An exciting new vision for
11th Street and the Gene Leahy Mall

The Gene Leahy Mall and the Old Market have been the lynchpins of downtown Omaha’s revitalization for nearly 40 years. They are two of the city’s most successful and recognizable public spaces.

The Mall and Old Market have profoundly affected the downtown scene. Businesses have returned, gleaming new buildings have sprouted including the First National Tower, the Qwest Center, and soon the Holland Performing Arts Center. 

The Old Market continues to buzz with activity and there are thousands of new apartments and condos with more on the way.

All these changes have lead Lively Omaha to take another look at the area and ask how can we extend and complement the success of the Old Market? Can the entire area be more comfortable for visitors, workers and residents who move through it primarily on foot? How can the Mall be more attractive and useful?

New perspectives have emerged from citizen input during two Lively Omaha Place Games and two American Institute of Architects charrettes. You can see the place game results by clicking on these links: 

Northeast Downtown Place Game

Place Game on 11th Street
Lively Omaha has created the Leahy Mall / 11th Street Committee to begin developing new concepts for the Mall in it’s new role as a pedestrian connection from the W. Dale Clark Library, to the Qwest Center and from the Holland Performing Arts Center through the Old Market to the SoMa condominium project at 11th and Leavenworth. Elwin Larson, Executive Vice President, HDR, Inc. has been appointed Chairman of the committee. Committee members include representatives from the City of Omaha, Old Market Business Association, Downtown Omaha, Inc. and a local architecture firm.

11th Street/Gene Leahy Mall Project Area

To help develop a new vision the committee reviewed proposals from nine nationally recognized landscape design and planning firms.  After meeting with representatives of three of the firms, the Committee selected Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVAA) of Cambridge, MA.

MVVA has directed the design and construction of more than 350 landscapes for institutional, public and private clients across the United States and in Canada, France and Korea.  Some of their projects include: Brooklyn Bridge Park Master Plan, Downtown Columbus Riverfront Park, Pennsylvania Avenue at the White House and Allegheny Riverfront Park in Pittsburgh.  You can find out more about MVVA at www.mvvainc.com

MVVA is charged with the development of a community vision based on Place Games, charrettes and additional community input. They will prepare a concept plan for the area based on that vision.  The work will focus on enhancing the environment of 11th Street from Leavenworth north to Farnam to serve as a model for the expanded Old Market Area,  a pedestrian friendly corridor from 11th Street to the Holland Performing Arts Center, Hilton Hotel, entertainment venues and the Qwest Center Omaha north of Douglas Street and improvements to the Gene Leahy Mall.
Gene Leahy Mall (view from Farnam Street)
On October 7th three sessions will be held to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of both the Mall and 11th Street organized around three basic themes:
 
•Park circulation and urban connections
•Activity and programming
•Safety and comfort.
 
Please attend one of the sessions to share your point of view with MVVA and Lively Omaha.  The meetings are: 8:30 am – 11:00 am, and repeated at 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm, or 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm so that all interested parties can attend.
 
Please return for the October 8th session that will summarize and illustrate the ideas from Thursday’s sessions with drawings and a scale model. There will be further discussion identifying the opportunities and challenges of the Gene Leahy Mall and 11th Street.  The meeting will conclude with a discussion of the next steps involved in the creation of an area master plan.  The Friday meeting will be held from 8:30 am – 11:00 am.
 
Feel free to stop by anytime during the sessions, even if you cannot to stay for the entire meeting and share this invitation with colleagues who might be interested.  All sessions will be held downtown at the Peter Kiewit Conference Center,1313 Farnam Street.  Parking is available in Omaha Park Two.  For additional information and to RSVP, please contact Ellen Fitzsimmons ellen@omahafoundation.org or (402) 342-3458.