Ideas for Jobbers Canyon

[CrankyOldDude]

Ok. Here's an idea. Suggest what might have been with Jobbers Canyon. I've labeled North and East on the pic.

What might have been done with some of the buildings?

I'll start.

#9-Hotel
#5-Twin to the one to its right. Apartments (It's part of the Gene Leahy Mall currently)
#17-Mega Saver Worldwide Headquarters. (I'm actually kidding on that one)

[CBJason]

Someone help me with history/timeline. Jobbers canyon was demolished in the early 80’s? If so, or whenever it happened, was the old market the premier destination it is today or was it in despair also? If it wasn’t a great destination yet, and jobbers canyon was left in tact, I think it would have been a great opportunity to do a river walk type development for both areas, before OKC had a chance to do theirs.

[CrankyOldDude]

[omaha79]

Someone help me with history/timeline. Jobbers canyon was demolished in the early 80’s? If so, or whenever it happened, was the old market the premier destination it is today or was it in despair also? If it wasn’t a great destination yet, and jobbers canyon was left in tact, I think it would have been a great opportunity to do a river walk type development for both areas, before OKC had a chance to do theirs.

It was more mid to late 80's after Enron left Omaha and they were scared of losing another major employer.

By then, the old market was a destination and had been for a number of years, but I think what people forget is the bigger picture. Downtown Omaha still was struggling to find a footing. All of the shopping had fled 16th street and left that a ghost town. They tried to redefine it with making it walkable, removing traffic, and building Park Faire Mall, which had already started failing by the late 80's. The Qwest Center and ballpark weren't a gleam in anyones eye yet and that area to the North end of Jobbers Canyon still bordered the ASARCO and UP railyard wasteland and was choked off by the Abbot Drive elevated road. North Downtown had died and was years from renovation due to the closing of 16th street and the building of 480 choking it off from the rest of downtown. South Downtown has always been filled with empty buildings and remains so to this day.

We can lament Jobbers Canyon all day, and it wasn't great, but the bottom line was Omaha had a massive surplus of buildings downtown that were abandoned and in disrepair. We still do to this day and few want to talk about that, but would rather lament Jobbers Canyon than actually try to save what still sits derelict in 2026.