Gene Leahy Mall Remodel

Garrett · Post by **Garrett** » Sat Dec 04, 2021 2:44 am

Omaha Cowboy wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 10:01 pm
MadMartin8 wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 5:50 am I love seeing this perspective, you get a perfect view of just how large of a scale this project and the other down closer to the river are. 5 years from now it's going to be just so mind bogglingly different down there, and I am curious to see what comes next.
Absolutely true..

If potential rumored developments come to fruition, it’s a game changer for downtown. I said this earlier and I’ll still hold to it- the GLM and entire Riverfront Redevelopment plan will create an iconic point of destination for Omaha..not unlike what The Arch contributes to St Louis…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Frankly, I hope it’s very unlike the arch in St. Louis. I want Omahan’s drawn to the parks, not tourists. Find me someone in St Louis that goes to the Arch everyday. I’d far rather have this utilized by people that live in the city every day, rather than catering to someone else.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Sat Dec 04, 2021 11:00 am

Garrett wrote: Sat Dec 04, 2021 2:44 am
Omaha Cowboy wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 10:01 pm
MadMartin8 wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 5:50 am I love seeing this perspective, you get a perfect view of just how large of a scale this project and the other down closer to the river are. 5 years from now it's going to be just so mind bogglingly different down there, and I am curious to see what comes next.
Absolutely true..

If potential rumored developments come to fruition, it’s a game changer for downtown. I said this earlier and I’ll still hold to it- the GLM and entire Riverfront Redevelopment plan will create an iconic point of destination for Omaha..not unlike what The Arch contributes to St Louis…

Ciao..LiO…Peace
Frankly, I hope it’s very unlike the arch in St. Louis. I want Omahan’s drawn to the parks, not tourists. Find me someone in St Louis that goes to the Arch everyday. I’d far rather have this utilized by people that live in the city every day, rather than catering to someone else.

I hear what you’re saying and rather agree with it..

I do think the Riverfront Redevelopment can and will do both for Omaha..and make it a more key attraction/place-point of destination than even The Arch..bringing tourist money into Omaha is never a bad thing..and locally, this project will be a point of civic pride. I know I, and many others, will be frequenting this development once it’s completed. He!!, once a month or so, I can’t resist driving/walking around down there and taking pictures…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Sat Dec 04, 2021 3:25 pm

From the W-H-

“There’s still much more work to finish at the park, which is being renovated as part of a $400 million public-private overhaul of Omaha’s three downtown riverfront parks, but Gene Leahy remains on schedule to open Memorial Day weekend, Bassett said.

Work will continue through the winter with the help of massive tents, heaters and construction technology, including a small device used by Kiewit to measure data underground. The device, called a Giatec SmartRock, will be placed about 3 feet in the ground and can measure temperature and concrete strength.

The project team has been fortunate, Bassett said, in that all companies involved in the redevelopment have provided dedicated crews even as the nation experiences a labor shortage.”..

The complete W-H story link:

https://omaha.com/news/local/work-will- ... -top-story

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Sat Dec 04, 2021 3:26 pm

Post by **Brad** » Mon Dec 06, 2021 10:54 am

No sod yet, but looks like the have it all nicely graded:

bldgengineer2015 · Post by **bldgengineer2015** » Mon Dec 06, 2021 12:10 pm

They have started laying sod on the west portion according to the live webcam.

Post by **Brad** » Mon Dec 06, 2021 12:39 pm

bldgengineer2015 wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 12:10 pm They have started laying sod on the west portion according to the live webcam.

Interesting. The camera on the Riverfront website must not be live. I always forget about these Burlington Capitol Cameras. https://burlingtoncapital.com/live/

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Thu Dec 09, 2021 1:08 pm

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Fri Dec 10, 2021 9:26 am

ItsAllAboutMe · Post by **ItsAllAboutMe** » Tue Dec 14, 2021 9:16 am

Sod is being installed today on the the remaining great lawn. Hopefully it doesn't blow off tomorrow.

Cermak · Post by **Cermak** » Tue Dec 14, 2021 5:00 pm

ItsAllAboutMe wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 9:16 am Sod is being installed today on the the remaining great lawn. Hopefully it doesn't blow off tomorrow.

No kidding, maybe they should of waited till Thursday.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Tue Dec 14, 2021 6:43 pm

Hopefully that sod it packed in tight..

Tomorrow’s wind event seems insane..and I hope there is little damage to the park areas…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

OmahaOmaha · Post by **OmahaOmaha** » Fri Dec 31, 2021 7:39 am

When all these parks open, are they going to be open 24/7? If not, how are they going to keep people out? Are they going to have security? A murder, a rape, an assault, or people using drugs could quickly give the parks a reputation of being unsafe. What happens when feathers get ruffled and some unruly group decides to have a mostly peaceful protest in the park that leaves the restrooms, park benches, playground equipment, sidewalks, stage, etc covered in graffiti. Do they have some kind of plan to prevent something like that from happening? I know something like that may never happen, but in today’s society, you just never know.

GetUrban · Post by **GetUrban** » Fri Dec 31, 2021 8:21 am

OmahaOmaha wrote: Fri Dec 31, 2021 7:39 am When all these parks open, are they going to be open 24/7? If not, how are they going to keep people out? Are they going to have security? A murder, a rape, an assault, or people using drugs could quickly give the parks a reputation of being unsafe. What happens when feathers get ruffled and some unruly group decides to have a mostly peaceful protest in the park that leaves the restrooms, park benches, playground equipment, sidewalks, stage, etc covered in graffiti. Do they have some kind of plan to prevent something like that from happening? I know something like that may never happen, but in today’s society, you just never know.

It seems likely they would already have some sort of security plan in place to protect the park components already in place. Hopefully the security will include a network of security cameras so they can quickly route police to any problem areas. I don’t know if such cameras exist, but it makes sense they would have some sort of system. There don’t appear to be any gates anywhere to close-off sections of the park, which wouldn’t really make sense anyway for a public park. It seems likely they would study lessons learned from similar public parks in other cities too,

Cermak · Post by **Cermak** » Fri Dec 31, 2021 8:57 am

Most Omaha parks close for the evening at 11pm. At least the smaller neighborhood parks do.

Post by **Brad** » Tue Jan 11, 2022 8:50 pm

Photo Update:

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Tue Jan 11, 2022 9:02 pm

Really making some nice progress month to month..the great weather has really made a difference in helping to ensure the GLM component lands exactly on its Memorial Day opening..

Nice pic update Brad

…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Cermak · Post by **Cermak** » Tue Jan 11, 2022 9:42 pm

Excellent picture ! Great detail.

I wonder what kind of crowds they will have when this place first opens ? I could see it being swamped with people. Hope they have some crowd control plans in place.

PotatoeEatsFish · Post by **PotatoeEatsFish** » Thu Jan 13, 2022 11:46 pm

Brad wrote: Tue Jan 11, 2022 8:50 pm Photo Update:

I couldnt remember if it was you or Cowboy who said the tower may be announced around December-January. Has there been any updates or delays on this?

ita · Post by **ita** » Thu Jan 20, 2022 4:08 pm

Kaneko reveals first art piece for Gene Leahy Mall Sculpture Garden

Jessica Wade
A sculpture brought from the mountainside workshop of a world-renowned artist was presented to an Omaha art gallery Thursday.

The sculpture of welded steel stands 15 feet tall and 6 feet wide at its base. It's one of five art pieces curated by the Kaneko art gallery for a sculpture garden in the soon-to-reopen Gene Leahy Mall.

The piece was created and loaned to Kaneko by James Surls, an artist whose work can be found in museums and private collections around the world.

For years it has remained at his workshop about 30 miles west of Aspen, Colorado. The piece was brought to Omaha through a partnership between Kaneko and the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority, which is managing the renovations of Omaha's three downtown parks.

Five sculptures are planned for the Gene Leahy's sculpture garden to be located on the north end of the park, along Douglas Street, said Stephan Grot, executive director of Kaneko, an art gallery located at 1111 Jones St. in the Old Market.

ItsAllAboutMe · Post by **ItsAllAboutMe** » Thu Jan 20, 2022 4:33 pm

I think this piece of art is stunning & I'm thrilled that Kaneko is leading the selection of sculpture to be featured in the park.

Louie · Post by **Louie** » Thu Jan 20, 2022 5:37 pm

This will look really cool in the midst of the park and trees.

Garrett · Post by **Garrett** » Thu Jan 20, 2022 5:40 pm

That's really beautiful. Definitely has some interesting movement.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Thu Jan 20, 2022 6:26 pm

Wow, what a beautiful piece of art..

Can’t wait to see it grace the GLM sculpture garden

…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Taco · Post by **Taco** » Thu Jan 20, 2022 8:32 pm

It reminds me of trees and neurons. Probably my favorite piece of his. Glad we have such great local artistic talent and glad we are doing this park right.

legato9 · Post by **legato9** » Thu Jan 20, 2022 8:48 pm

La Pieta is art.
That thing isn’t even art. It’s just a meaningless object.

nebport5 · Post by **nebport5** » Thu Jan 20, 2022 9:31 pm

legato9 wrote: Thu Jan 20, 2022 8:48 pm La Pieta is art.
That thing isn’t even art. It’s just a meaningless object.

Meaning in art is highly subjective. Were you expecting something High Renaissance?

legato9 · Post by **legato9** » Thu Jan 20, 2022 10:31 pm

La Pieta was just an example. There are many legitimate genres and styles, of course. But this thing we’re talking about is not art. Art involves recreating reality in a way that reflects an artist’s value judgements. This has no recreation of reality, and no value judgement. It’s just simple shapes.

This could arguably be “decoration.” (Bad decoration, but still decoration.) But isn’t not even bad art. It isn’t art at all.

PotatoeEatsFish · Post by **PotatoeEatsFish** » Thu Jan 20, 2022 10:56 pm

It fits perfectly with the play arches and stage.

Not sure what else you'd expect we already have blocks of life size realist sculptures downtown.

ita · Post by **ita** » Thu Jan 20, 2022 11:14 pm

https://www.google.com/amp/s/fox42kptm. ... riverfront

According to this article, the sculpture is going to be in the garden for 3 years, so anyone with misgivings about it, just wait 3 years and something else will replace it.

ItsAllAboutMe · Post by **ItsAllAboutMe** » Fri Jan 21, 2022 7:18 am

I for one am thrilled to have this awesome James Surls sculpture as part of the new park. I'm sure if some people in this city had their way a permanent sculpture of the virgin Mary would be the center piece.

Athomsfere · Post by **Athomsfere** » Fri Jan 21, 2022 9:27 am

legato9 wrote: Thu Jan 20, 2022 10:31 pm La Pieta was just an example. There are many legitimate genres and styles, of course. But this thing we’re talking about is not art. Art involves recreating reality in a way that reflects an artist’s value judgements. This has no recreation of reality, and no value judgement. It’s just simple shapes.

This could arguably be “decoration.” (Bad decoration, but still decoration.) But isn’t not even bad art. It isn’t art at all.

What a weird concept to lay down...

Art is art, whether an artist or the public deems it so. And neither overrides the other.

Banksy, Pollock, Van Gogh all create art. Even if their contemporaries disagreed, which they often did.

While one might not like this sculpture, Kaneko who is famous for what it does with art, has sourced it as art. So it's pedigree as "art" is cemented, regardless of any person's opinion on some internet forum.

Louie · Post by **Louie** » Fri Jan 21, 2022 10:04 am

I think it looks like a geometric ent from LoTR. I dig it.

legato9 · Post by **legato9** » Fri Jan 21, 2022 10:51 am

Athomsfere wrote: Fri Jan 21, 2022 9:27 am
legato9 wrote: Thu Jan 20, 2022 10:31 pm La Pieta was just an example. There are many legitimate genres and styles, of course. But this thing we’re talking about is not art. Art involves recreating reality in a way that reflects an artist’s value judgements. This has no recreation of reality, and no value judgement. It’s just simple shapes.

This could arguably be “decoration.” (Bad decoration, but still decoration.) But isn’t not even bad art. It isn’t art at all.
What a weird concept to lay down...

Art is art, whether an artist or the public deems it so. And neither overrides the other.

Banksy, Pollock, Van Gogh all create art. Even if their contemporaries disagreed, which they often did.

While one might not like this sculpture, Kaneko who is famous for what it does with art, has sourced it as art. So it's pedigree as "art" is cemented, regardless of any person's opinion on some internet forum.

Banksy and Van Gogh are art. This metal thing is not. If anything, it’s anti-art. The fact that it’s regarded as art is, sadly, revealing as to the state of our culture.

That said, it certainly wasn’t my intent to argue. Even if I’m guilty of doing so.

I very much believe that art and ideas are crucially important, and that my statement needed to be made (whether anyone recognizes its truth or not).

But it’s been made now. So someone else is welcome to the last word.

Vitruvius · Post by **Vitruvius** » Fri Jan 21, 2022 1:42 pm

I wouldn't call the artist's work ground-breaking, but this is a legitimate work of fine art. Will it please everyone? No. Will it stimulate one's imagination or way of seeing? Hopefully.
In my opinion, James Surl's work has a strong basis in craft and the decorative, which is not a negative, and the craftsmanship in his work is beautiful.

In addition to this work, I would still like to see the Isamu Noguchi Friendship Fountain idea from years ago come to fruition. And an Albert Paley sculpture somewhere would also be wonderful as would many other works by many other artists.

I won't post a photo of the Friendship Fountain or a Paley sculpture.... I don't want the haters to stroke-out.

PotatoeEatsFish · Post by **PotatoeEatsFish** » Fri Jan 21, 2022 6:46 pm

Vitruvius wrote: Fri Jan 21, 2022 1:42 pm I wouldn't call the artist's work ground-breaking, but this is a legitimate work of fine art. Will it please everyone? No. Will it stimulate one's imagination or way of seeing? Hopefully.
In my opinion, James Surl's work has a strong basis in craft and the decorative, which is not a negative, and the craftsmanship in his work is beautiful.

In addition to this work, I would still like to see the Isamu Noguchi Friendship Fountain idea from years ago come to fruition. And an Albert Paley sculpture somewhere would also be wonderful as would many other works by many other artists.

I won't post a photo of the Friendship Fountain or a Paley sculpture.... I don't want the haters to stroke-out.

I think a small Friendship Fountain would actually look really good in the middle of the sailing pool. The original was just way too large it's the type of structure that loses appeal as it gets larger.

Vitruvius · Post by **Vitruvius** » Fri Jan 21, 2022 8:22 pm

PotatoeEatsFish wrote: Fri Jan 21, 2022 6:46 pm
Vitruvius wrote: Fri Jan 21, 2022 1:42 pm I wouldn't call the artist's work ground-breaking, but this is a legitimate work of fine art. Will it please everyone? No. Will it stimulate one's imagination or way of seeing? Hopefully.
In my opinion, James Surl's work has a strong basis in craft and the decorative, which is not a negative, and the craftsmanship in his work is beautiful.

In addition to this work, I would still like to see the Isamu Noguchi Friendship Fountain idea from years ago come to fruition. And an Albert Paley sculpture somewhere would also be wonderful as would many other works by many other artists.

I won't post a photo of the Friendship Fountain or a Paley sculpture.... I don't want the haters to stroke-out.
I think a small Friendship Fountain would actually look really good in the middle of the sailing pool. The original was just way too large it's the type of structure that loses appeal as it gets larger.

That seems like a reasonable compromise. At the time he stated, "Within the scope of a landscape development adjacent to it, I proposed a tower 160 feet high to be erected in the middle of the Missouri River. The fog was to be activated by a circular Darius eggbeater-type windmill on top with water spray drawn by its energy."

guy4omaha · Post by **guy4omaha** » Sat Jan 22, 2022 6:46 pm

To me it is ugly at worst. Underwhelming and unimaginative at best. But I understand and can appreciate others may have an entirely different viewpoint on this "thing". I am glad to hear we will get a different experience in three years.

omaproud · Post by **omaproud** » Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:06 pm

I really like this piece, but I'm worried about the possibility of vandalism or even accidental damage. I know it's made of metal, but it still looks fragile. Imagine children hanging from it.

nebport5 · Post by **nebport5** » Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:23 pm

omaproud wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:06 pm I really like this piece, but I'm worried about the possibility of vandalism or even accidental damage. I know it's made of metal, but it still looks fragile. Imagine children hanging from it.

That's a legitimate concern. Hopefully access will be restricted from would be A-holes.

As for children hanging from it...that would give the piece a brutishly Medieval quality.