Midtown Crossing at Turner Park

Midtown Crossing at Turner Park is a seven building, 16-acre mixed-use development in midtown Omaha, encompassing 297 luxury condominiums, 196 apartment units, and more than 225,000-square-feet of fine and casual dining, entertainment and shopping.^[2] A majority of Midtown Crossing’s restaurant and retailer partners are Omaha-born businesses,^[3] including Brix – A Wine and Spirits Experience, Wohlner’s Neighborhood Grocery & Deli, The Afternoon, and nationally-renowned The Grey Plume,^[4] America’s greenest restaurant according to the Green Restaurant Association.

Built around an expanded and revitalized Turner Park, the neighborhood sits between Farnam and Dodge Streets and 31st and 33rd Streets. It is directly to the east of Mutual of Omaha’s headquarters^[5] and minutes from downtown Omaha, CenturyLink Center Omaha, Eppley Airfield, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, the Old Market and a number of other local attractions.

A LEED Certified Green Community,^[6] Midtown Crossing is owned by East Campus Realty, a subsidiary of Mutual of Omaha. It was the first major project tied to Destination Midtown, a public/private partnership focused on returning historic midtown Omaha to prominence.^[7]

Free community events, held in 7-acre Turner Park, are a hallmark of the development and include concerts (such as Jazz on the Green and Playing with Fire), festivals and health and wellness gatherings.

History

2002

Representatives of midtown Omaha’s large and small businesses, neighborhood associations, residents and city leaders meet at Mutual of Omaha to discuss concern about the future of the neighborhood. The result of this meeting was Destination Midtown, a project that sought to study the neighborhood and identify revitalization opportunities.

2005

May 18: Mutual of Omaha announces a feasibility study to determine if a mixed-use urban neighborhood is appropriate for under-utilized property adjacent to its headquarters building.

2006

Oct. 19: Mutual announces plans to proceed with Midtown Crossing and unveils details of the project, which features a million-square-feet of commercial and residential space in seven buildings, an expanded and revitalized Turner Park. ECI Investment Advisors, which conducted the feasibility study, is named project developer.

2007

Sept. 20: Ground is officially broken following extensive site preparation that included the demolition of no fewer than eight buildings and the removal of 10,000 truckloads of dirt.

2009

Nov. 6: Years of planning, significant investment and hard work begin coming to fruition when Midtown Crossing’s first business, Marcus Midtown Cinema, opens. Prairie Life Fitness soon follows, launching a cascade of openings.

2010

May 18: Exactly five years after announcing the feasibility study that lead to the development, the community gathers in a revitalized Turner Park to officially cut the ribbon on Midtown Crossing.

Since its grand opening, Midtown Crossing has celebrated a number of milestones, including:

• September 2010: Urban Land Magazine recognizes Midtown Crossing as one of ten projects around the world which “embody the synergy of public/private partnerships.”
• December 2010: Midtown Crossing’s The Grey Plume earns the distinction of being the nation’s first three star SustainaBuild™ Certified Green Restaurant® by the Green Restaurant Association®.
• July 2010: Omaha summer concert tradition Jazz on the Green debuts in its new home at Turner Park, the centerpiece of the Midtown Crossing development.
• February 2011: Downtown Omaha Inc. names Midtown Crossing its Visionary Award winner for 2011, honoring the development for its “commitment to downtown revitalization through time, resources and leadership."
• November 2011: Midtown Crossing receives international applause, winning two prestigious Americas Property Awards – one in the category of “Mixed-use Architecture,” the second for “Retail Architecture.”
• June 2012: Omaha’s revitalized Turner Park becomes the first city park in Nebraska to offer free Wi-Fi internet service. (Midtown Crossing spearheaded and funded the improvement.)
• November 2012: Omaha welcomes its newest holiday tradition with the inaugural launch of Miracle on Farnam (now Miracle at Midtown), Midtown Crossing’s season-long holiday celebration.
• July 2013: The new Pavilion at Turner Park debuts with the 2013 kickoff of Jazz on the Green.
• August 2014: Midtown Crossing receives Keep Omaha Beautiful’s 2014 Beautification Award, an honor given to a person, organization or company that has improved the aesthetic value of our community through the development of property, plantings and/or art.^[8]

Awards

Omaha Magazine - Best of Omaha

2011-2014 Best Condos & Apartments

Americas Property Awards

2011 Best Mixed-Use Architecture & Best Retail Architecture

Omaha By Design

2011 Laurels Award

American Council of Engineering Companies

2011 ACEC Honor Award for Engineering Excellence

CREW

2010 Development of the Year

Downtown Omaha Inc.

2011 Visionary Pioneer

Omaha World Herald

Top Park Pick 2010

The Reader

Readers Choice Awards 2010 - Best Condo Development

Readers Choice Awards 2012 - Best Apartments - Midtown

Readers Choice Awards 2012 - Best Condo Development

Urban Land Magazine

2010 - One of Ten projects around the World to Embody the Synergy of Public/Private partnerships^[9]

Events

Midtown Crossing hosts a slate of free community events in Turner Park, including:

• Midtown Car Show
• Miracle at Midtown
• Monday Night at the Movies
• Omaha Performing Arts' Jazz on the Green
• End of Summer Concert Series
• Wednesday Warm Up / Cool Down
• Yoga Rocks the Park
• Zydeco Festival

Turner Park is also a popular venue for charity fun runs and a bocce ball league.^[10]

Retailers & Restaurants

• The Afternoon
• Arlan’s Barbershop
• Atomic Bombshells
• Black Oak Grill
• Boomer 1490
• Brix
• Callahan Financial Planning
• Cantina Laredo
• Chef2
• Chicago Dawg House
• Cold Stone Creamery / Rocky Mountain Chocolate
• The Corky Canvas
• CRAVE
• Definitive Vision
• Delice
• Element Omaha Midtown Crossing
• Fashion Cleaners
• Garbo’s Salon and Spa
• GNC
• GRANE
• The Grey Plume
• Hutch
• Lenny’s Sub Shop
• Lotus House of Yoga
• Makovicka Physical Therapy
• Marcus Midtown Cinema
• Me & Me
• NT Nails
• Pana 88
• Prairie Life Fitness
• Provisions by The Grey Plume
• Royal Lux Med Spa - http://royalluxomaha.com/
• Saints Pub + Patio
• Spielbound Board Game Cafe
• Thirst Tea Cafe
• Three Dog Bakery
• Wohlner’s
• Z-Wireless^[11][12]

Condominiums

Midtown Crossing’s almost 300 luxury condominiums are situated near downtown Omaha, the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Creighton University. Options include one bedroom, two bedroom and penthouse units.

Condominium Amenities Include:

• Controlled-access lobby with concierge services
• Private access, climate-controlled parking with elevator access to each condo floor
• 9th-floor resident social networking Club Room
• Granite countertops
• Wood floors in living and dining rooms
• Stainless steel appliances
• Most units feature balconies with gas grill hook-ups
• Fireplaces available^[13]

Apartments

The Midtown Crossing development includes almost 200 apartments – one bedroom and two bedroom floorplans – for rent.

Amenities Include:

• Pet friendly living
• Free gym memberships
• Free parking
• Concierge services
• 24/7 courtesy patrol
• Controlled access entry
• Washer and dryer included
• Discounts to Midtown Crossing retailers^[14]

Turner Park

The origins of Turner Park date back to 1900. Charles Turner, a Nebraska pioneer and prominent real estate professional, donated the original land to the city to be used as a public park. (It was a gift of six acres. The park grew to 7.5 acres with the development of Midtown Crossing.) Turner wanted the park to be known as Curtiss Turner Park in memory of his son, 35 year old Curtiss C. Turner. A prominent civil engineer, Curtiss Turner was killed in a snow slide in 1898 while working in Alaska’s Klondike country at Chilkoot Pass.

Today, the revitalized and expanded Turner Park is one of Omaha’s top parks and a popular venue for numerous community events such as concerts (including Jazz on the Green and Playing with Fire), festivals and health and wellness gatherings.^[15]

Pavilion at Turner Park

Built in 2013, the Pavilion at Turner Park provides a permanent stage (44’ by 24’) and infrastructure, eliminating the need to install and tear down temporary staging facilities for each new event in Turner Park.

Other features include:

• A signature “Saddlespan” fabric roof structure/canopy that can be illuminated with high-efficiency LED lighting effects
• Temporary expanded stage (54’ x 48’) capability
• Concrete area for dancing
• Back of the house staging area for events

Holland Basham Architects, executive architect of the entire Midtown Crossing development, designed the pavilion, which is funded by private donations through the Omaha Community Foundation.

“We wanted to create an iconic structure that was memorable and enhanced the current environment. You don’t see anything like this around,” said Tim Holland, principal, Holland Basham Architects.

Parking

Additional buildings in Midtown Crossing.

Midtown Crossing offers parking

for more than 3,000 vehicles. Two public parking garages are accessible from 33rd, Farnam and Harney Streets. The first three hours of parking are free ($1 for each hour thereafter - maximum fee of $6).

Short-term (max. 2 hours) metered parking is available along Farnam Street and within Turner Park, accessible from 31st Avenue.^[16]

Green Initiatives

Midtown Crossing is one of the first projects in the nation to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s pilot Neighborhood Development Certification program. It is the only project selected to participate in Nebraska or Iowa. LEED for Neighborhood Development recognizes projects that protect and enhance the overall health, natural environment and quality of life in their communities through:

• Smart location and transportation linkage.
• Environmental preservation.
• Compact, complete and connected neighborhoods.
• High-performance, green construction and technology.

Midtown Crossing’s 132-room Element Hotel by Westin is LEED Silver certified, the first hotel constructed in Omaha to achieve this recognition. Midtown Crossing apartments and condominiums have an on-going recycling program for all residents. The development’s pure white holiday LED lights use only about 10 percent of the electrical power of traditional incandescent holiday lights.^[17]

See also

• History of Omaha
• Midtown Omaha

References