The concrete may be for the work to the existing atriums... the floor of both atriums are being one floor (they were raised 1 floor previously by Hampton Dev.)
Many of the decorative plaster columns and beams will also be repaired and exposed on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd floors. Residential units on the 2nd and 3rd levels will have these exposed decorative features in primary living spaces. Proposed work done to decorative plaster ceilings on the 10th floor will be dealt with later on as the project progresses. I think that some of the issues that some of you guys may have had with Hampton's proposal (too "cookie-cutter" and "suburban" in style) will be addressed (for the better) with Townsend's development.
The concrete may be for the work to the existing atriums... the floors of both atriums are being RAISED one floor (they were raised 1 floor previously by Hampton Dev.)
There is a construction elevator on the back of the building again, and the other day the alley was barricaded, as well as the sidewalk, etc. on 16th Street. Positive signs of work going to happen.
Always a business-oriented city hungry for growth and focused on development with laser intensity, Omaha aimed high, reached for momentum and found critical mass.
today my wife and i went to Athenian (good food, great prices--cheeseburger & fries for 3 and a half bucks), and they had the street blocked off half way, and were pressure washing the exterior. Still have the concierge/sales desk open in the lobby (i snagged some paperwork). Most of the units on 9 were sold, but only about 1/3 on 8. I can't wait for the ground level retail to go in!
The Athenian is a restaurant in the Brandies. They do have a good deal every day for burgers, double cheese and fries for $4.25? They also have Gyros and what not. They have done some painting and are working to expand the seating area in the Brandies right now. Lots of work going on.
CHRISTINE LAUE WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER wrote:One-bedroom apartments in downtown Omaha's Brandeis building are a popular item in the former department store, a leasing agent said.
Townsend Inc., of Overland Park, Kan., the developer that bought the one-time condominium project out of bankruptcy, is completing unfinished units and offering them as apartments. Two floors remain condos.
Construction crews have worked since May to finish floors two through seven as apartments, collectively called the Renata. They are opening in stages, floor by floor.
The condo units, called the Enclave, occupy floors eight and nine.
Some condo owners have lived in the building since 2006. The seventh floor was the first to open as apartments in August, followed by the sixth floor last Wednesday.
All the one-bedroom apartments on floors six and seven are leased and occupied, said Gina Simon, assistant manager and leasing agent. On floor five, set to open Dec. 15, all the one-bedroom units are pre-leased. And on the fourth floor, scheduled to open March 1, two one-bedroom units are pre-leased.
Simon said people were so interested in the one-bedroom units that they put down $500 deposits while the units still were under construction.
no kidding, you would think that by looking at the demographics of people living downtown you would realize extra bedrooms arent necessary. Anyone have an info on how many families live downtown?
Are we talking about the traditional one man one woman bound in holy matrimony with kids or the godless liberal definition of families? I can literally only think of one married couple with young kids that I knew lived at Soma but I think they might have moved out.
Ha, yes I was thinking of posterboard families, couples with kids. I rarely ever see any in the upper end apartments and condos of central downtown, usually only towards the outskirts of downtown in lower income houses and towers.
STEVE JORDON WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER wrote:Just walk through the door of the Brandeis building, greet the concierge, ride the art nouveau elevator up to the eighth or ninth floor and you will see why things are mostly just fine for the folks living in perhaps Omaha's most historic building-turned-residence. Sixteen condos have sold so far. Townsend is finishing the remaining 17 condo units on the eighth and ninth floors and installing 122 luxury apartments on floors two through seven. philosophical about most of the building being turned into apartments instead of condos. Maybe the condos wouldn't have sold anyway, he said, given the current housing market.
Thought I would share this photo I found of the Brandeis building in 1925. At the time, that flag was the largest in the world and measured 90 x 165 ft.
I just dont get why this building can't be a huge success. It's got the space, the parking, the history...what's the deal? It should have housing, retail, office, even some kind of out of the box thinking. Surely there has to be someone on the planet that sees the potential.
It has a dark feeling with the parking structure across the street. It is a long way from the entertainment areas. It is closes to the civic center and the Fed. The people who work there are in houses in good school districts, thus the need for the parking lots. There are a lot of issues going against it.
bigredmed wrote:It has a dark feeling with the parking structure across the street. It is a long way from the entertainment areas. It is closes to the civic center and the Fed. The people who work there are in houses in good school districts, thus the need for the parking lots. There are a lot of issues going against it.
I've always thought the above-street parking garage that is crudely glommed on to the west side of the building is a huge eyesore. It's like having a beautiful house, and slapping a pole barn right on the front.
This is waaaay late, but as I park in the Brandeis garage everyday for work but never thought to post about it here, I thought I'd mention that the building has been under new management (flyers posted in the garage around August 2015 specified that TAB Management is taking over leasing).
Also, since August extensive renovation has been engaged in the garage abutting 17th & Douglas Streets attached to the Brandeis, and it looks like the rootop and sixth and seventh floors have been completely renovated so far (new cement on the floors, new paint, etc.). It seems like this will help with the gloominess of the garage, though it has been a chore, to say the least, to park in the garage while renovation is ongoing.
On Grow Omaha during the "lightning round" they briefly said that a DGX, a Dollar General for urban locales, is moving in the Brandeis Building, I think, on the northeast side. Anyway, not really a grocer, more similar to Cubby's, from what I've read and seen. It's a new concept that is in only four cities currently.
I tried doing additional research about this rumor, but did not find any articles or releases online. They must have heard it through the grapevine.
Omaha Cowboy wrote: Thu Oct 24, 2019 8:02 pm
Hmmm..
DGX. Sounds interesting..But also sounds like a convenience store...
Ciao..LiO...Peace
It's a somewhere in between a C-store and mini-grocer. Based on the four current stores they have, the Raleigh, NC one has the best pics on Google that show what it will be like. I have not seen any fresh produce in any of the pics. It looks like a Walgreens or CVS, without a pharmacy.
Omaha Cowboy wrote: Thu Oct 24, 2019 8:02 pm
Hmmm..
DGX. Sounds interesting..But also sounds like a convenience store...
Ciao..LiO...Peace
It's a somewhere in between a C-store and mini-grocer. Based on the four current stores they have, the Raleigh, NC one has the best pics on Google that show what it will be like. I have not seen any fresh produce in any of the pics. It looks like a Walgreens or CVS, without a pharmacy.
Well, I think this will certainty carve a niche downtown.. It’s not close to a full service grocer like many of us crave.. But it’s a development moving in the right direction...
I can literally only think of one married couple with young kids that I knew lived at Soma but I think they might have moved out.
