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56-586: The WoodmenLife Tower (formerly the Woodmen Tower or Woodmen of the World Tower ) is a 478.02 feet (145.70 m) high-rise building at 1700 Farnam Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska , and headquarters of WoodmenLife (officially Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society) insurance company. Construction of the building began in 1966 and was completed in the spring of 1969. At its completion,

112-419: A car wash , and additional parking infrastructure installed. The total size of the building is 533,281 square feet (49,543.4 m), with WoodmenLife Insurance Company occupying the majority of the space. As of 2014, the building was 94 percent occupied. Tenants include law firms, U.S. Bank , a federal credit union, a capital group, a nonprofit organization, and the offices for a locomotive manufacturer. While

168-729: A large area of warehouses in which much of Omaha's industrial wealth was made. Other historical areas downtown included Chinatown, the Burnt District and the Sporting District . The latter two areas were locations for much of the crime in Omaha in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Downtown Omaha is generally thought of as a large neighborhood itself; however, currently and historically within it are several distinct areas. The Old Market Historic District has been rehabilitated into boutique shops, offices and loft residential units. On

224-799: A new boardwalk, walking trails, and the Lewis & Clark Landing which connect to the Heartland of America Park and, in-conjunction, host several of Omaha's annual festivals, like the Taste of Omaha. A city marina has opened for Missouri River boaters. Buildings along the riverfront include the National Park Service Midwest Regional Office and Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail visitors center, The Gallup Organization operational headquarters, Gallup University Campus, and two residential towers, RiverFront Place Condos . Near these buildings

280-545: A popular location for the headquarters of a variety of companies. The Union Pacific Railroad has been headquartered in Omaha since its establishment in 1862. Downtown Omaha was also the site of the Jobbers Canyon Historic District , which housed 24 historic warehouses. All 24 buildings were demolished in 1989, representing the largest single loss of buildings to date from the National Register. The site

336-508: A private bank at 1409 Douglas Street, bankrolling a number of illegal operations throughout the city. He was likely in control of the city's Sporting District , a downtown neighborhood where debauchery of all sorts took place. Today the highlight of downtown's social scene, the Old Market was once a warehouse district on par with the Jobbers Canyon . Torn down in 1989, Jobbers Canyon was

392-399: A two roof style. The main roof is at 456 feet (139 m) while the secondary roof is at 478.02 feet (145.70 m), which also marks the peak of the building. In total, 16,000 cubic yards (12,233 cubic meters) of concrete and 16,000,000 pounds (7,300,000 kg) of steel were used in the construction of the tower. Throughout its lifetime, the building has had a sprinkler system, floodlights,

448-408: A very modern design with two 200-foot (61 m) spires that have sail-like appearances and multi-color LED light panels at the top. The Omaha side of the riverfront project has restaurants, businesses, and two condo towers twelve and fifteen stories tall and a large plaza area with jumping fountains, statues, and seating. A new downtown baseball stadium, TD Ameritrade Park , is under construction in

504-410: Is a 478.02 feet (145.70 m) international style skyscraper located at 1700 Farnam Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska . The building was designed by the architect Leo A Daly and built by Peter Kiewit Sons’ Inc . The WoodmenLife tower is 30 floors of office space and serves as the headquarters of WoodmenLife Insurance Company (formerly Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society). It features

560-514: Is bordered by Farnam Street on the north to Leavenworth on the south, from South 10th Street on the east to South 14th Street on the west. The Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District is bounded by Jackson, 15th and 8th Streets, as well as the Union Pacific main line. Both are also listed as historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places . Downtown Omaha is also the site of

616-608: Is not uncommon to see a variety of street performers, artists and other vendors. Market West is a newly established neighborhood to the west of the Old Market and to the south of the Central Business District. Market West is represented by the Market West Neighborhood Alliance, established in 2011. The official boundaries are construed as, but not limited to, S 17th street to the west, S 13th street to

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672-484: Is the 3,000 ft footbridge, the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge . The movement in Omaha to reintroduce street cars is led by former mayor Hal Daub . The proposed streetcars would cost $ 55 million and run in a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) loop through Downtown Omaha and NoDo. The system would cost about $ 2 million per year to operate and would serve almost 7,000 passengers in its first year. One route would run

728-583: The Omaha World-Herald , the Woodmen Tower played a significant role in the revitalization of Omaha's downtown district. The Woodmen and WoodmenLife lettering on the building's roof is considered 'iconic' to Omaha's skyline. Insider has listed the WoodmenLife Tower as the ugliest building in the state of Nebraska. Downtown Omaha Dating almost to the city's inception, downtown has been

784-660: The CenturyLink Center Omaha and the Omaha Civic Auditorium play host to many different events, including concerts, sports and more. Slowdown is a new cultural center that straddles the boundaries of NoDo and the Near North Side neighborhood. Heartland of America Park and the Gene Leahy Mall play host to outdoor concerts and other events throughout the year. Downtown Omaha was the original site of

840-538: The Federal Writers Project , the downtown core has at least 23 historic sites that were central to the growth and development of the city. Many significant buildings have been recognized as landmarks , including the following, which are all included on the National Register of Historic Places . The location of the William D. Brown 's Lone Tree Ferry , downtown has been the pivotal site for Omaha's growth since

896-572: The Omaha Children's Museum , and the Rose Theater . There are still major employers in the area, such as Physicians Mutual Insurance Company , but there is also evidence of better days gone past such as the now vacant Northern Natural Gas Building . Omaha's Destination Midtown has been working to restore the area in recent years, as well as other Midtown neighborhoods, and evidence of revitalization can be seen in newly restored condos and apartments in

952-644: The Simon Brothers Company at 1024 Dodge Street. The street was once lined by the Old Post Office . Accommodating U.S. 6 it conjoins with Douglas Street at 30th Street to hold six lanes of two-way traffic. The City of Omaha is considering developing a light rail system that would extend from NoDo to the Rosenblatt Stadium / Henry Doorly Zoo area in South Omaha . The historical Omaha port site

1008-618: The Union Passenger Terminal . Omaha's main east–west street, Dodge Street begins downtown as a westbound one-way offramp from I-480 right after it crosses the Missouri River from Iowa . This route of the former Lincoln Highway in Omaha includes several buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places , including the Kirschbraun and Sons Creamery, Inc. at 901 Dodge Street, The Logan at 1804 Dodge Street, and

1064-600: The 1960s, Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society announced plans to construct a new headquarters. After discussions with a consulting firm, it was decided to keep their headquarters in downtown Omaha at the same address. This involved demolishing and replacing the Edward Rosewater's Bee Building , which had been owned by Woodmen of the World since 1932 and served as their previous headquarters. The plot of land

1120-605: The New York Life Insurance Company in Kansas City, Missouri. The building was Omaha's first ten-story structure. There has been a recent revitalization of the area, with several notable new buildings and other developments taking place. Following are some of the notable locations throughout the area. Omaha's tallest building, the 45-story First National Bank Tower , is in Downtown. The Old Market Historic District

1176-558: The NoDo area. The stadium will seat 24,000 and could be expanded to hold as many as 35,500. The stadium will feature open air concourses and will have impressive views of the downtown skyline from the third base side. The stadium will face southeast towards the Qwest Center , and the new riverfront developments, the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge and, RiverFront Place Condos . The 2008 financial crisis did not impact Omaha as much as other areas of

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1232-473: The Woodmen Tower was the tallest building in the state of Nebraska , overtaking the Nebraska State Capitol . The Woodmen Tower would hold this record until 2002, when it was overtaken by First National Bank Tower . The building was featured in the 2002 movie About Schmidt , starring Jack Nicholson and directed by Alexander Payne . WoodmenLife Tower has been praised for its role in revitalizing

1288-578: The WoodmenLife Tower occupies was previously taken up by several other buildings in Omaha's downtown , including the Old City Hall building. Following the land acquisition, Omaha National Bank (now a branch of U.S. Bank) signed as the first major tenant. Construction on the Woodmen Tower began on May 23, 1966. The original design of the build was only 20 to 22 stories with a total cost of $ 20 million dollars. These plans were modified during construction. Initially,

1344-658: The WoodmenLife letters so that they light up during the night. In response to the falling populations of the peregrine falcon in the 1950s, the Nebraska Peregrine Falcon Project (NPFP) began breeding falcons in captivity and releasing them. In 1988, the NPFP, led by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Fontenelle Forest's Raptor Recovery program, first released seven falcons from the top of Woodmen Tower. This

1400-544: The World threatened to move headquarters if this exemption was not provided, citing this exemption as guaranteed under the Nebraska State Constitution to fraternal organizations. This sparked a larger debate by the Douglas County Board over whether Woodmen of the World should be classified as a charity or a profitable business. In 2015, this issue was resolved when Legislative Bill 414 was passed, granting

1456-561: The actual historically designated area of the Old Market Historic District is a few square blocks. Several projects commencing in Downtown Omaha are restoring and expanding the city's core. Omaha's own HDR, Inc. designed downtown's important Omaha World-Herald Freedom Center , which opened in 2001. The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge is sparking a riverfront expansion project in Omaha and Council Bluffs. The bridge has

1512-623: The area includes the new Slowdown venue. The new TD Ameritrade Park opened in April 2011 near CenturyLink Center as the new home of the College World Series and Creighton University baseball. The area also includes national retailers and several restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. Several buildings have also been renovated into apartments and condos. The Missouri River riverfront is the eastern boundary of NoDo where millions in redevelopment has taken place in recent years. The city has created

1568-521: The area. As of 2004, an elementary school, Liberty Elementary, has been established to serve the growing downtown population. Home to the original Nebraska State Capitol , the Park East neighborhood has hosted several significant historical buildings and structures. One of Omaha's original parks, Jefferson Square , was located in the neighborhood, with the Market House and Omaha's first school located in

1624-428: The building extensively in 1899. That company's depot in the downtown area was recently rehabilitated for use as high-end condominiums . In 1889 ASARCO , a smelting company, consolidated several plants at the corner of 5th & Douglas Streets in Downtown Omaha. By 1915 it was the largest lead refinery in the world. In 1972 the plant was found to be releasing high amounts of lead into the air and ground surrounding

1680-517: The building occurred on June 6, 1966. This made it the tallest building in the state of Nebraska. The tower surpassed the Nebraska State Capitol as the tallest building in Nebraska, which previously held the title since 1930. The Woodmen Tower remained the tallest skyscraper in both Omaha and Nebraska for over 30 years, until construction of the First National Bank Tower in 2002. Following

1736-496: The building, and WoodmenLife Tower maintains a live webcam of the nests on their official website. During construction, Omaha mayor Alexander V. Sorensen described the Woodmen Tower as the “most magnificent building between Chicago and Denver”. During the topping ceremony, Sorensen stated "If ever there was a symbol of faith in Omaha's future, this is it.” According to the Douglas County Historical Society and

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1792-538: The cars from Creighton University near 20th and Webster streets, proceeding east to 10th Street, passing by the CenturyLink Center and moving south to Jackson Street in the Old Market . After that it would then move west to 16th Street and then north to Farnam before returning to 10th Street. This neighborhood is considered the gateway to Downtown Omaha. Although, due to its tall buildings and proximity to downtown, most Omaha citizens consider this area to be part of

1848-454: The celebration. The LED installation involved over 14,000 bulbs across all 4 sides of the building. Since then, the building has been lit up for holidays, the College World Series , Alzheimer's awareness , and other special events. This same year, the Woodman of the World became involved in a minor controversy when it requested that the Woodmen Tower be exempt from some property taxes . Woodmen of

1904-533: The city of Omaha, where the riverfront held businesses and the area surrounding it bore the brunt of its commercial, residential, and social activities. The Omaha National Bank Building was the first tower in downtown. Constructed in 1888 and 1889, the building was designed in the Renaissance Revival style by the New York architectural firm of McKim, Mead, and White. The firm designed an identical office tower for

1960-599: The city's inception in 1854. The following are all buildings, districts and other notable locations in Omaha that have been lost over the last 150 years. Other sites labeled as key historic sites by the Federal Writers Project include the Douglas Street Bridge , Herndon House , First Territorial Capitol , Diamond Gambling House , Original Union Pacific Headquarters , Joslyn Memorial , Original World-Herald Building , Apex Saloon , Omaha Auditorium and

2016-420: The country. In addition, the recovery in residential construction in Downtown Omaha was much swifter than the suburban west Omaha. Many new residential developments have been completed or are ongoing. The list below totals 2,270 new units completed or planned since 2008 valued at approximately $ 513 million. Aside from the Old Market, other attractions in Downtown Omaha include the historic Orpheum Theater , which

2072-432: The downtown Omaha district and features an LED display that lights up the building for holidays and special events. In 2020, the tower was officially renamed from the Woodmen Tower to the WoodmenLife Tower as part of a larger effort to rebrand the company. Since 1988, the tower has been part of the Nebraska Peregrine Falcon Project, where peregrine falcons breed and nest on the building's 28th floor. The WoodmenLife Tower

2128-458: The downtown central district. The area runs from 20th street on the east to 28th street on the west and from Dodge street to the north and Leavenworth to the south. The neighborhood, situated between Midtown Omaha and Downtown, is home to several historic buildings as well as some of Omaha's tallest buildings. The area has some of Omaha's major art institutions such as the Joslyn Art Museum ,

2184-456: The east, Howard street to the north and the train tracks to the south. Part of Market West is included in the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District . While the neighborhood is dominated by historic warehouses, the area is beginning to see new construction of apartment buildings. The area of Market West is often confused with the Old Market , as south 13th street is the most obvious boundary -

2240-440: The height was increased to 28 stories, then later increased again to 29 stories. Following flooding issues in the bottom two levels of the underground parking garage, the 29th floor was split into two floors, making the total count 30. In November 1967, the building was topped during a ceremony attended by then Omaha mayor Alexander V. Sorensen . On April 4, 1969, the Woodmen Tower was officially completed and opened; dedication of

2296-481: The initial cost of construction was approximately $ 20 million, the building was valued at $ 40 million by Douglas County, Nebraska , in 2014. Prior to 2020, the building had the word "Woodmen" written across the building's roof; this was changed to "WoodmenLife" following the company's rebranding. These letters are outfitted with an LED system capable of displaying 16 million individual colors and graphics, and can be seen up to 78 miles (126 km) away by airplane. In

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2352-544: The largest single loss of buildings included on the National Register of Historic Places to date. All of the 24 buildings in the Jobbers Canyon were demolished in 1989, to be replaced by the ConAgra headquarters and Heartland of America Park . The Warehouses in Omaha Multiple Property Submission brings together several historic locations around Downtown Omaha, as well. According to a 1939 publication by

2408-663: The location of the Union Pacific Railroad headquarters since its founding in 1865; they constructed a bridge , shops and a station downtown for their traffic. In 1989 the railroad combined all of its nationwide operational coordination into the rehabilitated 1892 Harriman Dispatch Center ; in 2002 they opened a new headquarters building downtown as well. In a similar fashion, the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad built their headquarters in downtown in 1879, with renowned Omaha architect Thomas R. Kimball redesigning

2464-517: The north, I-480 on the south, 17th Street to the west and Riverfront Drive on the east. The area comprising NoDo is central to the history of Omaha . Along the river, Miller's Landing was the site where the Lone Tree Ferry brought settlers from Iowa. The early Territorial Legislature platted Scriptown in the area. The historic neighborhood of Squatter's Row and the city's notorious prostitution alleyway, The Cribs , were located here. Today

2520-511: The official opening, the restaurant Top of the World was opened on the 28th floor. Although this restaurant was successful, it eventually closed November 1, 1984 to make way for office space. In 1990, in celebration of Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society's 100th anniversary, time capsules earmarked for 2040 were placed in the lobby floor. In 2002, the Woodmen Tower was featured prominently in Alexander Payne's film About Schmidt , where

2576-617: The park. The Old Post Office and other buildings were there, too. The Old Market is a neighborhood bordered by South 10th Street . The neighborhood has many restaurants, art galleries and upscale shopping, and is the location of several condominiums, including the JLofts on the Market and the Broatch Building . The area retains its brick paved streets from the turn of the 20th century, horse-drawn carriages, and covered sidewalks in some areas. It

2632-623: The plant, and in 1995 ASARCO submitted a demolition and site cleanup plan to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. The company was fined $ 3.6 million in 1996 for discharging lead and other pollutants into the Missouri River , and the plant was closed in July, 1997. After extensive cleanup the land was turned over to the City of Omaha for use as a 23-acre (93,000 m ) park. All of North Omaha , comprising more than 8,000 acres (3,200 ha),

2688-569: The south edge of downtown bordering Little Italy , the Burlington Station is one of the buildings in the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District that has been renovated into residential apartments. A new mixed-use development, North Downtown extends 80 blocks, from the campus of Creighton University to the CHI Health Center , Charles Schwab Field and new developments along the Missouri River . The boundaries are Seward Street on

2744-532: The tax exemption (an estimated 73% decrease in total taxes) to the Woodmen Tower. In 2020, Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society rebranded to WoodmenLife Insurance Company. Initially, it was believed that the Woodmen lettering on top of the building was to remain, but it was later announced by the company that the letters were to be replaced with WoodmenLife. The total project cost millions of dollars and saw another new LED system installed, this time centered around

2800-475: The titular character Warren Schmidt (played by Jack Nicholson ) was employed at the building. Later that year, completion of the First National Bank Tower took away Woodmen Tower's status as the tallest building in the state, leaving it in second place to this day. In 2014, in celebration of the tower's 45th anniversary, the building was renovated with LED lighting, putting on a light show as part of

2856-676: Was built by influential Omaha philanthropist John A. Creighton , whose family also built the city's Creighton University . Along with the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center , this is the oldest theater left in downtown. Other performance spaces downtown include the Magic Theatre , which features experimental theater . The Omaha Children's Museum , Durham Museum , and the Holland Performing Arts Center are all important visual arts spaces downtown, while

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2912-442: Was followed by another release in 1989, during which two falcons later returned to the Woodmen Tower to nest on the 28th floor. In 1992, one of these released falcons returned to Woodmen Tower where it mated and laid three eggs that later hatched. This marked the first peregrine falcons hatched in Nebraska in almost a century. As of 2014, approximately 70 falcons have been hatched from the WoodmenLife Tower. Falcons continue to nest on

2968-510: Was home to many import and export businesses necessary for the settlement and development of the American West . Today dozens of companies have their national and regional headquarters in downtown Omaha. The area is home to more than 30 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places , along with two historic districts . Downtown Omaha was the location of the settlement of the city. William D. Brown 's Lone Tree Ferry landing

3024-401: Was located in downtown, with dozens of businesses lining the riverside to serve the steamboats and other water traffic. Jobbers Canyon was originally built here to accommodate river traffic. That same area today is home to Miller's Landing , which is a riverboat excursion launching site, and the new Missouri River Pedestrian Bridge that will take walkers to Council Bluffs. Downtown has been

3080-433: Was the site of Omaha's first development. In 2004 a map expert using GPS and old maps identified a location near Gallup University as the location of the ferry landing. Omaha Central High School , located at 124 North 20th Street, is on the site where the city's founders first met on July 4, 1854 for a celebration to found the city. Much of Omaha's grim history happened downtown, as well. The Douglas County Courthouse

3136-461: Was twice the location of racially motivated lynchings . The first occurred when George Smith , a local worker, was accused of raping a white woman and dragged from the jail in the courthouse to his death. The second was the mass mob murder of Willy Brown in 1919, in which Mayor Ed Smith was lynched and almost murdered as well. The event, coordinated by city boss Tom Dennison , was in retaliation of Smith's reform administration. Dennison operated

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