Central Park Plaza is a 15-story, commercial office complex in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska.[1] The complex consists 419,679 square feet (38,989.5 m2) of office space, in two red brick towers with a lower level center connector on the first and second floors. The building features a central courtyard and a six-story parking garage that is located directly north of the building and is connected by a skywalk.[2] In 2007 a "sunrise" lighting feature was added to the angled face of the towers. The towers, built in a "V" formation, have been central to Omaha's skyline since they were built in the 1980s.
| Central Park Plaza | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Commercial Office |
| Location | 222 S. 15th Street Omaha, Nebraska 68102  United States |
| Coordinates | 41°15′29″N 95°56′10″W / 41.258169°N 95.936090°W |
| Construction started | 1979 |
| Completed | 1982 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 213 feet (65 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 15 |
| Floor area | 419,679 square feet (38,989.5 m2) |
| Other information | |
| Public transit access |  Metro Transit |
History
editOriginally built in 1982, the buildings housed the corporate headquarters for Conagra until the company began to move to their new riverfront campus in 1988,[3] and they had completely vacated the buildings by 1990.[4] Over the years the buildings have housed offices for several corporations important to Omaha's economic history including; First National Bank of Omaha,[5] US West,[6] OPPD,[7] Norwest Bank,[8] and the Norchem division of Enron.[9]
In 1983, in an attempt to revitalize retail along 16th Street in downtown, a two-story mall, Parkfair Mall, was added to the west side of Central Park Plaza, across from the J. L. Brandeis and Sons Store Building.[10] The mall closed in the early 1990s and in 2005 the current owners of the building converted the mall into a 125-stall, heated parking facility.[11]
After several corporations relocated their offices to other facilities during the late 1990s and early 2000s, the building's vacancy rate soared as high as 73%. In 2005 FirstComp Insurance company relocated their headquarters to the south tower and after several renovations now occupy the majority of the north tower.[12] As of 2009 FirstComp and their sister company, Rex Risk Exchange, have placed signs on the north and south towers respectively, the first signs on the towers in several years.[13] Also in 2005 the first Starbucks in Downtown Omaha opened in a location on the first floor of the north tower.[14] The first floor of the south tower has an upscale steakhouse, Sullivan's, that opened in 2007. Both locations have outdoor patios in the courtyard added during a $500,000 restoration to the main courtyard in 2005.[15]
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Central Park Plaza viewed from the southeast -
Central Park Plaza South Tower -
Central Park Plaza North Tower -
South Tower under construction in 2024
References
edit- ^ "Central Park Plaza @ Emporis.com"[usurped], Emporis.com. Retrieved 6/20/10.
- ^ "Central Park Plaza Wins Key Tenant", Omaha World Herald. Retrieved 6/20/10 from FirstComp website.
- ^ "ConAgra Shift Opens Office Space", Omaha World Herald Archives. Retrieved 6/20/10.
- ^ "Lease Expires On ConAgra's Headquarters", Omaha World Herald Archives. Retrieved 6/20/10.
- ^ "Bank Has Growing Plans First National Targets Omaha For Expansion", Omaha World Herald Archives. Retrieved 6/20/10.
- ^ "Central Park Plaza's South Building Boasts New Sign", Omaha World Herald Archives. Retrieved 6/20/10.
- ^ "OPPD to Move Customer Service Unit", Omaha World Herald Archives. Retrieved 6/20/10.
- ^ "Norwest Bank Cuts Space At Branch", Omaha World Herald Archives. Retrieved 6/20/10.
- ^ "Norchem Moving Base; Most Workers to Stay", Omaha World Herald Archives. Retrieved 6/20/10.
- ^ "With Park Fair Construction New Retail Era to Start Downtown", Omaha World Herald Archives. Retrieved 6/20/10.
- ^ "Retail spot a parking lot; Parkfair becomes garage", Omaha World Herald Archives. Retrieved 6/20/10.
- ^ "Central Park Plaza Wins Key Tenant", Omaha World Herald. Retrieved 6/20/10 from FirstComp website.
- ^ "REX Marks the Spot", Omaha World Herald. Retrieved 6/20/10 from FirstComp website.
- ^ "Starbucks opening new store downtown", Omaha World Herald Archives. Retrieved 6/20/10.
- ^ "Courtyard getting $500,000 new look", Omaha World Herald Archives. Retrieved 6/20/10.