Omaha By Design: Omaha, Only Better

OMAHA – Omaha by Design will present the 2011 installment of its highest honor – the Laurels Award – at its annual awards luncheon Tuesday, Jan. 31. The event will be held from 11:30am to 1:00pm at the Happy Hollow Club.

Midtown Crossing is the 2011 recipient of the Laurels Award. The honor is presented annually to an individual, organization or business that has made significant contributions to the creation of great public spaces in the metro.

Mutual of Omaha and Turner Park have served the midtown community for decades. In 2007, ground was broken on Midtown Crossing, Mutual of Omaha’s million-square-foot mixed use development project that united the two to form Omaha’s first Civic Place District. Today, the development features condominiums, apartments, retail, restaurants, a revitalized Turner Park, a dine-in movie theatre, workout facilities and more. The project is one of the first in the nation to earn LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s pilot Neighborhood Development Certification program.

“Midtown Crossing is about more than big buildings with great residences, dining, entertainment and shopping. It’s about making a difference and giving back to a community that has been so good to us for over a century. It’s about providing a surge of fresh excitement and energy. It’s about bring ‘town’ back to Midtown. These things are the greatest reward,” said Ken Cook, president of East Campus Realty, the Mutual of Omaha subsidiary that owns Midtown Crossing.

The luncheon will also recognize the 2011 recipients of Omaha by Design’s Green Leaf, Civic Leaf and Neighborhood Leaf awards, which were presented previously.

The 2011 Green Leaf, which honors an individual, organization or business that has worked to preserve and enhance the metropolitan area’s natural setting and public park system, was awarded to Stinson Park in Aksarben Village. Among the park’s amenities is the HDR Prairie Garden, a series of four larger gardens and 23 smaller demonstration beds that showcase 28 species of native plants and grasses.

The 2011 Civic Leaf, which honors an individual, organization or business that has worked to define and improve the metropolitan area’s civic places and public image, was awarded to Anne Trumble for “Stored Potential.” The art installation transformed a massive set of concrete silos no longer in use into the launching point for an ongoing community discussion about land use, agriculture, food and transportation.

The 2011 Neighborhood Leaf, which honors an individual, organization or business that has worked to preserve and enhance the metropolitan area’s residential neighborhoods, was awarded to the Metcalfe-Harrison Neighborhood Association and the Country Club Community Council for their collaborative efforts to improve Metcalfe Park.

For more information about the luncheon or the awards program, contact Omaha by Design at 402.554.4010 or info@omahabydesign.org.