Union Pacific Center

[eomaha]

However you feel about the UP Center... I think most would agree... the atrium is very cool. I stopped by to check it out yesterday.

All photos: http://www.eomaha.com/gallery/buildings/10" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[edsas]

That is one mighty fine looking building. My disappointed over the height faded sometime near when the cladding took shape. The interior shots just reinforce what an amazing building this is.

Thanks for the pictures.

[StreetsOfOmaha]

Thanks for the photos, Jeff!

I actually didn't even realize it was open, having been out of the loop for a couple weeks.

I'll have to make it down there to see it.

[futrecndvlpr]

I have had a chance over the past couple of days to eat, work and mill around in the new building and if I had to use one simple word to describe it I would have to go with "awesome."

The cafeteria is pretty darn nice, it is safe to say that it can meet everyone's tastes. I found myself wandering around aimlessly trying to figure out exactly what I wanted for a short period of time.

The video screen is now up and functioning, it is definately worth checking out. I believe it is one of the largest in the nation/world!

Also worth noting is the heating/cooling system. Instead of having several large vents on each floor, there are smaller vents located in the floor at each workspace that the user can control.

Further down the road (my department moves in August) I hope to get some pictures from the 18th floor looking down. It is quit an amazing building.

[StreetsOfOmaha]

I was in the building a couple weeks ago, and I have to say I wasn't all that impressed. I mean, of couse it is a massive building, they used great building materials, and the video scree is totally cool. I just wish the ground level, including the outside of the building, had more active uses. I didn't get a chance to go into the cafeteria, but that does sound really nice.

[jays25ks]

I was wondering if anyone knows what building was at the site of UPC?

[Coyote]

Between 15th and 14th streets on Douglas
were the Rialto Theatre and the Town Theatre

[DTO Luv]

Nothing on that block will be missed. I have visited UP a couple of times and have likend it to a spaceship. What it lacks in height it makes up for in appeal. I would like to eat in the restaurant one of these days. I wish First National had a restaurant like Tower 5 in the Woodmen.

[iamjacobm]

Just to add to the wild and strange night in Omaha. UP's sign 19 stories up catches fire.

http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/Fire ... 45591.html

Fourteenth Street between Dodge and Douglas remains closed Wednesday morning after an electric sign atop the Union Pacific Building in downtown Omaha caught fire.

Firefighters had to battle the flames 19 floors up, but only needed fire extinguishers to do so in a matter of minutes. No word yet on what sparked the flames.

[skinzfan23]

It looks like they finally replace the sign. It still wasn't up there last week so they must have installed it recently.

[iamjacobm]

Saw Lund is marketing a little over 200k SF of space in this building for lease.

[Garrett]

Saw Lund is marketing a little over 200k SF of space in this building for lease.

Interesting. If the multiple office to residential conversion rumors are true, that’s a lot of ready to go high quality space for potential office relocations.

[Brad]

Saw Lund is marketing a little over 200k SF of space in this building for lease.

Wasn't that long ago they they were making workspaces smaller to fit more employees in that building...

[NEDodger]

I know they have a very nice space for it now in Council Bluffs, but I will never understand the museum not being here with all of the seeming wasted space on the ground floor. Especially with a Company Store there, too….

[Brad]

I know they have a very nice space for it now in Council Bluffs, but I will never understand the museum not being here with all of the seeming wasted space on the ground floor. Especially with a Company Store there, too….

We've had this conversation in the Museum thread before, but I still completely disagree with it being in the HQ. In today's corporate climate, it only takes one wrong change in leadership and everything could be gone. I'm glad the museum is its own entity, with its own building, with its own Board of Directors.

[skinzfan23]

I am glad that it is in a beautiful building in CB as well. Perfect spot for it.

[nebport5]

I know they have a very nice space for it now in Council Bluffs, but I will never understand the museum not being here with all of the seeming wasted space on the ground floor. Especially with a Company Store there, too….

We've had this conversation in the Museum thread before, but I still completely disagree with it being in the HQ. In today's corporate climate, it only takes one wrong change in leadership and everything could be gone. I'm glad the museum is its own entity, with its own building, with its own Board of Directors.

I've always thought it would be cool if they had a train museum on this side with actual trains like Kenefick and The Home Plate display but expanded and under one roof. Maybe something like The Illinois Railway Museum but all U.P.

[NEDodger]

I know they have a very nice space for it now in Council Bluffs, but I will never understand the museum not being here with all of the seeming wasted space on the ground floor. Especially with a Company Store there, too….

We've had this conversation in the Museum thread before, but I still completely disagree with it being in the HQ. In today's corporate climate, it only takes one wrong change in leadership and everything could be gone. I'm glad the museum is its own entity, with its own building, with its own Board of Directors.

Yeah, that’s true

[Garrett]

Saw a thread on reddit with a screenshot from a Wikipedia article that claimed that UP was originally supposed to be 50 stories tall. Any veracity to that claim? Or even renderings?

[Brad]

Saw a thread on reddit with a screenshot from a Wikipedia article that claimed that UP was originally supposed to be 50 stories tall. Any veracity to that claim? Or even renderings?

I always heard the design was changed after the 9/11 attacks.

[jomaha9]

I worked at UP for 11 years and asked this question. I was told by someone internally that the building was originally supposed to be 26 floors, but they revised it to 19 due to costs. The atrium that is the main feature of the building was a key element and the floor count was a lower priority.

[HighWinds]

Saw a thread on reddit with a screenshot from a Wikipedia article that claimed that UP was originally supposed to be 50 stories tall. Any veracity to that claim? Or even renderings?

I always heard the design was changed after the 9/11 attacks.

That's what I heard as well. "It was supposed to be tall, but after 9/11 the height was revised."

[Linkin5]

I distinctly remember when the design was revealed UP stated that the large floor plates were best for their work model. I assumed that had something to do with having entire departments located on the same floor and closer to each other.

During that time a lot of people also speculated that tall buildings weren’t going to be built anymore, which obviously didn’t happen, especially in NYC. If I had to guess, I would bet that this is someone’s opinion that other people ran with.

[skinzfan23]

I agree, I heard it was reduced. I don't think I ever heard 50 stories though, I think, like mentioned above, it was supposed to be 20-30 stories.

[HighWinds]

I distinctly remember when the design was revealed UP stated that the large floor plates were best for their work model. I assumed that had something to do with having entire departments located on the same floor and closer to each other.

During that time a lot of people also speculated that tall buildings weren’t going to be built anymore, which obviously didn’t happen, especially in NYC. If I had to guess, I would bet that this is someone’s opinion that other people ran with.

Agreed. Saw the Wikipedia article, but I feel like I've heard that "50 stories" elsewhere. Could've been reddit

[WBR_Tom]

If it was intended to be 50, that had to be in an early internal planning phase. I did a quick keyword search of the OWH archives and the first mention of the height of the then-proposed building came in March 2001:

"A U.P. official said at a City Planning Board meeting in December that the building could be 20 to 35 stories high."

Then another article in May 2004 before it opened says this:

"U.P. officials decided the building would be wide rather than tall in order to fit whole departments on single floors. The atrium means those in the center of the building aren't shorted on sunlight."

So most of what's been posted here seems to be more or less right. It was potentially going to be taller (35 stories), but they went wide instead of tall to fit departments on single floors (or at least, that's the reason they gave publicly -- who knows if other stuff went into the decision behind closed doors).

[HighWinds]

If it was intended to be 50, that had to be in an early internal planning phase. I did a quick keyword search of the OWH archives and the first mention of the height of the then-proposed building came in March 2001:

"A U.P. official said at a City Planning Board meeting in December that the building could be 20 to 35 stories high."

Then another article in May 2004 before it opened says this:

"U.P. officials decided the building would be wide rather than tall in order to fit whole departments on single floors. The atrium means those in the center of the building aren't shorted on sunlight."

So most of what's been posted here seems to be more or less right. It was potentially going to be taller (35 stories), but they went wide instead of tall to fit departments on single floors (or at least, that's the reason they gave publicly -- who knows if other stuff went into the decision behind closed doors).

Nice post! Adds to the whole idea that the "50 story" statement is a rumor that people ran with, either from a random person or an internal UP employee.

[nebport5]

I think the potential for 35 stories was only in the early planning stages. Once they actually announced it officially, it was to be 25 stories.

This from a November 1st article in the World Herald:

U.P. Plans 25 - Story Building


Sadly I probably have an early rendering on an old floppy or zip but...alas how quickly technology becomes antiquated.


Now I do also recall in this era there being rumors of Kiewit building a 50 story tower.

[Linkin5]

I remember stargazer (founder of eomaha) had written a letter to UP urging them to build taller, and posted a copy of it either here or on the chamber forum. UP obviously weren’t swayed by it, but it provided a lot of good points.

This was such a fun time in development, we had the arena and FNB tower recently finished, UP moving back home after relocating to St. Louis, and a lot of other smaller projects. I didn’t think we’d ever see something that massive happen again until this recent run we’re on (which turns out is way bigger).

[Cermak]

I remember stargazer (founder of eomaha) had written a letter to UP urging them to build taller, and posted a copy of it either here or on the chamber forum. UP obviously weren’t swayed by it, but it provided a lot of good points.

This was such a fun time in development, we had the arena and FNB tower recently finished, UP moving back home after relocating to St. Louis, and a lot of other smaller projects. I didn’t think we’d ever see something that massive happen again until this recent run we’re on (which turns out is way bigger).

That was a good period for downtown, it was probably about 20 years ago.

[skinzfan23]

That was a good period for downtown, it was probably about 20 years ago.

That was the start of eomahaforums as most of us know it. That is when I got really interested in all the projects that the metro had going on and I am really excited that we have continually kept growing and adding new, amazing things especially in the past 2 years or so.