Reimagining Omaha

[Busguy2010]

Since it was said things are a bit stagnant here this summer, I thought I'd start a discussion about Omaha's past, and how some things changed would have drastically changed Omaha's present.

Ill start by going back to the city's beginning. I wish Omaha was just a little older, to build up a bit more population before modern transportation became a thing. I imagine this bigger population, larger demand for trains, culminating in a heavy rail route along Dodge to 72nd, with subsequent extensions over the years. This would end up being Omaha's version of the L, Boston's Metro, and of course NYC's. It theoretically would have been retained over the years, and what that leaves us with today is a full on electric heavy rail line down Dodge with it's own ROW, or elevated over Dodge akin to those mentioned above.

Welp, thats mine. What would you change about Omaha's past that would make it a better city today?

[BN1]

If the original street cars were supported, expanded and had never stopped running.


Here is a related and unlocked article that appeared in the New York Times in 2007 about some Omaha developments at the time.

Omaha’s Culture Club
By Kurt Andersen
March 25, 2007

When I tell people I’m originally from Omaha, they often confuse it with Oklahoma or Iowa. “Omaha,” a Manhattan photographer I met the other day said. “That’s near Nebraska, isn’t it?” Omaha is one of those ultimate flyover places, an urban Podunk so vaguely situated in coastal Americans’ mental maps that the mere mention of it can actually halt conversation.

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/25/trav ... =url-share

[CrankyOldDude]

Reimagine Omaha. Hmmm...

Downtown: Jobbers Canyon is still there. Conagra still there but in a high rise. FDR doesn't get bought out/moved around and acquires other companies. HQ downtown in a tower. Pacific Life in a tower downtown. Residential towers on the Leahy Mall. Also office/retail towers. No eyesore state office building. North downtown built as originally imagined. Streetcar built out to zoo, airport, west O, north O, south O, etc. Instead of the Hilton near Convention Center/Arena the original high rise Marriott.

BMW, Mercedes, Micron plants in Omaha. Godfathers hits 2,500 restaurants or more. More Bronco's and Little Kings gets to 1,000 nationwide.

The Enron disaster doesn't happen and Internorth still acquires Houston Natural Gas and stays in Omaha.

Ebay and Paypal are managed better and grow in Omaha.

Berkshire moves some subsidiary headquarters and corporate back office functions to Omaha and Buffett gives more to Omaha. Giving it away mostly when he dies is still nice but he could have given more away during his lifetime and more to Omaha than Gates Foundation and his first wife's pet California projects. Didn't have to be all of it but UNMC, zoo, UNO/UNL, etc. Some of the other shareholders did and that does count but still. Other super wealthy people have been huge development and civic drivers in other cities. He just seems to be adrift as far as his devotion to Omaha. Loves living in Omaha but the wallet mostly stays shut.

Rail between Omaha and Lincoln.

Offutt had opportunities to gain additional functions but they went elsewhere.

I'm not entirely convinced but maybe an airport somewhere between Omaha and Lincoln, maybe near NEX. Having Eppley so close to downtown is a plus but having a lot more land and just off I-80 is also a plus. Could go either way. It seems to be working just fine where it is.

An NBA or NHL team maybe.

Hey, you asked.

P.S. How could I leave out NFM? New store, probably at NW corner of 120th and Dodge. They owned that land for decades & in the end wasted a huge opportunity.

[Busguy2010]

To think building out the finest rail system in the world in Omaha would be pocket change

[mrsticka]

Here's how I like to reimagine Omaha:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewe ... 48713&z=12

[locoluke]

Here's how I like to reimagine Omaha:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewe ... 48713&z=12

Finishing the North Freeway is a bold call.

[mrsticka]

Here's how I like to reimagine Omaha:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewe ... 48713&z=12

Finishing the North Freeway is a bold call.

Thanks. It should've been done years ago. When I reimagine Omaha, I imagine it being all completed by 1989.

[locoluke]

Here's how I like to reimagine Omaha:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewe ... 48713&z=12

Finishing the North Freeway is a bold call.

Thanks. It should've been done years ago.

I never said it was a good call.

If they absolutely had to build it, they should have built it all the way through to I-680 instead of just dumping all that traffic (truck traffic especially) onto 30th through Florence. Based off of the demographic reports from an HDR study in back in the day, it really does look like they just built it through the black neighborhoods and then stopped as soon as they started getting into whiter neighborhoods. It really left us with the worst of both worlds.

If I were to reimagine it, I would divert US-75 onto I-29 like it used to be (might as well use some of that capacity that Iowa added lol), rebuild the existing freeway as a boulevard, and build a bridge across the Missouri northwest of the airport to give truck traffic access to those industries up there without having run via 30th.

[mrsticka]

I think the purpose of the North Freeway was to eliminate stop-and-go traffic on the way to the airport.

[Garrett]

I think the purpose of the North Freeway was to eliminate stop-and-go traffic on the way to the airport.

It was not.

https://northomahahistory.com/2020/10/2 ... -in-omaha/

[mrsticka]

Well, I don’t believe that the city planners and engineers had any evil or malicious intentions when they planned it.

[Garrett]

Intention doesn't matter, results do.

[mrsticka]

Okay, let’s get back to the original topic at hand here: Reimagining Omaha.

[Garrett]

Reimaging Omaha without the North Freeway then!

[HighWinds]

Omaha has had a number of great high-rise proposals throughout it's history, and it's too bad many of them fell through.

Some highlights I wish could've been built would be the 36 story building dubbed the "Post Office Tower" from the 60s, the Marriot that Mike Fahey lost us at the modern site of the DoubleTree (here's to hoping that 16th will be reopened and that building will be razed for something taller/better in the future) and of course Project 19 at Civic Square, which would've been far better for the city than any modern proposal. If even one of these hadn't fallen through, the city's skyline would be far better in the modern day by historical standards.

I'll also go ahead and be really far-fetched, and talk about Art Deco skyscrapers. It's good that Nebraska has the state capitol, but it's too bad Omaha never got a skyscraper in the 1930s. Kansas City has City Hall, and the P&L, 909 Walnut, and Oak towers, the second and third to last being my favorites in the region. Oklahoma City (which was smaller than Omaha at the time) also had two Art Deco skyscrapers built in the 1930s, one slightly below, and one slightly above 400 feet. While not as fine as KC's, the OKC towers still look pretty great, and they add a real sense of history that Omaha will unfortunately forever lack in it's skyline, so it's really quite a shame.

[Busguy2010]

Here's how I like to reimagine Omaha:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewe ... 48713&z=12

Dude, thats a sweet map!

I think the original plan was for the North Freeway to connect to 680. I dont think it was build with malintent, however it is pretty pointless as is, ending at 30th and Sorensen. I'd be in favor of completing it so it doesnt look pointless as it does today.

[Busguy2010]

I'll also go ahead and be really far-fetched, and talk about Art Deco skyscrapers. It's good that Nebraska has the state capitol, but it's too bad Omaha never got a skyscraper in the 1930s. Kansas City has City Hall, and the P&L, 909 Walnut, and Oak towers, the second and third to last being my favorites in the region. Oklahoma City (which was smaller than Omaha at the time) also had two Art Deco skyscrapers built in the 1930s, one slightly below, and one slightly above 400 feet. While not as fine as KC's, the OKC towers still look pretty great, and they add a real sense of history that Omaha will unfortunately forever lack in it's skyline, so it's really quite a shame.

I agree, it's a shame. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I believe the old Woodmen tower was the tallest skyscraper built before 1930. And we tore it down

This image breaks my heart

[mrsticka]

Here's how I like to reimagine Omaha:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewe ... 48713&z=12

Dude, thats a sweet map!

I think the original plan was for the North Freeway to connect to 680. I dont think it was build with malintent, however it is pretty pointless as is, ending at 30th and Sorensen. I'd be in favor of completing it so it doesnt look pointless as it does today.

Thanks. I wish it had been done. Unfortunately, opposition got in the way.

I just want to say that I don't like demolishing or destroying houses to build a road. But sometimes, it has to be done. A city can't function without roads including freeways. And that does include Omaha like it or not.

But here's a thought: Instead of completely destroying the houses, why not just move them somewhere else? Like in an empty lot somewhere? There certainly are an abundance of them in North Omaha.

Completing the North Freeway all the way up to I-680 would've taken all that truck traffic off of 30th Street. If it were to be removed, then it would force all that truck traffic back onto 30th, which recently underwent a road diet. It would inevitably lead to more traffic and necessitate more lanes which would defeat the whole purpose of the road diet in the first place.

[Busguy2010]

Residential towers on the Leahy Mall...

P.S. How could I leave out NFM? New store, probably at NW corner of 120th and Dodge. They owned that land for decades & in the end wasted a huge opportunity.

Residential along the mall is a huge one. Hopefully at some point the data center on Farnam can be gotten rid of. Also the building directly across the park to the north. That things built like a tank though. Maybe it could be converted, not razed. That limits the height though.

I never knew they owned land at 120th, where was that? Where the Costco is? I know the old Menards on their current site had been there quite a while. On the other hand, I'd assume NFM hadnt developed the modern floor plans that you see in KC and Dallas until this century. In all, I'm surprised theyre still at 72nd. Ya think they had/still have opportunities at Southport and somewhere near Gretna or Elkhorn.

[iamjacobm]

I wish Omaha had even a small area where row or townhomes were more ubiquitous.

I am imagining what if the couple blocks around Hanscom park developed more like Lafayette Square in STL. Lots of photos here. https://nextstl.com/2021/02/lafayette-square/

[Busguy2010]

Thanks. I wish it had been done. Unfortunately, opposition got in the way.

I just want to say that I don't like demolishing or destroying houses to build a road. But sometimes, it has to be done. A city can't function without roads including freeways. And that does include Omaha like it or not.

But here's a thought: Instead of completely destroying the houses, why not just move them somewhere else? Like in an empty lot somewhere? There certainly are an abundance of them in North Omaha.

Completing the North Freeway all the way up to I-680 would've taken all that truck traffic off of 30th Street. If it were to be removed, then it would force all that truck traffic back onto 30th, which recently underwent a road diet. It would inevitably lead to more traffic and necessitate more lanes which would defeat the whole purpose of the road diet in the first place.

Not to mention most of the trucks I've seen are cattle trucks and garbage trucks. So we know their destinations, and North 30th Sorensen to Mckinley is the one gap.

Your idea is really cool. I think theres still a good chance they alternatively build that bridge on 16th over the river, at least. But I dont think itll be a freeway.

The one other route that could be is JJ Pershing

If you feel like making that Pershing Dr route look detailed and realistic, I'd love to see that.

I thought exits could be at Storz, Read, Craig, and then I wouldnt know what to do once it gets to Mckinley. Maybe they'd be parallel freeways. And 36 would continue as a freeway Id be interested how youd navigate that challenging spot.

[CrankyOldDude]

I never knew they owned land at 120th, where was that? Where the Costco is? I know the old Menards on their current site had been there quite a while. On the other hand, I'd assume NFM hadnt developed the modern floor plans that you see in KC and Dallas until this century. In all, I'm surprised theyre still at 72nd. Ya think they had/still have opportunities at Southport and somewhere near Gretna or Elkhorn.

The farm included at least where I circled in black but could have been a lot larger. Mrs. B owned other land in west Omaha as well but my understanding is that the 120th & Dodge land was for a store, either to replace the downtown one or in addition. Had they done it in the 60s or 70s it would be outdated by now anyway.

[mrsticka]

Thanks. I wish it had been done. Unfortunately, opposition got in the way.

I just want to say that I don't like demolishing or destroying houses to build a road. But sometimes, it has to be done. A city can't function without roads including freeways. And that does include Omaha like it or not.

But here's a thought: Instead of completely destroying the houses, why not just move them somewhere else? Like in an empty lot somewhere? There certainly are an abundance of them in North Omaha.

Completing the North Freeway all the way up to I-680 would've taken all that truck traffic off of 30th Street. If it were to be removed, then it would force all that truck traffic back onto 30th, which recently underwent a road diet. It would inevitably lead to more traffic and necessitate more lanes which would defeat the whole purpose of the road diet in the first place.

Not to mention most of the trucks I've seen are cattle trucks and garbage trucks. So we know their destinations, and North 30th Sorensen to Mckinley is the one gap.

Your idea is really cool. I think theres still a good chance they alternatively build that bridge on 16th over the river, at least. But I dont think itll be a freeway.

The one other route that could be is JJ Pershing

If you feel like making that Pershing Dr route look detailed and realistic, I'd love to see that.

I thought exits could be at Storz, Read, Craig, and then I wouldnt know what to do once it gets to Mckinley. Maybe they'd be parallel freeways. And 36 would continue as a freeway Id be interested how youd navigate that challenging spot.

So what's your favorite part?

[Globochem]

Being a relatively poor and hard scrabble town back in the day really shows when you compare Omaha to similar sized towns. But it would have been truly wonderful if the main building material was brick or stone as opposed to timber as Omaha grew its first 70 years. We could have attracted more craftsmen. As it stands we attracted laborers and a really nasty reputation.

[Busguy2010]

Mr S, I like that it goes all the way to the Airport as a freeway. At 30th you gain back those couple blocks. Further north from there I like how it follows the terrain between 34th and 35th. And thats a really rough part of town with mostly modern homes, so it wouldnt be like were missing much. That and theres not much stock because its not densely populated. I actually see that freeway giving the opportunity to trade all that single family, suburban style housing stock for row houses and such. Its the one instance I actually think a new freeway would be a shot in the arm for that high crime area. It would immediately be shot down over concerns that its a low income minority community though. I think the route you made would not be devastating at all, cause its nothing like what was actually torn down for the North Freeway. And finally that big beautiful interchange at 680. Id also be curious if HWY 36 ever does become a divided highway, how youd work that in. Thatd be a fun one to figure out.

[Dusty]

I guess I'm someone who generally doesn't look back at What If's of the past. I would rather put my energy into real action for a better future. I do love Omaha's history. We have lost so many great things over the years. When I think reimaging a future Omaha, I pull a lot of ideas from our past that we lost. A blend of old and new.

As for the I-480 / North Freeway...it's time for it to evolve into a something new. It's served the purpose when Omaha was rapidly expanding West. It served a time when people were obsessed with cars. But it also displaced a ton of people. It divided our community and destroyed momentum of urban development. There is no point on expanding it now. Cars trips are less every year. It's on the level of a dying shopping mall. You can thank I-29 North for that. As I mentioned in the I-480 transit center thread, that connection created an express beltway around the city. All you have to build is two crossing points. One on the backside of Locust into CB for airport access, one on 16th connecting truck access to the industrial area.
Once these access points are created, The North Freeway will become a ghost town for cars.

[Busguy2010]

^ I believe most people who use it are from the area. I see plenty of people going south choose 75 over 30th. That was half the point. I believe it was intended in some capacity to be a non stop connection to the airport, as it does shave a couple minutes off travel time. Being in North central Omaha, the storz expressay and Sorensen PKWY are the only way, and they were both split off the interchange at the teminus of North FWY. So it was good for something..

Maybe we don't need it now, but nearly every big city Ive been to had direct freeway access to the terminals.

And though itll never happen, mrsticka's idea could be a shot in the arm for that low value neighborhood. Razing those mid century single family along the route and filling in a bunch of empty lots nearby into dense housing. I believe its a rare case that a freeway could benefit the area, given that it would be far less density and community value than what 75 destroyed. I like that idea a lot.

At the very least I'll take is extending a road on 16th to take the truck traffic off 30th.

And why even swith 75 to a boulevard? Just fill in the blocks with more housing and route the truck traffic to I-29.

[HighWinds]

I wish Omaha had even a small area where row or townhomes were more ubiquitous.

I am imagining what if the couple blocks around Hanscom park developed more like Lafayette Square in STL. Lots of photos here. https://nextstl.com/2021/02/lafayette-square/

Agreed. Goes back to the whole thing about wanting Omaha to be a bit older, and maybe have a bit more of a "back east" or at least "real" Midwest river city (eg. Cincinnati, STL, east Iowa towns, etc.) kind of feel.

[mrsticka]

Totally unrelated to any roads, I like to reimagine Omaha in a manner that a certain grocery store is still there: Albertsons. I liked it. When we lived in Omaha, that's where most of our grocery shopping was done. We lived near the one on 108th and Q. So I like to imagine that Albertsons is still in Omaha today.

[Cermak]

I'll also go ahead and be really far-fetched, and talk about Art Deco skyscrapers. It's good that Nebraska has the state capitol, but it's too bad Omaha never got a skyscraper in the 1930s. Kansas City has City Hall, and the P&L, 909 Walnut, and Oak towers, the second and third to last being my favorites in the region. Oklahoma City (which was smaller than Omaha at the time) also had two Art Deco skyscrapers built in the 1930s, one slightly below, and one slightly above 400 feet. While not as fine as KC's, the OKC towers still look pretty great, and they add a real sense of history that Omaha will unfortunately forever lack in it's skyline, so it's really quite a shame.

I agree, it's a shame. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I believe the old Woodmen tower was the tallest skyscraper built before 1930. And we tore it down

This image breaks my heart

Knocking the Old Woodmen down still is a head scratcher to this day , and then what replaced it is ridiculous . Yes Omaha missed out on art deco skyscrapers, but we did get Union station and Hotel Deco. Both great examples of Art Deco.

[Dusty]

It's always hard walking through some the displays at Durham Museum. Some many cool buildings and attractions torn down. World Theater torn down for a parking garage. Riverwalk and promenade at Kountze Park (World Fair), Peony Park, Jobbers Canyon, etc.

[OverlookedFarm]

Reimagine Omaha. Hmmm...

Downtown: Jobbers Canyon is still there. Conagra still there but in a high rise. FDR doesn't get bought out/moved around and acquires other companies. HQ downtown in a tower. Pacific Life in a tower downtown. Residential towers on the Leahy Mall. Also office/retail towers. No eyesore state office building. North downtown built as originally imagined. Streetcar built out to zoo, airport, west O, north O, south O, etc. Instead of the Hilton near Convention Center/Arena the original high rise Marriott.

BMW, Mercedes, Micron plants in Omaha. Godfathers hits 2,500 restaurants or more. More Bronco's and Little Kings gets to 1,000 nationwide.

The Enron disaster doesn't happen and Internorth still acquires Houston Natural Gas and stays in Omaha.

Ebay and Paypal are managed better and grow in Omaha.

Berkshire moves some subsidiary headquarters and corporate back office functions to Omaha and Buffett gives more to Omaha. Giving it away mostly when he dies is still nice but he could have given more away during his lifetime and more to Omaha than Gates Foundation and his first wife's pet California projects. Didn't have to be all of it but UNMC, zoo, UNO/UNL, etc. Some of the other shareholders did and that does count but still. Other super wealthy people have been huge development and civic drivers in other cities. He just seems to be adrift as far as his devotion to Omaha. Loves living in Omaha but the wallet mostly stays shut.

Rail between Omaha and Lincoln.

Offutt had opportunities to gain additional functions but they went elsewhere.

I'm not entirely convinced but maybe an airport somewhere between Omaha and Lincoln, maybe near NEX. Having Eppley so close to downtown is a plus but having a lot more land and just off I-80 is also a plus. Could go either way. It seems to be working just fine where it is.

An NBA or NHL team maybe.

Hey, you asked.

P.S. How could I leave out NFM? New store, probably at NW corner of 120th and Dodge. They owned that land for decades & in the end wasted a huge opportunity.

Nailed it.

Overall, the shift to a service-based economy and the complete abandonment of locally-owned manufacturing set us back, bigly.

[mrsticka]

How I reimagine Crossroads and Oak View Malls:
-Crossroads: When Brandeis closes, it doesn’t become a Younkers. It becomes a Macy’s instead. And when the mall undergoes that major renovation and expansion, the new upper level also goes above the original east-west wing.
-Oak View: When it opens in 1991, JCPenney and Sears are part of the mall from the start and they have their own wings leading to them like Dillard’s and Younkers.

[Renovator2559]

I'll also go ahead and be really far-fetched, and talk about Art Deco skyscrapers. It's good that Nebraska has the state capitol, but it's too bad Omaha never got a skyscraper in the 1930s. Kansas City has City Hall, and the P&L, 909 Walnut, and Oak towers, the second and third to last being my favorites in the region. Oklahoma City (which was smaller than Omaha at the time) also had two Art Deco skyscrapers built in the 1930s, one slightly below, and one slightly above 400 feet. While not as fine as KC's, the OKC towers still look pretty great, and they add a real sense of history that Omaha will unfortunately forever lack in it's skyline, so it's really quite a shame.

I agree, it's a shame. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I believe the old Woodmen tower was the tallest skyscraper built before 1930. And we tore it down

This image breaks my heart

Knocking the Old Woodmen down still is a head scratcher to this day , and then what replaced it is ridiculous . Yes Omaha missed out on art deco skyscrapers, but we did get Union station and Hotel Deco. Both great examples of Art Deco.

The old woodmen tower was way better, a much more beautiful building, why did they have to tear it down and replace it with the ugly building of today?

[ricko]

I'll also go ahead and be really far-fetched, and talk about Art Deco skyscrapers. It's good that Nebraska has the state capitol, but it's too bad Omaha never got a skyscraper in the 1930s. Kansas City has City Hall, and the P&L, 909 Walnut, and Oak towers, the second and third to last being my favorites in the region. Oklahoma City (which was smaller than Omaha at the time) also had two Art Deco skyscrapers built in the 1930s, one slightly below, and one slightly above 400 feet. While not as fine as KC's, the OKC towers still look pretty great, and they add a real sense of history that Omaha will unfortunately forever lack in it's skyline, so it's really quite a shame.

I agree, it's a shame. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I believe the old Woodmen tower was the tallest skyscraper built before 1930. And we tore it down

This image breaks my heart

It was the tallest building between Chicago and San Francisco when it was built (1912), or so I was told. The multi-story marble lobby was really cool.

[Busguy2010]

I'll also go ahead and be really far-fetched, and talk about Art Deco skyscrapers. It's good that Nebraska has the state capitol, but it's too bad Omaha never got a skyscraper in the 1930s. Kansas City has City Hall, and the P&L, 909 Walnut, and Oak towers, the second and third to last being my favorites in the region. Oklahoma City (which was smaller than Omaha at the time) also had two Art Deco skyscrapers built in the 1930s, one slightly below, and one slightly above 400 feet. While not as fine as KC's, the OKC towers still look pretty great, and they add a real sense of history that Omaha will unfortunately forever lack in it's skyline, so it's really quite a shame.

I agree, it's a shame. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I believe the old Woodmen tower was the tallest skyscraper built before 1930. And we tore it down

This image breaks my heart

It was the tallest building between Chicago and San Francisco when it was built (1912), or so I was told. The multi-story marble lobby was really cool.

Damn...

[Busguy2010]

It just occurred to me. This weekend's race is in Newton Iowa, equal to our Fremont by distance. With the boom in NASCAR popularity. I want a race track! If Iowa pulled it off, I feel its only obligatory to out do not only them, but Kansas too! Cant believe they've had it since 2006. Only just started on the Cup circuit, but its hosted a ton of other league races. Not only does it seem totally doable, I think it would be a huge boone for Omaha and Eastern Nebraska!

[NEDodger]

It just occurred to me. This weekend's race is in Newton Iowa, equal to our Fremont by distance. With the boom in NASCAR popularity. I want a race track! If Iowa pulled it off, I feel its only obligatory to out do not only them, but Kansas too! Cant believe they've had it since 2006. Only just started on the Cup circuit, but its hosted a ton of other league races. Not only does it seem totally doable, I think it would be a huge boone for Omaha and Eastern Nebraska!

Nah. NASCAR is dead - it’s been declining for over a decade:

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nasc ... 10572.html

[Busguy2010]

I dunno, all the tracks I've ever been to draw a a full crowd, except when the race got rain delayed for 4 hours. I think we'd be able to fill a smaller grandstand like Iowa easy. There's a bunch of us from here that are rednecks at heart, myself included haha.

[skinzfan23]

The biggest thing that stinks is it doesn’t bring any development bc of the lack of a regular schedule. Newton has nothing around the track even though it’s been there for years.