Local History by
Omaha Exploration

When Omaha commissioned prominent landscape architect Horace W.S. Cleveland in 1889, the city was still in the early stages of building out its intertwined park and boulevard system. Among the earliest parks were Jefferson Square, which is now a parking…

While Omaha celebrates the opening of its reimagined Central Public Library uniquely positioned outside of the urban core, let’s take a look back at its first permanent location. While the Omaha Public Library wasn’t established until 23 years after the city’s...

Just two buildings were saved when the city embarked on its plan to build Central Park Mall. The first is the former Nash Block at 9th & Farnam Street, a holdover from Jobbers Canyon. The second is the former Burlington Headquarters Building just one block west....

By the early 1970s, downtown Omaha was suffering as businesses abandoned the urban core for the suburbs, or left the city altogether. That led Mayor Gene Leahy to launch an ambitious plan to "return to the river." The goal was to turn a gritty and neglected area...

Of the dozens of buildings that once made up the Jobbers Canyon Historic District, only one still stands. The McKesson-Robbins Warehouse, tucked within Gene Leahy Mall, was spared while the rest were bulldozed. Located at 900 Farnam Street, the warehouse was built for...

The largest destruction of a historic district in the country occurred in Omaha nearly four decades ago. The area was known as Jobbers Canyon. The industrial district was formed after Council Bluffs was designated the eastern terminus for the transcontinental railroad...

Built in 1893 by the Omaha Bridge and Terminal Railway Company, the historic East Omaha Bridge connected Omaha and Council Bluffs for rail service. After a second swing span was added in 1904 following a shift in the Missouri River’s navigation channel, it became the largest swing bridge in the world…

Omaha’s oldest park was founded more than 150 years ago. Prior to that, the city had only one other park, Jefferson Square at 16th & Chicago Street, which consisted of a single block. Noting the lack of green space in the rapidly growing 18-year-old city, Andrew Hanscom and James Megeath donated 57…

One of Omaha’s most well-known historic buildings bears the name Specht. Located across from the Gene Leahy Mall, the building was constructed by Christian Specht for his Western Cornice Works. Born in Germany in 1847, Christian Specht arrived in Baltimore at the age of 18. From there, he is said to have walked to Cincinnati…

Having been constructed just as the city embarked on its ambitious project to lower the steep hill from 17th to 22nd along Dodge Street, El Beudor (present day Hotel Indigo) required significant reconfiguration before opening its doors to its first tenants. Located...