The wait is over. Omaha’s Gene Leahy Mall is now open to the public | Local News
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Laughter drifted across the Gene Leahy Mall’s expansive green lawn as a crowd of children raced toward the park’s bright orange climbing structures.
North of the lawn, a couple walked through the park’s sculpture garden, taking in the public artwork.
And at the park’s far west end, a group of Omaha officials and community members gathered around the reflection pool of a 26-foot sculpture.
It was a scene more than three years in the making.
Omaha’s iconic downtown park reopened to the public Friday with a ribbon-cutting to mark the occasion.
“Great cities have great parks, and this undeniably is a great park,” Mayor Jean Stothert said before the ribbon-cutting.
The overhaul of the mall and two other parks began with the formation of the fundraising nonprofit Downtown Riverfront Trust. The trust is headed by Ken Stinson, chairman emeritus of Peter Kiewit Corp., and Mogens Bay of Valmont Industries.
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Construction on the mall started in March 2019. Heartland of America Park and Lewis & Clark Landing are in earlier stages of renovation and expected to reopen in 2023.
Including a city contribution of $50 million, the Downtown Riverfront Trust raised about $400 million for the three-park project.
A map of the renovated Gene Leahy Mall.
The Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority (MECA) has overseen daily operations since the project broke ground and will manage the park.
Stinson said that the finished park far exceeds the original vision of the space when he and Bay began developing design concepts about 5½ years ago.
“It’s clear to us that the reality has far surpassed whatever we could have visualized at that time,” Stinson said. “This new park complex is really a masterpiece of architecture and engineering and construction.”
Community stakeholders hope the space will be a catalyst for redevelopment and investment in the city’s urban core. Stinson and Bay estimate that the riverfront overhaul could have a $10 billion impact on future developments over the next 30 years.
“What will be created here is nearly an 80-acre canvas and a catalyst for further development around it,” Bay said.
Ultimately, the park is a place for people to gather, a feature that was evidenced by a brief protest during Friday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Rose Judd, center, protests in support of abortion rights Friday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Omaha’s Gene Leahy Mall. Judd was among about 10 protesters who attended the event, which came exactly one week after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
A group of about 10 abortion-rights protesters with signs briefly walked through the crowd that had gathered for the ribbon-cutting.
The demonstration came one week after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion across the U.S. The court’s decision enables individual states to set abortion regulations and limitations. In Nebraska, abortion remains legal up to 20 weeks after fertilization.
“We thought maybe our message could be further portrayed here at the ribbon-cutting. More so than just a side-of-the road protest,” said Shayla, a protester who declined to share her last name.
As the crowd of city and Riverfront officials and the small group of protesters cleared out Friday morning, lines of park visitors began to form at a row of food trucks parked along 13th Street.
Blankets were placed on the green lawn that stretched to the Riverfront Pavilion, which was set to host Emmy and Tony Award-winning artist Kristin Chenoweth for the opening celebration concert at 8 p.m. — the first performance of a weekend filled with shows and celebratory festivities.
The wait is over. The Gene Leahy Mall is open and ready for Omaha.
Photos: Omaha’s Gene Leahy Mall through the years
Downtown Omaha – 1974
An aerial view of downtown Omaha on July 29, 1974, looking west from Eighth Street and the Jobbers Canyon area. The Central Park Mall would later take shape on the blocks east of the Woodmen Tower, seen near the top of the image.
Central Park Mall – 1975
Aug. 12, 1975, World-Herald: “The former Omaha Typesetting Co. building at 1119 Douglas Street gained a final distinction Tuesday — it became the first building to be demolished in what will become the Central Park Mall.”
Central Park Mall – 1975
Aug. 28, 1975, World-Herald: “Demolition continues in the blocks planned for the Central Park Mall. … This picture of the demolition was taken looking west from the north side of the street between Twelfth and Thirteenth Streets on Farnam Street.”
Central Park Mall – 1976
1976 PHOTO: Downtown Omaha was rapidly changing. The library was under construction as several blocks to the east were cleared for the Central Park Mall. The Woodman Insurance building is shown in the upper right hand corner.
Central Park Mall – 1977
Speakers dedicate Central Park Mall as spectators look across the pool at them on June 3, 1977.
Central Park Mall – 1977
People listen to the Ogden Edsl Band at Central Park Mall on July 5, 1977. The performance was the first in the 18-concert SumFun ’77 series.
Central Park Mall – 1977
“The summer of 1977 on the Central Park Mall … Fountains are fun, and cool.”
Central Park Mall – 1978
Central Park Mall – 1979
May 1979: Steel from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, arrived in Omaha to be installed as part of the 13th Street Bridge over the Central Park Mall.
Central Park Mall – 1979
The 13th Street bridge of Central Park Mall under construction in August 1979.
Central Park Mall – 1979
Dec. 28, 1979 World-Herald: “Work has started on the southern gateway to the Central Park Mall that is to serve as a symbolic connection between the mall and the Old Market business district.”
Central Park Mall – 1980
May 10, 1980 World-Herald: “Only two walls remain of the Pendleton Woolen Mills Building at Ninth and Douglas Streets as crews from Andersen Excavating Co. continue their work on the project. The Pendleton and the adjacent A.C. Nelson Building are being demolished for the city to make way for the final two blocks of the Central Park Mall.”
Central Park Mall – 1980
Jan. 8, 1980 World-Herald: “This week’s cold weather hasn’t slowed demolition of buildings in the path of the Central Park Mall, City Planner Greg Peterson said. In this photograph, taken with camera pointed northeast from Ninth and Farnam Streets, the partially razed Carrier Air Conditioning Building is in the left foreground. The Henningsen Foods Building to the right of the Carrier structure has been leveled, and wood timbers from the Omaha Baker’s Supply Building at far right are being stripped and recycled. Being razed this week, Peterson said, is the Canar Manufacturing Building in the right enter of the picture, site of a four-alarm fire last week. The Ford Storage Building remains untouched.”
Central Park Mall – 1980
April 10, 1980 World-Herald: “Downtown visitors soon will be able to walk through a rebuilt slice of Omaha history. Two arches from the former Solo (Corey-McKenzie) Building at 12th and Farnam Streets have been blended back to back in the Central Park Mall on what was 11th Street between Farnam and Douglas Streets. When plans were made to demolish the Solo Building, architect Gary Bowen suggested saving the arches.”
Central Park Mall – 1980
Sept. 12, 1980 World-Herald: Work continues on the 13th Street bridge over the Central Park Mall downtown.
Central Park Mall – 1980
Dec. 10, 1980 World-Herald: “Work is nearly done on the 13th Street Bridge over the Central Park Mall. City Planner Greg Peterson said the $1 million bridge should be open to traffic before Christmas. The bridge originally was to have been completed more than a year ago. After most construction was complete, engineers decided the bridge was unsafe and needed modification.” Mark Lordemann sandblasts the concrete side of the bridge in this photo.
Central Park Mall – 1981
From the March 19, 1981 World-Herald: Windmill idea spinning on downtown mall: Planners stand atop mound where windmills would be placed. … “They would serve as an interesting sculptural form, and they would be functional, because they could be used to pump water,” said Don Carter (second from right) of the firm Carter, Hull, Nishita and McCulley.
Central Park Mall – 1981
April 10, 1981 World-Herald: “It takes a mighty bit of strength to lift, lug and set in place enough big rock blocks to make a retaining wall around the waterway in the Central Park Mall downtown. But laborer Bob Ring, left, and bricklayer Ron Mraz, employees of A. Borchman Sons Co., appreciate a little help from a crane in building the south wall. Once the water is let loose, the stones will do their job — maintain a calm waterway instead of the Central Park Swamp.”
Central Park Mall – 1981
Two slides near completion in the downtown Central Park Mall in August 1981.
Central Park Mall – 1981
Oct. 27, 1981 World-Herald: “Workmen are completing a $100,000 pedestrian bridge in the Central Park Mall.”
Central Park Mall – 1983
From the June 17, 1983 Morning World-Herald: “Central Park Mall … Four blocks long with lagoon, waterfall and sandy play area. Plans call for it to be extended south two more blocks.”
Central Park Mall – 1984
Central Park Mall in January 1984.
Central Park Mall – 1984
Tom Keritinger taking a break at the Central Park Mall in September 1984.
Central Park Mall – 1984
Sept: 22, 1984: “‘Heritage,’ a statue of a pioneer family formally dedicated at the Central Park Mall Saturday morning, is a gift from the Mid-America Council of Boy Scouts.”
Central Park Mall – 1984
May 10, 1984. “Making room for expansion: Another step involved with expansion of the Central Park Mall is taking place at private expense near Eighth and Douglas Streets east of the mall. Workmen from Anderson Excavating & Wrecking Co. are tearing down what used to be Burlington Northern Railroad freight houses, said Greg Peterson, city planner involved with downtown planning. He said the railroad is paying for the demolition. When completed, an area one block wise and three blocks long between Jackson and Farnam Streets will be available for future private development in what will be known as the Central Park East Project. The area will be set aside for residential and office use, Peterson said.
Central Park Mall – 1986
The Santa Lucia Festival at Central Park Mall on Aug 12, 1986.
Central Park Mall – 1988
April 24, 1988: “The Central Park Mall has become a showpiece of downtown Omaha.”
Central Park Mall – 1989
April 1989: “Omaha’s Central Park Mall, with its lagoon, well manicured lawns and trees … is a pleasant place to stroll on a sunny day. Beyond the mall is the massive riverfront development project, home to Union Pacific’s dispatch center and the future headquarters of ConAgra.”
Gene Leahy Mall – 1998
The Gene Leahy Mall in 1998.
Gene Leahy Mall – 1998
The Gene Leahy Mall in 1998.
Gene Leahy Mall – 2000
Gene Leahy Mall holiday Christmas lights in 2000.
Gene Leahy Mall – 2000
The “Heritage” statue by Herb Mignery is seen in 2000 at the Gene Leahy Mall.
Gene Leahy Mall – 2001
The First National Tower rises in May 2001 with the Gene Leahy Mall in the foreground.
Gene Leahy Mall – 2003
Tara Maulsby, 6, of Omaha goes down a slide at the mall in December 2003.
Gene Leahy Mall – 2004
Downtown Omaha, including the Gene Leahy Mall, are seen from the east in August 2004.
Gene Leahy Mall – 2004
Downtown Omaha, including the Gene Leahy Mall, are seen from the east in August 2004.
Gene Leahy Mall – 2007
The Gene Leahy Mall in 2007.
Gene Leahy Mall – 2012
A warm fall wind whips leaves near the arch on the Gene Leahy Mall on Nov. 10, 2012.
Gene Leahy Mall – 2014
The Gene Leahy Mall is seen from above in April 2014.
Gene Leahy Mall – 2018
Logan Johnson of Omaha and Ian LaFollette of West Des Moines, Iowa, pose for a selfie at the Gene Leahy Mall on June 9, 2018.
Gene Leahy Mall – 2018
Blake Welchert, 10, right, of Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, lands in the gravel while playing on the slides at the Gene Leahy Mall on June 7, 2018.
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