Remaking a 1970’s Downtown Park Into a New Public Realm

Honor Award

General Design

Omaha, Nebraska, United States
OJB Landscape Architecture
Client: The Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority

Site Plan

Gene Leahy Mall is the first of three connected parks to reopen in a 72-acre Riverfront Revitalization Project in downtown Omaha.

Image Credit: OJB Landscape Architecture
Members of the Press: Please submit high-resolution image requests to press@asla.org. Awards Images Terms of Use

1 of 16

Aerial View

An aerial of Gene Leahy Mall looking from the 13th Street Plaza. Thousands of people gather on the Downtown Green for performances and other events.

Image Credit: Jeff Durkin
Members of the Press: Please submit high-resolution image requests to press@asla.org. Awards Images Terms of Use

2 of 16

Views of Downtown Omaha

The east and west portions of the park are divided by the 11th Street Promenade. Views to the west highlight the adjacent Downtown Green and skyline.

Image Credit: Millicent Harvey
Members of the Press: Please submit high-resolution image requests to press@asla.org. Awards Images Terms of Use

3 of 16

Integrated Lighting

The Performance Pavilion glows from within. The lighting is inspired by the ever-changing Nebraska sky.

Image Credit: Ryan Fischer
Members of the Press: Please submit high-resolution image requests to press@asla.org. Awards Images Terms of Use

4 of 16

Arches Playground from Above

The bright orange arches are the focal point of the play area. Decking weaves throughout the space, with tunnels, slides, and a rope forest below.

Image Credit: Jeff Durkin
Members of the Press: Please submit high-resolution image requests to press@asla.org. Awards Images Terms of Use

5 of 16

Playground

Along the southern edge of the park is the children’s play area. Active areas for exploration and play include arches and a rock wall for climbing.

Image Credit: Jeff Durkin
Members of the Press: Please submit high-resolution image requests to press@asla.org. Awards Images Terms of Use

6 of 16

Connecting Key Neighborhoods

The 11th Street Promenade connects two districts. The historic limestone arches anchor the Farnam Street Entrance, as one enters the Old Market.

Image Credit: Ryan Fischer
Members of the Press: Please submit high-resolution image requests to press@asla.org. Awards Images Terms of Use

7 of 16

Seating Options

The swings draw people of all ages who want a playful experience. Wooden benches and lounge chair encourage people to linger.

Image Credit: Left & Right: Millicent Harvey
Members of the Press: Please submit high-resolution image requests to press@asla.org. Awards Images Terms of Use

8 of 16

The Pond

The pond begins at The Cascade Fountain and stretches to 9th Street. It is lined with new trees, aquatic planting, ample seating and red streetlamps.

Image Credit: Left: Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority Right: Ryan Fischer
Members of the Press: Please submit high-resolution image requests to press@asla.org. Awards Images Terms of Use

9 of 16

The Cascade

The Cascade is an interactive water feature perfect for splashing on a hot summer day.

Image Credit: Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority; Brad J. Williams
Members of the Press: Please submit high-resolution image requests to press@asla.org. Awards Images Terms of Use

10 of 16

Places for Play and For Relaxation

Children frolic in the Cascades in warm weather. Comfortable lounging spaces are thoughtfully placed for a variety of activities throughout the park.

Image Credit: Left & Right: HDR; Dan Schwalm
Members of the Press: Please submit high-resolution image requests to press@asla.org. Awards Images Terms of Use

11 of 16

The Amphitheater

The cove amphitheater on the pond’s east side provides a space for live entertainment. Adjacent to the boat cove, visitors alike can sail model boats.

Image Credit: Millicent Harvey
Members of the Press: Please submit high-resolution image requests to press@asla.org. Awards Images Terms of Use

12 of 16

Integrating Art in the Landscape

A sculpture garden features five public art pieces provided through a partnership with a local arts nonprofit.

Image Credit: Left: Ryan Fischer Right: Dan Schwalm
Members of the Press: Please submit high-resolution image requests to press@asla.org. Awards Images Terms of Use

13 of 16

Sustainability

Native and adapted species are a focal point of the park landscape and mitigate heat island effect.

Image Credit: Left: OJB Landscape Architecture; Right: Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority
Members of the Press: Please submit high-resolution image requests to press@asla.org. Awards Images Terms of Use

14 of 16

Places for All

The park offers both active and passive spaces. A dog park for both large and small dogs features berms to climb and dog-level water fountains.

Image Credit: Left: Ryan Fischer Right: Millicent Harvey
Members of the Press: Please submit high-resolution image requests to press@asla.org. Awards Images Terms of Use

15 of 16

A Place for the City

The park is once again an urban commons that is a welcoming destination in the fabric of downtown Omaha.

Image Credit: Jeff Durkin
Members of the Press: Please submit high-resolution image requests to press@asla.org. Awards Images Terms of Use

16 of 16

“

Although a large-scale project, it links appropriately to the surrounding open spaces and community edges while gracefully dividing the land into unique and meaningful places. The grand gestures are well-scaled, highly social, and memorable.

”

- 2023 Awards Jury

Project Credits

Design Lead, Master Plan, Landscape Architecture: OJB Landscape Architecture

HDR, Civil, Environmental, Architectural, Structural, Public Involvement, Transportation, Permitting, Bridge

Kiewit, Construction Management

Gensler, Architecture

Atelier Ten, Lighting Design

MR Global, Specialty Lighting

Fluidity, Water Feature Design

RSM Design, Environmental Graphic Design

Studio Ludo, Play Consultant

Alvine Engineering, Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing Engineering

Pine and Swallow, Soil Science

ADBC Architecture & Engineering, Site Structures

Terracon, Geotechnical Engineering and Special Inspections

RES (formerly Applied Ecological Services), Restoration Ecologist

Walker Consultants, Parking Consultant

Water Scape, Irrigation

Lamp Rynearson Associates, Survey and Platting

Marx | Okubo, ADA Consultant

OJB Landscape Architecture, Landscape Architecture

Project Statement

Gene Leahy Mall is the first of three parks to reopen in a 72-acre Riverfront Revitalization Project in downtown Omaha. The park program, validated through a rigorous public process, transforms an existing inaccessible space into a reimagined regional destination. The downtown core is activated into a public realm that will connect to the Missouri River for the first time in decades. A nonprofit maintains and operates the park with events that encourage social and physical health and wellness. Diverse, active programming is paired with places for reflection and connection to nature, underscoring Omaha’s commitment to community vibrancy.

Project Narrative

The 14.5-acre Gene Leahy Mall was constructed in 1977 in a wave of urban revitalization that brought green space, people, business, and commerce to the city core. As downtown grew, the steep edges of the original sunken park with a meandering lagoon at its center presented challenges of access, activation, and numerous internal circulation issues.

In a total rethinking of access, the western half of the site is raised to street level to welcome pedestrians at all points, and the interior is replanned with a series of outdoor rooms that support changing civic needs. The heart of the park is the new event lawn and performance pavilion that supports self-produced as well as professional concerts and performances. A sculpture garden houses rotating artists and a permanent sculpture inspired by Omaha culture anchors the west end of the park. A grouping of trellises to the southwest provides gathering spaces for large groups that gather to enjoy food trucks parked nearby. Striking custom play structures inside the Arches Playground are a magnet for children, with additional thoughtful amenities for parents and caregivers.

The historic US National Bank Arches are replanned as the anchor to a new plaza and pedestrian promenade with an overhead lighting canopy and a custom swing structure. The Downtown Slides, an icon of the original park, are given new life. A new water feature marks the grade transition from the west and directs to a new pond that includes aquatic plants, ample seating along the perimeter and a new boat cove and amphitheater.

A smaller event lawn and trellis anchor the eastern end of the park, providing an additional venue for intimate events. Dog parks along the northern edge take advantage of grading challenges to provide an exciting, sculptural landscape; the edge along the park includes opportunities for people without pets to enjoy the activity.
The significant grade change along the park’s length was a key design challenge for accessibility. Input from community access advocates led to the design of numerous routes to each amenity, opportunities for companion seating, and a playground with transfer systems, low-impact features and a variety of size and enclosure spaces.

Excavates stone and materials are repurposed throughout the site. The park heavily features native prairie plants. Significant soil improvements enhance the sites’ ability to sequester carbon and reduce runoff. The park trees include a wide range of native and adapted species that diversify the city’s urban forest canopy and mitigate heat island effect.

The new Gene Leahy Mall has already transformed downtown Omaha, connecting the entertainment and cultural destinations with new businesses, residential and office development, and signaling the importance of open space for the quality of life. The final phase of the Riverfront Revitalization will open in the summer of 2023. Heartland of America Park will connect to the east end of Gene Leahy Mall, and Lewis and Clark Landing, a remediated brownfield site, will create a new destination along the Missouri River. As the gateway to Downtown and the Old Market, the renovation of Gene Leahy Mall is an essential step in the transformation of Omaha’s riverfront.

Products

Furniture
- Site Pieces Custom Benches
- Site Pieces Monoline Benches, Community Table, Bike Racks, Waste Receptacles and Adirondak Chair
- Custom Precast Bench foundations/basin by QCP Corp
- ‘Bol’ fire pit by Paloform
Drainage/Erosion
- Network of perforated drain pipes by NDS Pro
- French drains / drainage pipes in decorative aggregate
- Drainage Swales
Fences/Gates/Walls
- Wireworks Plus Fence by Ameristar
Irrigation
- Rainbird equipment
- Netafim tubing and connectors
- NDS boxes
Lumber/Decking/Edging
- Thermally Modified Ash by Thermory USA for wood decking and furniture
Parks/Recreation Equipment
- Landscape Structures Roller Slide
- Landscape Structures Stainless Steel Slides
- Landscape Structures Swings
Structures
- Custom Trellis Structures- Design by ADBC Architecture; Fabricated by Drake Williams Steel, Inc.
Water Management/Amenities
- Membrane/Reflecting Splash Pad – Crystal Fountains
- Cascades Water Feature - Crystal Fountains
Soils
- The Soils were all custom blended/engineered by Pine and Swallow – soil types include biorention, shrub, tree, lawn, and sand-based structural soil types.
Hardscape
- Topcast concrete paving and site walls; local aggregate mix design.
- Stacked Limestone Block Retaining WallsDetectable warning pavers by Neenah Foundry – iron plates.
- SynLawn Artificial Turf Surfacing
- Black Granite Paving from Babbitt, MN - Coldspring, Cottonwood Limestone from Kansas – US Stone Industries
Lighting
- BK Lighting
- Wagner Lighting
- FC Lighting
- Apogee Lighting
- Acclaim Lighting, BEGA, Amerlux, Vista, Lumenpulse, Foscarini, HK Lighting, Valmont Custom Fixture(s)
Other
- Custom, Signage by Local Manufacturer – Omaha Neon

Plant List

Trees:
Amelanchier X Grandiflora `Autumn Brilliance` / Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry
Acer X Freemanii `Dtr 102` / Autumn Fantasy Maple
Acer X Freemanii `Jeffersred` / Autumn Blaze Freeman Maple
Acer X Freemanii `Bailston` / Matador Maple
Acer X Freemanii `Marmo` / Marmo Freeman Maple
Betula Nigra `Cully` / Heritage Birch
Crataegus Phaenopyrum / Washington Hawthorn
Gleditsia Triacanthos F. Inermis `Draves` / Street Keeper Honeylocust
Gleditsia Triacanthos F. Inermis `Skycole` / Skyline Honeylocust
Platanus X Acerifolia `Morton Circle` / Exclamation! London Plane Tree
Quercus Bicolor / Swamp White Oak
Quercus X Macdanielii `Clemons` / Heritage Oak
Quercus Macrocarpa / Bur Oak
Ulmus `Morton` / Accolade Elm
Ulmus X `Morton Glossy` Tm / Triumph Elm
Shrubs:
Amorpha Fruticosa / False Indigo
Ceanothus Americanus / New Jersey Tea
Cephalanthus Occidentalis / Buttonbush
Clethra Alnifolia `Sixteen Candles` / Sixteen Candles Summersweet Clethra
Cornus Amomum / Silky Dogwood
Cornus Sericea `Flaviramea` / Yellow Twig Dogwood
Cornus Sanguinea `Midwinter Fire` / Midwinter Fire Dogwood
Cornus Sericea / Red-Twig Dogwood
Hydrangea Quercifolia `Pee Wee` / Pee Wee Oakleaf Hydrangea
Physocarpus Opulifolius / Ninebark
Rosa Arkansana / Dwarf Prairie Rose
Rosa Blanda / Smooth Rose
Salix Purpurea `Nana` / Dwarf Arctic Willow
Symphoricarpos Albus / Snowberry
Symphoricarpos Orbiculatus / Coralberry
Thuja Occidentalis `Smaragd` / Emerald Green Arborvitae
Viburnum Opulus Var. Americanum / American Cranberrybush
Perennials:
Agastache X `Black Adder` / Black Adder Anise Hyssop
Amsonia Hubrichtii / Arkansas Blue-Star
Anemone Sylvestris / Snowdrop Anemone
Allium Schoenoprasum / Common Chives
Asclepias Incarnata / Swamp Milkweed
Bergenia Cordifolia / Heartleaf Bergenia
Echinacea Purpurea / Coneflower
Echinops Ritro `Veitch`s Blue` / Blue Globe Thistle
Eryngium Yuccifolium / Rattlesnake Master
Eryngium Zabelii `Big Blue` / Big Blue Sea Holly
Eupatorium Maculatum `Gateway` / Gateway Joe-Pye Weed
Eupatorium Dubium `Little Joe` / Little Joe Joe-Pye Weed
Eupatorium Perfoliatum / Common Boneset
Echinacea Purpurea `White Swan` / White Swan Coneflower
Heuchera Villosa `Autumn Bride` / Autumn Bride Coral Bells
Helianthus Helianthoides / Ox-Eye Sunflower
Iris Sibirica `Caesar`s Brother` / Caesar’s Brother Siberian Iris
Iris Virginica Shrevei / Shreve`S Iris
Nepeta X Faassenii `Walkers Low` / Walkers Low Catmint
Oligoneuron Rigidum / Stiff Goldenrod
Pycnanthemum Virginianum / Mountain Mint
Rudbeckia Hirta / Black-Eyed Susan
Salvia X Sylvestris `Mainacht` / May Night Wood Sage
Salvia Pratensis `Pink Delight` / Pink Delight Meadow Sage
Sparganium Eurycarpum / Giant Bur-Reed
Stachys Officinalis `Hummelo` / Hummelo Stachys
Verbena Hastata / Blue Vervain
Veronica Incana `Pure Silver` / Pure Silver Spiked Speedwell
Vines:
Parthenocissus Quinquefolia / Virgina Creeper
Grasses:
Andropogon Gerardii / Big Bluestem
Bouteloua Curtipendula / Side Oats Grama
Calamagrostis X Acutiflora `Karl Foerster` / Feather Reed Grass
Carex Lacustris / Common Lake Sedge
Carex Rosea / Rosy Sedge
Festuca Glauca `Elijah Blue` / Elijah Blue Fescue
Glyceria Striata / Fowl Manna Grass
Schizachyrium Scoparium / Little Bluestem Grass
Schoenoplectus Tabernaemontani / Softstem Bulrush
Sporobolus Heterolepis / Prairie Dropseed
Spartina Pectinata / Prairie Cordgrass
Turf:
Festuca Arundiancea "Turf Saver RTF"