Gene Leahy Mall, also known locally as The Mall, is a 9.6-acre (39,000 m2) park located in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska, United States. The park features two large slides, a sculpture garden, a remote-control boat cove, a large children's play area, and an amphitheater where outdoor concerts are held in the summer. The mall is decorated with thousands of lights during the winter holiday season.[1][2] Connected on its eastern edge with the Heartland of America Park, it also borders the site of the Mutual of Omaha Headquarters Tower, the former Burlington Headquarters Building, the Old Market and the ConAgra campus.
| Gene Leahy Mall | |
|---|---|
 View of holiday lights looking west along the lagoon at the Gene Leahy Mall, after to the 2023 redevelopment | |
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| Type | Municipal (Omaha) |
| Location | Downtown Omaha |
| Coordinates | 41°15′29″N 95°55′52″W / 41.25806°N 95.93111°W |
| Area | 9.6 acres (39,000 m2) |
| Open | All year |
About
editOriginally conceived in the 1970s, the Gene Leahy Mall was named after Omaha Mayor Eugene A. Leahy, and is regarded as being a major impetus for the redevelopment of downtown into a thriving commercial, residential and cultural center in Omaha.[3] In 2005 a major redevelopment process began focused on redesigning The Mall and several areas surrounding the Old Market.[4]
In July 2022, the redevelopment of the Mall was completed; featuring a new concert venue pavilion, open lawn area, and redesigned waterfront walkway, while retaining the iconic metal slides.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Gene Leahy Pedestrian Mall | Omaha Attractions - Things to Do", Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau. Retrieved 6/30/2014.
- ^ Gene Leahy Mall. University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Retrieved 8/22/07.
- ^ "New Vision for 11th Street", Omaha By Design. Retrieved 8/22/07.
- ^ "11th Street Update", Omaha By Design. Retrieved 8/22/07.
- ^ “Grand Reopening Of Omaha’s Gene Leahy Mall Caps Half-Century Of History", Omaha Daily Record. Retrieved 07/04/22.
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