Central Park Plaza
Encyclopedia
Central Park Plaza is a 15 story, commercial office complex in Downtown Omaha
, Nebraska
. The complex consists 419679 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. 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.
, US West
, OPPD, Norwest Bank, and the Norchem division of Enron
.
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. 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.
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. 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. Also in 2005 the first Starbucks
in Downtown Omaha opened in a location on the first floor of the north tower. 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.
Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and is located in Omaha, Nebraska. The boundaries are 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline of Leavenworth Street on the south to the centerline...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. The complex consists 419679 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. 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.
History
Originally built in 1982, the buildings housed the corporate headquarters for Conagra until the company began to move to their new riverfront campus in 1988, and they had completely vacated the buildings by 1990. Over the years the buildings have housed offices for several corporations important to Omaha's economic history including; First National Bank of OmahaFirst National Bank of Omaha
First National Bank Omaha is a subsidiary of First National of Nebraska. It is recognized as the largest privately held bank in the country with $17 billion in managed assets and 5,000 employees...
, US West
US West
U S WEST, Inc. was one of seven Regional Bell Operating Companies , created in 1983 under the Modification of Final Judgement , a case related to the antitrust breakup of AT&T...
, OPPD, Norwest Bank, and the Norchem division of Enron
Enron
Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 22,000 staff and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies, with...
.
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. 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.
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. 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. Also in 2005 the first Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
in Downtown Omaha opened in a location on the first floor of the north tower. 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.