Gene Leahy Mall

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"

41.2570988, -95.9257814

Authors
Year of the project conception
2018
Year of completion of the project
2022
Price subcategory
Jardines espacios de infraestructuras públicas
Surface
14.8 acres
Customer type
Administració pública
Customer Name
City of Omaha, Downtown RiverFront Trust, The Metropolitan Entertainments & Convention Authroity (MECA)
Construction company
Kiewit
Address
800 Douglas Street
City / Place
Omaha
Region
Nebraska
Country
United States