Kiewit Luminarium (Riverfront Science Museum)

[Omaha Cowboy]

Looking great! And moving quickly …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Brad]

Photo of the steel going up.

Gotta love it. So much progress this past year along the Riverfront with the Redevelopment plan …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Its always great seeing the steel go up, it really puts the size in perspective.

[Omaha Cowboy]

Photo of the steel going up.

Gotta love it. So much progress this past year along the Riverfront with the Redevelopment plan …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Its always great seeing the steel go up, it really puts the size in perspective.

It’s always a sight for sore eyes..love seeing it anywhere in the metro.. But especially in the downtown core area…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[ita]

If anyone is interested, here is a video from Mode Shift's last meeting with a presentation from Rachel Jacobson of Heritage Services. There is some good information and additional renderings of the project.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xbkBSJRxfg

[nebraska]

Oh no, I am in this video... And it's on the internet...

[Omaha Cowboy]

More good news for this project..

From today’s W-H-

“ The leaders behind Omaha’s riverfront science center have in many ways modeled the project after San Francisco’s Exploratorium, regarded as one of the world’s premier science museums.

Now an executive from the Exploratorium, Silva Raker, has been named the first CEO of Omaha’s Kiewit Luminarium.

The more Raker thought about it, she ultimately decided the Luminarium was something she wanted to help lead into the future.

“I’m over the moon,” the 61-year-old Raker said last week. “I fell in love with Omaha and this project.”“..

The complete W-H story link:

https://omaha.com/news/local/omaha-lumi ... op-story-1

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[ita]

More good news for this project..

From today’s W-H-

“ The leaders behind Omaha’s riverfront science center have in many ways modeled the project after San Francisco’s Exploratorium, regarded as one of the world’s premier science museums.

Now an executive from the Exploratorium, Silva Raker, has been named the first CEO of Omaha’s Kiewit Luminarium.

The more Raker thought about it, she ultimately decided the Luminarium was something she wanted to help lead into the future.

“I’m over the moon,” the 61-year-old Raker said last week. “I fell in love with Omaha and this project.”“..

The complete W-H story link:

https://omaha.com/news/local/omaha-lumi ... op-story-1

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I just read through her brief bio on the Exploratorium site. I could see why she is tapped as CEO. Also, it goes to show you that Omaha can pull talent from big cities.

Edit: I read more of the article. I really like her enthusiasm about Omaha.

Emerging from the pandemic, Raker said, cultural institutions all across the country are facing two major challenges:

How can such institutions, which historically have been mostly White and affluent, embrace the racial reckoning that followed George Floyd’s murder and find ways to be more inclusive?

And how can they find new, more sustainable funding models, including new kinds of community support and corporate engagement?

Considering all the assets in Omaha, including a committed philanthropic sector and strong corporate sector, she began to think Omaha could lead the nation in embracing those challenges.

“I can’t think of a better place to do it,” she said. “The opportunity to create something really unique and be a model for the rest of the country was huge.”

[Omaha Cowboy]

More good news for this project..

From today’s W-H-

“ The leaders behind Omaha’s riverfront science center have in many ways modeled the project after San Francisco’s Exploratorium, regarded as one of the world’s premier science museums.

Now an executive from the Exploratorium, Silva Raker, has been named the first CEO of Omaha’s Kiewit Luminarium.

The more Raker thought about it, she ultimately decided the Luminarium was something she wanted to help lead into the future.

“I’m over the moon,” the 61-year-old Raker said last week. “I fell in love with Omaha and this project.”“..

The complete W-H story link:

https://omaha.com/news/local/omaha-lumi ... op-story-1

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I just read through her brief bio on the Exploratorium site. I could see why she is tapped as CEO. Also, it goes to show you that Omaha can pull talent from big cities.

Considering all the assets in Omaha, including a committed philanthropic sector and strong corporate sector, she began to think Omaha could lead the nation in embracing those challenges.

“I can’t think of a better place to do it,” she said. “The opportunity to create something really unique and be a model for the rest of the country was huge.”

There is no question that Omaha can pull talent from any of the the top 10 US metropolitan areas. Once they actually take the time to study Omaha, get familiarized with it, get past the pre-conceived stereotypes, and then actually visit..It’s no surprise a top notch person like Ms. Raker would find our city/metro an attractive place to live, promote and conduct business..

The Omaha metropolitan area has come a LONG way since 1985…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Cermak]

I can see why she would take this job in Omaha, this is a dream job for someone in her field. You get a chance to put your fingerprints on an exciting new project like this makes total sense. Omaha should not have any problems recruiting someone for this position. She can always move back to the Bay Area once she is retired. Welcome to Omaha !.

[jjjjhskr]

copied this pic from twitter so it’s not great but it really shows the progress on the Lumiarium.

[Athomsfere]

Even with the pictures, and the renderings I still feel like this is one project I have no idea how it will look.

[Linkin5]

Even with the pictures, and the renderings I still feel like this is one project I have no idea how it will look.

Yeah, anxious to see how the facade turns out.

[Omaha Cowboy]

If the finished product turns out to be what we saw in the renderings..

Then I think we’ll all be well pleased…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[skinzfan23]

On a side note, not that any of them are large tower cranes, but when driving back on 480 from CB last night, I counted 6 cranes within a 10 block radius. That is a sign of progression and I like it.

[stadsborgare]

Omaha (city proper) gained 19% in population according to the census figures from 2010 to 2020, so it makes sense there would be construction cranes all over. We are a city on the move.

Conventional thought nationwide might question why would people want to move to Omaha? But once people get here they find out how really good it is, and word must get around.

[yard salad]

Omaha (city proper) gained 19% in population according to the census figures from 2010 to 2020, so it makes sense there would be construction cranes all over. We are a city on the move.

Conventional thought nationwide might question why would people want to move to Omaha? But once people get here they find out how really good it is, and word must get around.

I overheard a lunch conversation between two travelling sales guys; one who had been in Omaha for a few months and the other who was visiting for the weekend. The guy who'd been in Omaha said, I |expletive| you not, "Omaha is like the Austin of the North" and would be as popular as Austin, Raleigh, etc, were it not for the winters.

[Louie]

Omaha (city proper) gained 19% in population according to the census figures from 2010 to 2020, so it makes sense there would be construction cranes all over. We are a city on the move.

Conventional thought nationwide might question why would people want to move to Omaha? But once people get here they find out how really good it is, and word must get around.

I overheard a lunch conversation between two travelling sales guys; one who had been in Omaha for a few months and the other who was visiting for the weekend. The guy who'd been in Omaha said, I |expletive| you not, "Omaha is like the Austin of the North" and would be as popular as Austin, Raleigh, etc, were it not for the winters.

No doubt our winters keep us from seeing 'explosive' growth. They can be down right brutal.

[Erik]

Our winters have their brutal moments, but I think the people overplay the bad. Our winters are generally shorter than many as our November and March months are pretty warm for our latitude.

We have 9 months of the year where our average high is above 50 and the average low is above 30. This is from the new 1991-2020 climate.

Our coldest months are noticeably colder than Raleigh, but not by as much as most would think. Generally, our coldest months 15ish degrees colder.

[Omaha Cowboy]

Our winters have their brutal moments, but I think the people overplay the bad. Our winters are generally shorter than many as our November and March months are pretty warm for our latitude.

We have 9 months of the year where our average high is above 50 and the average low is above 30. This is from the new 1991-2020 climate.

Our coldest months are noticeably colder than Raleigh, but not by as much as most would think. Generally, our coldest months 15ish degrees colder.

I completely agree Erik. Yes- Omaha does have some brutally cold stretches in the winter..but we’re in the Midwest. Who doesn’t? Lol..

I think the “extremity” of Omaha’s winters are way overblown. Look at Minneapolis-St Paul..winters are easily worse there, and they’ve had expansive growth. Chicago is a 9 million MSA- worse winters there than Omaha. I could go on and on with more examples..

What has really held Omaha back more than anything else in its history, was an apprehension, fear of follow through for anything brought to the table and seen as visionary. I used to call Omaha a “Stunted Metropolis” when I was in my 20’s because I saw soooo much potential, but city and civic leadership was more interested in keeping the status quo..

Things thankfully changed in a pretty dramatic way by the late 90’s. Omaha is coming into its own now, and people young and old have developed a decent level of civic pride..something that was rarely seen in the 1980’s..

A little cold snap in the winter won’t stop Omaha now …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Athomsfere]

Our winters have their brutal moments, but I think the people overplay the bad. Our winters are generally shorter than many as our November and March months are pretty warm for our latitude.

We have 9 months of the year where our average high is above 50 and the average low is above 30. This is from the new 1991-2020 climate.

Our coldest months are noticeably colder than Raleigh, but not by as much as most would think. Generally, our coldest months 15ish degrees colder.

I completely agree Erik. Yes- Omaha does have some brutally cold stretches in the winter..but we’re in the Midwest. Who doesn’t? Lol..

I think the “extremity” of Omaha’s winters are way overblown. Look at Minneapolis-St Paul..winters are easily worse there, and they’ve had expansive growth. Chicago is a 9 million MSA- worse winters there than Omaha. I could go on and on with more examples..

What has really held Omaha back more than anything else in its history, was an apprehension, fear of follow through for anything brought to the table and seen as visionary. I used to call Omaha a “Stunted Metropolis” when I was in my 20’s because I saw soooo much potential, but city and civic leadership was more interested in keeping the status quo..

Things thankfully changed in a pretty dramatic way by the late 90’s. Omaha is coming into its own now, and people young and old have developed a decent level of civic pride..something that was rarely seen in the 1980’s..

A little cold snap in the winter won’t stop Omaha now …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I mean, I still feel Omaha is stunted with how it prioritizes West O and it's waste over the core. It's nice to finally have ORBT, and the bike lane in my part of town. But then you get it not being funded by Stothert, and people fighting over light rail while streets also look like 31st and Jackson for example.

As much as I hate our bitter cold, it's fine by me. I just wish Omaha was actually planning for the future a little more.

[yard salad]

Since the guys I overheard seemed to be from Texas, I can definitely see how they'd be apprehensive of our winters. But having spent some time in Minneapolis and some Canadian cities, Omaha has nowhere near the length and brutality of the winters that those places experience. This last years' winter, for instance was really mild. I seem to remember we had one week of polar vortex and a few ice rains, but not much beyond that.

[ita]

Here's my (bad cell phone) pics from this weekend:

[Omaha Cowboy]

Our winters have their brutal moments, but I think the people overplay the bad. Our winters are generally shorter than many as our November and March months are pretty warm for our latitude.

We have 9 months of the year where our average high is above 50 and the average low is above 30. This is from the new 1991-2020 climate.

Our coldest months are noticeably colder than Raleigh, but not by as much as most would think. Generally, our coldest months 15ish degrees colder.

I completely agree Erik. Yes- Omaha does have some brutally cold stretches in the winter..but we’re in the Midwest. Who doesn’t? Lol..

I think the “extremity” of Omaha’s winters are way overblown. Look at Minneapolis-St Paul..winters are easily worse there, and they’ve had expansive growth. Chicago is a 9 million MSA- worse winters there than Omaha. I could go on and on with more examples..

What has really held Omaha back more than anything else in its history, was an apprehension, fear of follow through for anything brought to the table and seen as visionary. I used to call Omaha a “Stunted Metropolis” when I was in my 20’s because I saw soooo much potential, but city and civic leadership was more interested in keeping the status quo..

Things thankfully changed in a pretty dramatic way by the late 90’s. Omaha is coming into its own now, and people young and old have developed a decent level of civic pride..something that was rarely seen in the 1980’s..

A little cold snap in the winter won’t stop Omaha now …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I mean, I still feel Omaha is stunted with how it prioritizes West O and it's waste over the core. It's nice to finally have ORBT, and the bike lane in my part of town. But then you get it not being funded by Stothert, and people fighting over light rail while streets also look like 31st and Jackson for example.

As much as I hate our bitter cold, it's fine by me. I just wish Omaha was actually planning for the future a little more.

I don’t completely agree with you here..

I do think, if we follow the recent actual and proposed money trail, several Billion $$ may be invested in our city core area- which stretches from Cuming St to Leavenworth St north to south.. And Saddle Creek Rd to the Riverfront west to east..

There is the current $400 million Riverfront Redevelopment Plan currently in progress which is inclusive of our $110 million world class Luminarium Riverfront Science Museum.. There should be multiple density and possibly skyline changing developments along this Riverfront plan.. Currently there is The Mercantile under construction within the ConAgra campus area..

There is a massive amount of build up to what’s proposed in the UNMC Nebraska Medicine area along Leavenworth stretching to Saddle Creek Rd.. more than 1 billion of proposed development in this area alone..

Along the transportation front, I’m beginning to believe within the next 3 years, we’ll actually have an initial linear designed streetcar system beginning construction..and once completed, running from the Riverfront to Saddlcreek Rd (basically the core area)..

So I believe Omaha is coming into its own now and really taking off. We won’t recognize our core area 3-5 years from now..

In the end, there will always be developments “out west” in the suburban parts of our metro..which is really not unlike many significant 1 million plus population metropolitan areas in our region..

The difference is- Omaha, while growing west..is also correctly focused on developing infill east of 72nd street (see Ak Village as a fine example of this, along with The Blackstone District, Benson, Dundee, the Flatiron area etc)..

So, imo, the days where we pair the words “Omaha” and “stunted” are pretty much over.. No city/metro is perfect, but Omaha looks to grow the right way,..and that’s why I continuously say this is an exciting time to live in Omaha..We can see this transformation with our very eyes…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Omaha Cowboy]

Here's my (bad cell phone) pics from this weekend:

Nice job..

Thanks for the pic update …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[GetUrban]

Here's my (bad cell phone) pics from this weekend:

Nice job..

Thanks for the pic update …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Quite an upgrade from the old Rick’s Boatyard restaurant that used to be on or close to the site.

[ita]

Here's my (bad cell phone) pics from this weekend:

Nice job..

Thanks for the pic update …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Quite an upgrade from the old Rick’s Boatyard restaurant that used to be on or close to the site.

From the overhead renderings of Lewis and Clark, the lot it's being built on doesn't look that big, but in person, it's such a long building. From across the river it looks huge.

[NEDodger]

Saw a glimpse of this while on I-480 heading to Kansas City this weekend - looks really cool from the bridge.

[OmaJayhawk]

Our winters have their brutal moments, but I think the people overplay the bad. Our winters are generally shorter than many as our November and March months are pretty warm for our latitude.

We have 9 months of the year where our average high is above 50 and the average low is above 30. This is from the new 1991-2020 climate.

Our coldest months are noticeably colder than Raleigh, but not by as much as most would think. Generally, our coldest months 15ish degrees colder.

I completely agree Erik. Yes- Omaha does have some brutally cold stretches in the winter..but we’re in the Midwest. Who doesn’t? Lol..

I think the “extremity” of Omaha’s winters are way overblown. Look at Minneapolis-St Paul..winters are easily worse there, and they’ve had expansive growth. Chicago is a 9 million MSA- worse winters there than Omaha. I could go on and on with more examples..

What has really held Omaha back more than anything else in its history, was an apprehension, fear of follow through for anything brought to the table and seen as visionary. I used to call Omaha a “Stunted Metropolis” when I was in my 20’s because I saw soooo much potential, but city and civic leadership was more interested in keeping the status quo..

Things thankfully changed in a pretty dramatic way by the late 90’s. Omaha is coming into its own now, and people young and old have developed a decent level of civic pride..something that was rarely seen in the 1980’s..

A little cold snap in the winter won’t stop Omaha now …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I mean, I still feel Omaha is stunted with how it prioritizes West O and it's waste over the core. It's nice to finally have ORBT, and the bike lane in my part of town. But then you get it not being funded by Stothert, and people fighting over light rail while streets also look like 31st and Jackson for example.

As much as I hate our bitter cold, it's fine by me. I just wish Omaha was actually planning for the future a little more.

I don’t completely agree with you here..

I do think, if we follow the recent actual and proposed money trail, several Billion $$ may be invested in our city core area- which stretches from Cuming St to Leavenworth St north to south.. And Saddle Creek Rd to the Riverfront west to east..

There is the current $400 million Riverfront Redevelopment Plan currently in progress which is inclusive of our $110 million world class Luminarium Riverfront Science Museum.. There should be multiple density and possibly skyline changing developments along this Riverfront plan.. Currently there is The Mercantile under construction within the ConAgra campus area..

There is a massive amount of build up to what’s proposed in the UNMC Nebraska Medicine area along Leavenworth stretching to Saddle Creek Rd.. more than 1 billion of proposed development in this area alone..

Along the transportation front, I’m beginning to believe within the next 3 years, we’ll actually have an initial linear designed streetcar system beginning construction..and once completed, running from the Riverfront to Saddlcreek Rd (basically the core area)..

So I believe Omaha is coming into its own now and really taking off. We won’t recognize our core area 3-5 years from now..

In the end, there will always be developments “out west” in the suburban parts of our metro..which is really not unlike many significant 1 million plus population metropolitan areas in our region..

The difference is- Omaha, while growing west..is also correctly focused on developing infill east of 72nd street (see Ak Village as a fine example of this, along with The Blackstone District, Benson, Dundee, the Flatiron area etc)..

So, imo, the days where we pair the words “Omaha” and “stunted” are pretty much over.. No city/metro is perfect, but Omaha looks to grow the right way,..and that’s why I continuously say this is an exciting time to live in Omaha..We can see this transformation with our very eyes…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Well said Cowboy. I'd like to add one thing. Stothert isn't not funding the bike lanes, she just vetoed it because it's 1 month into a 12(?) month study.

[Athomsfere]

Our winters have their brutal moments, but I think the people overplay the bad. Our winters are generally shorter than many as our November and March months are pretty warm for our latitude.

We have 9 months of the year where our average high is above 50 and the average low is above 30. This is from the new 1991-2020 climate.

Our coldest months are noticeably colder than Raleigh, but not by as much as most would think. Generally, our coldest months 15ish degrees colder.

I completely agree Erik. Yes- Omaha does have some brutally cold stretches in the winter..but we’re in the Midwest. Who doesn’t? Lol..

I think the “extremity” of Omaha’s winters are way overblown. Look at Minneapolis-St Paul..winters are easily worse there, and they’ve had expansive growth. Chicago is a 9 million MSA- worse winters there than Omaha. I could go on and on with more examples..

What has really held Omaha back more than anything else in its history, was an apprehension, fear of follow through for anything brought to the table and seen as visionary. I used to call Omaha a “Stunted Metropolis” when I was in my 20’s because I saw soooo much potential, but city and civic leadership was more interested in keeping the status quo..

Things thankfully changed in a pretty dramatic way by the late 90’s. Omaha is coming into its own now, and people young and old have developed a decent level of civic pride..something that was rarely seen in the 1980’s..

A little cold snap in the winter won’t stop Omaha now …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I mean, I still feel Omaha is stunted with how it prioritizes West O and it's waste over the core. It's nice to finally have ORBT, and the bike lane in my part of town. But then you get it not being funded by Stothert, and people fighting over light rail while streets also look like 31st and Jackson for example.

As much as I hate our bitter cold, it's fine by me. I just wish Omaha was actually planning for the future a little more.

I don’t completely agree with you here..

I do think, if we follow the recent actual and proposed money trail, several Billion $$ may be invested in our city core area- which stretches from Cuming St to Leavenworth St north to south.. And Saddle Creek Rd to the Riverfront west to east..

There is the current $400 million Riverfront Redevelopment Plan currently in progress which is inclusive of our $110 million world class Luminarium Riverfront Science Museum.. There should be multiple density and possibly skyline changing developments along this Riverfront plan.. Currently there is The Mercantile under construction within the ConAgra campus area..

There is a massive amount of build up to what’s proposed in the UNMC Nebraska Medicine area along Leavenworth stretching to Saddle Creek Rd.. more than 1 billion of proposed development in this area alone..

Along the transportation front, I’m beginning to believe within the next 3 years, we’ll actually have an initial linear designed streetcar system beginning construction..and once completed, running from the Riverfront to Saddlcreek Rd (basically the core area)..

So I believe Omaha is coming into its own now and really taking off. We won’t recognize our core area 3-5 years from now..

In the end, there will always be developments “out west” in the suburban parts of our metro..which is really not unlike many significant 1 million plus population metropolitan areas in our region..

The difference is- Omaha, while growing west..is also correctly focused on developing infill east of 72nd street (see Ak Village as a fine example of this, along with The Blackstone District, Benson, Dundee, the Flatiron area etc)..

So, imo, the days where we pair the words “Omaha” and “stunted” are pretty much over.. No city/metro is perfect, but Omaha looks to grow the right way,..and that’s why I continuously say this is an exciting time to live in Omaha..We can see this transformation with our very eyes…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I agree with this, mostly.

My sentiments were aimed more directly at the city. Private investment in Omaha is great! And I bet we could already being so much more if the city spoke and acted a little more confidently in what the city should be doing with it's core.

[Omaha Cowboy]

Our winters have their brutal moments, but I think the people overplay the bad. Our winters are generally shorter than many as our November and March months are pretty warm for our latitude.

We have 9 months of the year where our average high is above 50 and the average low is above 30. This is from the new 1991-2020 climate.

Our coldest months are noticeably colder than Raleigh, but not by as much as most would think. Generally, our coldest months 15ish degrees colder.

I completely agree Erik. Yes- Omaha does have some brutally cold stretches in the winter..but we’re in the Midwest. Who doesn’t? Lol..

I think the “extremity” of Omaha’s winters are way overblown. Look at Minneapolis-St Paul..winters are easily worse there, and they’ve had expansive growth. Chicago is a 9 million MSA- worse winters there than Omaha. I could go on and on with more examples..

What has really held Omaha back more than anything else in its history, was an apprehension, fear of follow through for anything brought to the table and seen as visionary. I used to call Omaha a “Stunted Metropolis” when I was in my 20’s because I saw soooo much potential, but city and civic leadership was more interested in keeping the status quo..

Things thankfully changed in a pretty dramatic way by the late 90’s. Omaha is coming into its own now, and people young and old have developed a decent level of civic pride..something that was rarely seen in the 1980’s..

A little cold snap in the winter won’t stop Omaha now …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I mean, I still feel Omaha is stunted with how it prioritizes West O and it's waste over the core. It's nice to finally have ORBT, and the bike lane in my part of town. But then you get it not being funded by Stothert, and people fighting over light rail while streets also look like 31st and Jackson for example.

As much as I hate our bitter cold, it's fine by me. I just wish Omaha was actually planning for the future a little more.

I don’t completely agree with you here..

I do think, if we follow the recent actual and proposed money trail, several Billion $$ may be invested in our city core area- which stretches from Cuming St to Leavenworth St north to south.. And Saddle Creek Rd to the Riverfront west to east..

There is the current $400 million Riverfront Redevelopment Plan currently in progress which is inclusive of our $110 million world class Luminarium Riverfront Science Museum.. There should be multiple density and possibly skyline changing developments along this Riverfront plan.. Currently there is The Mercantile under construction within the ConAgra campus area..

There is a massive amount of build up to what’s proposed in the UNMC Nebraska Medicine area along Leavenworth stretching to Saddle Creek Rd.. more than 1 billion of proposed development in this area alone..

Along the transportation front, I’m beginning to believe within the next 3 years, we’ll actually have an initial linear designed streetcar system beginning construction..and once completed, running from the Riverfront to Saddlcreek Rd (basically the core area)..

So I believe Omaha is coming into its own now and really taking off. We won’t recognize our core area 3-5 years from now..

In the end, there will always be developments “out west” in the suburban parts of our metro..which is really not unlike many significant 1 million plus population metropolitan areas in our region..

The difference is- Omaha, while growing west..is also correctly focused on developing infill east of 72nd street (see Ak Village as a fine example of this, along with The Blackstone District, Benson, Dundee, the Flatiron area etc)..

So, imo, the days where we pair the words “Omaha” and “stunted” are pretty much over.. No city/metro is perfect, but Omaha looks to grow the right way,..and that’s why I continuously say this is an exciting time to live in Omaha..We can see this transformation with our very eyes…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Well said Cowboy. I'd like to add one thing. Stothert isn't not funding the bike lanes, she just vetoed it because it's 1 month into a 12(?) month study.

Thank you and good point!…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Omaha Cowboy]

Our winters have their brutal moments, but I think the people overplay the bad. Our winters are generally shorter than many as our November and March months are pretty warm for our latitude.

We have 9 months of the year where our average high is above 50 and the average low is above 30. This is from the new 1991-2020 climate.

Our coldest months are noticeably colder than Raleigh, but not by as much as most would think. Generally, our coldest months 15ish degrees colder.

I completely agree Erik. Yes- Omaha does have some brutally cold stretches in the winter..but we’re in the Midwest. Who doesn’t? Lol..

I think the “extremity” of Omaha’s winters are way overblown. Look at Minneapolis-St Paul..winters are easily worse there, and they’ve had expansive growth. Chicago is a 9 million MSA- worse winters there than Omaha. I could go on and on with more examples..

What has really held Omaha back more than anything else in its history, was an apprehension, fear of follow through for anything brought to the table and seen as visionary. I used to call Omaha a “Stunted Metropolis” when I was in my 20’s because I saw soooo much potential, but city and civic leadership was more interested in keeping the status quo..

Things thankfully changed in a pretty dramatic way by the late 90’s. Omaha is coming into its own now, and people young and old have developed a decent level of civic pride..something that was rarely seen in the 1980’s..

A little cold snap in the winter won’t stop Omaha now …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I mean, I still feel Omaha is stunted with how it prioritizes West O and it's waste over the core. It's nice to finally have ORBT, and the bike lane in my part of town. But then you get it not being funded by Stothert, and people fighting over light rail while streets also look like 31st and Jackson for example.

As much as I hate our bitter cold, it's fine by me. I just wish Omaha was actually planning for the future a little more.

I don’t completely agree with you here..

I do think, if we follow the recent actual and proposed money trail, several Billion $$ may be invested in our city core area- which stretches from Cuming St to Leavenworth St north to south.. And Saddle Creek Rd to the Riverfront west to east..

There is the current $400 million Riverfront Redevelopment Plan currently in progress which is inclusive of our $110 million world class Luminarium Riverfront Science Museum.. There should be multiple density and possibly skyline changing developments along this Riverfront plan.. Currently there is The Mercantile under construction within the ConAgra campus area..

There is a massive amount of build up to what’s proposed in the UNMC Nebraska Medicine area along Leavenworth stretching to Saddle Creek Rd.. more than 1 billion of proposed development in this area alone..

Along the transportation front, I’m beginning to believe within the next 3 years, we’ll actually have an initial linear designed streetcar system beginning construction..and once completed, running from the Riverfront to Saddlcreek Rd (basically the core area)..

So I believe Omaha is coming into its own now and really taking off. We won’t recognize our core area 3-5 years from now..

In the end, there will always be developments “out west” in the suburban parts of our metro..which is really not unlike many significant 1 million plus population metropolitan areas in our region..

The difference is- Omaha, while growing west..is also correctly focused on developing infill east of 72nd street (see Ak Village as a fine example of this, along with The Blackstone District, Benson, Dundee, the Flatiron area etc)..

So, imo, the days where we pair the words “Omaha” and “stunted” are pretty much over.. No city/metro is perfect, but Omaha looks to grow the right way,..and that’s why I continuously say this is an exciting time to live in Omaha..We can see this transformation with our very eyes…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I agree with this, mostly.

My sentiments were aimed more directly at the city. Private investment in Omaha is great! And I bet we could already being so much more if the city spoke and acted a little more confidently in what the city should be doing with it's core.

I believe we’re basically on the same page..

Nothing’s perfect and it’ll take time..but I think, for the most part, prominent Omahans are getting on the same page..

Just hang in there. I sense great things happening throughout our metropolitan area during the next 5 years..which will push Omaha even further up the city/metro food chain…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[ita]

The newsletter indicated that they just had the topping off ceremony meaning the last beam is in place. This one is moving right along!

[Brad]

The newsletter indicated that they just had the topping off ceremony meaning the last beam is in place. This one is moving right along!

Yep, I was down there on Sunday working on the next Grow Omaha video and the pine tree was up top.

[ita]

I don't know if this was already discussed previously, but I was reading HDR's site (https://www.hdrinc.com/portfolio/kiewit-luminarium) and it has a good description of some of the design elements of the exterior.

The building is thought of as a “container” like the classic Nebraska vernacular “machine-shed,” simple, honest, performative — where apertures in the aluminum exterior envelope strictly adhere to optimal shading based on the orientation of the façade. The building geometry emerged out of an apparent “grain” to the landscape that organizes the building into two forms. On the west, towards Downtown Omaha, it “lifts” off the ground, which creates an elevated “canvas” into the air and acts as a billboard to the city. The space under the cantilever then becomes a pedestrian space — a large bus stop for group collection and lingering. The east form along the river anchors into the site along the riverfront boardwalk. The vertical shading fins along the east provide exciting glimpses into the interior, thus animating the façade experience as pedestrians meander the riverwalk.

[jjjjhskr]

Pic from my walk this morning - Cox Cable is not working downtown so I couldn’t work either. It is a bigger place than I expected and is really coming along.

[thenewguy]

To be honest, I have driven by there everyday for a couple weeks, and it doesn't seem like they have been working on it since they topped it off. Maybe some materials have been delayed or something?

[thenewguy]

when I drove by yesterday, it looked like the crane and the equipment on site hasn't changed positions.

[ItsAllAboutMe]

Glass curtain wall going up quickly on the Southwest corner. Excellent progress!

[Omaha Cowboy]

Glass curtain wall going up quickly on the Southwest corner. Excellent progress!

Agreed..

This project is moving along nicely …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[thenewguy]

Glass along the bottom west side of the building looks complete. The support steel for the glass around the top seems to be complete as well. I only got a look at it from 480...