Gene Leahy Mall
Reclaiming the Urban Public Realm
The American urban revitalization of the 1970’s saw a wholesale transformation of cities with monolithic and concrete ‘modernization’ that often extended to public parks. Gene Leahy Mall in Omaha, Nebraska is emblematic of this era. The steep 14.5-acre site, comprised primarily of green lawn, featured a sunken lagoon at its center, with concrete forms that restricted access, circulation, and activation.
This comprehensive renovation is part of a 72-acre Riverfront Revitalization Project that completely redesigns the park program and planting for a new set of civic goals. 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. Diverse, active programming is paired with places for reflection and connection to nature.
An event lawn and performance pavilion are at the heart of the park. A sculpture garden to the west houses a rotating exhibit of artists. A grouping of trellises to the southwest provide shading and seating for larger gatherings, activated with nearby food trucks. Striking custom play structures inside the Arches Playground are a magnet for children, with thoughtful amenities for parents and caregivers. Original features are repurposed in key areas, including the children’s slides and historic stone arches that anchor a new plaza and pedestrian promenade. The grade transition from the west is marked with a water feature including a pond with aquatic plants surrounded by ample perimeter seating and an expansive boat cove and amphitheater.
A smaller event lawn and trellis at the eastern end provide spaces for intimate events. Dog parks along the northern edge take advantage of grading challenges to provide an exciting, sculptural landscape, ringed by edged areas for spectators and strollers.
Native prairie plants comprise the main character of the landscape, with significant soil improvements that enhance the ability to sequester carbon and reduce runoff. A a wide range of native and adapted tree species diversify the city’s urban forest canopy and mitigate heat island effect.
The new park reactivates the downtown core, connecting the entertainment and cultural destinations with new residential and office development, signaling the importance of open space for the quality of life.
Planting:
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"