Omaha By Design: Omaha, Only Better

by Ken Mayer

When I was a kid, my dad used to yell “Use your head!” at me when I did something stupid.  I think if I’d had a nickel for every time I heard those words, I could have retired at 17.

I certainly learned the value of thinking things through. I’ve even learned that it’s not a good idea to make a decision before exploring a lot of alternatives and scenarios. I’m never in a hurry to make a decision unless I have to.

Seems to me we ought to use our heads a little more when it comes to historic preservation. As a former board member of Landmarks Inc. and contributor to the “Building for the Ages” book, I’ve watched, with growing dismay, the destruction of several significant structures recently.

In just the last few years we have torn down (from left to right) Saint Cecilia’s Convent, the Baxter House on the UNO campus, the Omaha World-Herald Building, and the Union Pacific headquarters.

In every case there have been good reasons presented for destroying these buildings, usually economic, and that’s fine, but I think there’s more to it.

Consider some history about buildings that have been preserved. On May 1, 1971, the Union Station was closed as the railroad ended its passenger service. The site that so many remember for its giant Christmas tree was empty. The Union Pacific didn’t hurry to remove the building, and it was two years later before the structure was donated to the city. It was another two years before Union Station reopened as the Western Heritage Museum, displaying small regional history exhibits and private collections.

Twenty years after that, in 1995, the station was once again closed, but this time only for six months for a $22 million renovation project. Chuck and Margre Durham led a major renovation of the structure that restored the Great Hall to its original grandeur. Mechanical systems were completely replaced, a new parking deck built, and covered trackside was added to display Union Pacific rail cars.

In 1970, the law firm of Kutak Rock had to leave the Omaha Building, originally the New York Life Building, because the structure was inadequate and deteriorating. Even though the building was put on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1972, it was scheduled to be demolished in 1974 to make way for redevelopment on the site. The deal fell through (sound familiar?), and the structure sat empty for another two years.

Robert Kutak convinced his partners to buy the building, and it was renovated in 1977. Once again, after almost 30 years, another restoration was undertaken, this time more extensive. It included the restoration of the original features of architect Stanford White’s interior design plus all new infrastructure systems, remodeling and expansion of the atrium, and exterior cleaning.

Anyone who visits these buildings today would have a hard time believing they could have succumbed to the wrecking ball. Once saved, both just kept getting better.

In both cases, time and thought were major components. In other words, people used their heads over a long period of time.

I think it’s time we did more in Omaha to preserve our buildings and landscapes.

First we need to circle the wagons. Landmarks Inc. and other organizations like it cannot do it alone. Interested entities like the city’s Landmarks Commission, various historical societies at the city and county level, owners of older buildings and even some of us just ordinary architecture appreciating citizens need to pool our resources. We have neighborhood alliances; maybe we need a preservation alliance.

And just as Omaha by Design has done with other elements of urban design, we may have to codify the process to make sure we have thought it through before the bulldozers show up. One way to do this is to consider enacting a local demolition review process.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation suggests a demolition review as a legal tool that provides communities with the means to ensure that potentially significant buildings and structures are not demolished without notice and some level of review by a preservation commission. This process creates a safety net for historic resources to ensure that buildings and structures worthy of preservation are not inadvertently demolished.

I’m not going to suggest that we chain ourselves to buildings to prevent their destruction, but I do think we could apply a lot more time and thought. In other words, use our heads.