would hate to see these go.
My son got a 27 on his ACT. No this score is not as high as what Jeff's son achieved. But one has to remember the paternal gene-pool my son has to overcome. On a PGPAB [Paternal Gene-Pool Adjusted Basis], my son's score is a 37 and Jeff's son's PGPAB ACT score is 19.
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Re: MUD HQ building in jeopardy of demolition

Post by iamjacobm »

http://www.omaha.com/news/omaha-housing ... 1de83.html
The Omaha Housing Authority board has conditionally agreed to sell its downtown office building to Douglas County and to buy the historic original Omaha Public Library as a new headquarters site.

If the transactions go through, they would help make way for a new juvenile justice campus.

The County Board voted April 24 to offer to buy the OHA’s building at 1805 Harney St. and parking lot for $2.75 million. The housing authority board voted Thursday to accept the county’s offer. The agreement to sell is conditioned on the agency’s acquisition of a new place for its offices. That is in the works as well, and apparently has been for months.

At the same meeting as it approved the county’s purchase offer, the housing authority took a step toward buying the historic original Omaha Public Library building at 1823 Harney St. The OHA board voted to take over a $2.75 million purchase agreement for the library building. It now houses offices and is next door to the housing authority’s current headquarters.
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Re: MUD HQ building in jeopardy of demolition

Post by iamjacobm »

skinzfan23 wrote: Mon Apr 23, 2018 1:54 pm Too bad they can't use the existing buildings and just gut them and build the interior to their needs. I am guessing that all these buildings are over 100 years old?
1904, 1921 and 1920.

1960 for the historic parking lot as well.

The old library building which would become the Housing Authority's new home was built in 1894.
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Re: MUD HQ building in jeopardy of demolition

Post by OmahaJaysCU »

Don't want to sound like grandpa smucker, but that real estate transaction REAKS. I smell several lies. Their involvement is incredibly suspect. Also please tell me how PJ Morgan Company doesn't profit yet their President is collecting a fee. PJ Morgan is so full of |expletive| it's unreal.

This is greasy back door dealing like you read about.
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Re: MUD HQ building in jeopardy of demolition

Post by Lillian Bean »

http://www.omaha.com/news/plus/douglas- ... 784ae.html
“I intend on using the building and continuing to use it, and make it a viable part of the community,” Perrin said.
Robert Perrin is listed on the Restoration Exchange page as specializing in historic preservation. Is he holding this building just to prevent its demolition? I hope so!
Thinking there's not a whole lot to say anymore now that people listen & she has to make sense.
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Re: MUD HQ building in jeopardy of demolition

Post by iamjacobm »

http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/first-v ... fc059.html
The Omaha-Douglas Public Building Commission is laying the groundwork to borrow as much as $120 million to build a juvenile justice center and parking garage.

The commission is scheduled to vote Thursday on resolutions declaring its intent to issue $110 million in bonds for a juvenile justice center, and $10 million for a parking garage.
A committee is working on a specific plan. Duda said he’s not on the committee but has heard talk of a 10-story building with a skywalk across Harney Street. He said he hasn’t formed a position on specifics, including whether a new youth detention center should be built, but he believes a courthouse expansion is needed.
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Re: MUD HQ building in jeopardy of demolition

Post by Louie »

iamjacobm wrote: Thu May 10, 2018 8:42 am http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/first-v ... fc059.html
The Omaha-Douglas Public Building Commission is laying the groundwork to borrow as much as $120 million to build a juvenile justice center and parking garage.

The commission is scheduled to vote Thursday on resolutions declaring its intent to issue $110 million in bonds for a juvenile justice center, and $10 million for a parking garage.
A committee is working on a specific plan. Duda said he’s not on the committee but has heard talk of a 10-story building with a skywalk across Harney Street. He said he hasn’t formed a position on specifics, including whether a new youth detention center should be built, but he believes a courthouse expansion is needed.
Well that's certainly more vertical than I thought
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