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88-565: Jobbers Canyon Historic District was a large industrial and warehouse area comprising 24 buildings located in downtown Omaha, Nebraska , US. It was roughly bound by Farnam Street on the north, South Eighth Street on the east, Jackson Street on the south, and South Tenth Street on the west. In 1989, all 24 buildings in Jobbers Canyon were demolished, representing the largest National Register historic district loss to date. The development of Jobber's Canyon mirrored Omaha's emergence as

176-653: A butcher in a log slaughter house on the north branch of the Chicago River and supplied most to the garrison of Fort Dearborn. Other small butchers came later. In 1848, the Bull's Head Stockyard began operations at Madison Street and Ogden Avenue on the West Side of Chicago. Operations for this early stockyard, however, still meant holding and feeding cattle and hogs in transit to meat packing plants further east—Indianapolis and, of course, Cincinnati. The prosperity of

264-511: A canyon-like feeling and leading to the area becoming called "Jobber's Canyon". The brick-surfaced South Ninth Street was an important streetscape in the city, with brick and cobblestone streets, railroad spur lines, loading docks, and dock canopies all contributing to the character of Jobbers Canyon. The area included the Kingman Implement Company building, also called the U.S. Tire building, located at 923 Farnam Street. It

352-723: A central hub in the United States transportation system of the late 19th century and early 20th century. As the "Gateway to the West" serving several historic trails the Canyon housed several warehouses, grocers, and other dry goods outfitters for merchants throughout the Old West , particularly those along the Great Platte River Road . Railroad entrepreneurs, land speculators, and merchants built Jobbers Canyon from

440-570: A day of Chicago River water were pumped into the stockyards. So much stockyard waste drained into the South Fork of the river that it was called Bubbly Creek due to the gaseous products of decomposition. The creek bubbles to this day. When the city permanently reversed the flow of the Chicago River in 1900, the intent was to prevent the Stock Yards' waste products, along with other sewage, from flowing into Lake Michigan and contaminating

528-717: A downtown neighborhood where debauchery of all sorts took place. Today the highlight of downtown's social scene, the Old Market was once a warehouse district on par with the Jobbers Canyon . Torn down in 1989, Jobbers Canyon was a large area of warehouses in which much of Omaha's industrial wealth was made. Other historical areas downtown included Chinatown, the Burnt District and the Sporting District . The latter two areas were locations for much of

616-506: A founder of the Union Stock Yard and Transit Company. The gate is a designated U.S. National Historic Landmark . The stockyards are considered one of the chief forces that molded the animal–industrial complex into its present form under contemporary capitalism . According to Kim Stallwood , Chicago and its stockyards from 1865 are one of the two milestones that mark the shift in human attitudes toward animals that empowered

704-544: A guaranteed price at a set time in the future. This was extremely helpful to those sellers who expected their cattle or hogs to come to market with a glut of other cattle or hogs when prices might necessarily be substantially lower than the guaranteed futures price. Following the arrival of Armour in 1867, Gustav Swift's company arrived in Chicago in 1875 and built another modern large-scale meatpacking plant at 42nd Street and South Justine Street. The Morris Company built

792-648: A major manufacturer of windmills and farm implements. Architects Fisher & Lawrie designed another six-story red brick warehouse structure in 1900 for the Lee-Glass-Andreesen Hardware Company, which originated in 1880 as Lee, Fried & Co. They were wholesalers of hardware, cutlery and tinware. The eight-story Creighton Block was built for John A. Creighton to house the Byrne and Hammer Dry Goods Company. The most ornate building in Jobbers Canyon, this Renaissance Revival-style structure

880-507: A meatpacking plant at 42nd Street and Elizabeth Street. The Hammond Company and the Wilson Company also built meatpacking plants in the area west of the Chicago stockyards. Eventually, meatpacking byproduct manufacturing of leather, soap, fertilizer, glue (such as the large glue factory located at 44th Street and Loomis Street ), pharmaceuticals, imitation ivory, gelatin, shoe polish, buttons, perfume, and violin strings prospered in

968-716: A memorial to all Chicago firefighters who have died in the line of duty was erected just behind the Union Stock Yards Gate at the intersection of Exchange Avenue and Peoria Street. A larger fire occurred on Saturday, May 19, 1934, which burned almost 90 percent of the stockyards, including the Exchange Building, the Stock Yard Inn, and the International Livestock Exposition building. The 1934 Stock Yards fire

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1056-829: A new boardwalk, walking trails, and the Lewis & Clark Landing which connect to the Heartland of America Park and, in-conjunction, host several of Omaha's annual festivals, like the Taste of Omaha. A city marina has opened for Missouri River boaters. Buildings along the riverfront include the National Park Service Midwest Regional Office and Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail visitors center, The Gallup Organization operational headquarters, Gallup University Campus, and two residential towers, RiverFront Place Condos . Near these buildings

1144-486: A venue for many national conventions. Historian William Cronon concludes: The first Chicago Union Stock Yards fire started on December 22, 1910, destroying $ 400,000 of property and killing twenty-one firemen, including the Fire Marshal James J. Horan. Fifty engine companies and seven hook and ladder companies fought the fire until it was declared extinguished by Chief Seyferlich on December 23. In 2004,

1232-408: A very modern design with two 200-foot (61 m) spires that have sail-like appearances and multi-color LED light panels at the top. The Omaha side of the riverfront project has restaurants, businesses, and two condo towers twelve and fifteen stories tall and a large plaza area with jumping fountains, statues, and seating. A new downtown baseball stadium, TD Ameritrade Park , is under construction in

1320-529: Is bordered by Farnam Street on the north to Leavenworth on the south, from South 10th Street on the east to South 14th Street on the west. The Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District is bounded by Jackson, 15th and 8th Streets, as well as the Union Pacific main line. Both are also listed as historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places . Downtown Omaha is also the site of

1408-474: Is home to more than 30 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places , along with two historic districts . Downtown Omaha was the location of the settlement of the city. William D. Brown 's Lone Tree Ferry landing was the site of Omaha's first development. In 2004 a map expert using GPS and old maps identified a location near Gallup University as the location of the ferry landing. Omaha Central High School , located at 124 North 20th Street,

1496-638: Is not uncommon to see a variety of street performers, artists and other vendors. Market West is a newly established neighborhood to the west of the Old Market and to the south of the Central Business District. Market West is represented by the Market West Neighborhood Alliance, established in 2011. The official boundaries are construed as, but not limited to, S 17th street to the west, S 13th street to

1584-416: Is on the site where the city's founders first met on July 4, 1854 for a celebration to found the city. Much of Omaha's grim history happened downtown, as well. The Douglas County Courthouse was twice the location of racially motivated lynchings . The first occurred when George Smith , a local worker, was accused of raping a white woman and dragged from the jail in the courthouse to his death. The second

1672-606: Is one of the buildings in the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District that has been renovated into residential apartments. A new mixed-use development, North Downtown extends 80 blocks, from the campus of Creighton University to the CHI Health Center , Charles Schwab Field and new developments along the Missouri River . The boundaries are Seward Street on the north, I-480 on the south, 17th Street to

1760-548: Is the 3,000 ft footbridge, the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge . The movement in Omaha to reintroduce street cars is led by former mayor Hal Daub . The proposed streetcars would cost $ 55 million and run in a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) loop through Downtown Omaha and NoDo. The system would cost about $ 2 million per year to operate and would serve almost 7,000 passengers in its first year. One route would run

1848-694: The CenturyLink Center Omaha and the Omaha Civic Auditorium play host to many different events, including concerts, sports and more. Slowdown is a new cultural center that straddles the boundaries of NoDo and the Near North Side neighborhood. Heartland of America Park and the Gene Leahy Mall play host to outdoor concerts and other events throughout the year. Downtown Omaha was the original site of

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1936-521: The Civil War until the 1920s and peaking in 1924, more meat was processed in Chicago than in any other place in the world. Construction began in June 1865 with an opening on Christmas Day in 1865. The Yards closed at midnight on Friday, July 30, 1971, after several decades of decline during the decentralization of the meatpacking industry. The neo-gothic Union Stock Yard Gate (1877) on Exchange Avenue

2024-553: The Federal Writers Project , the downtown core has at least 23 historic sites that were central to the growth and development of the city. Many significant buildings have been recognized as landmarks , including the following, which are all included on the National Register of Historic Places . The location of the William D. Brown 's Lone Tree Ferry , downtown has been the pivotal site for Omaha's growth since

2112-541: The Kellogg Company and the Campbell Soup Company , which produces frozen Swanson and LeMenu products in Omaha. Exercising its influence, industry giant ConAgra transformed the skyline by demolishing Jobber's Canyon in 1989. Its world headquarters sat on 30 acres (120,000 m) of the former historic district for the next 26 years. At the time Charles M. Harper , chief executive of ConAgra,

2200-753: The Michigan Central railroads combined to build the largest set of pens on the lake shore east of Cottage Grove Avenue from 29th Street to 35th Street. In 1878, the New York Central Railroad managed to buy a controlling interest in the Michigan Central Railroad. In this way, Cornelius Vanderbilt , owner of the New York Central Railroad, got his start in the stockyard business in Chicago. Several factors contributed to consolidation of

2288-904: The National Trust for Historic Preservation as an intervening plaintiff, sued the Interstate Commerce Commission , the National Park Service and the Army Corps of Engineers in order to stop the demolition. The lawsuit alleged that the federal agencies failed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act . The trial began in May 1988, and

2376-533: The National Trust for Historic Preservation said, "The warehouse district, to the best of my knowledge, is certainly one of the Middle West's or the nation's finest collection of this sort of buildings." All of Omaha's largest and most notable wholesale and mercantile businesses built massive warehouse structures in the area by the early 20th century. Six- and seven-story red brick buildings filled with jobbing houses towered over red brick streets, creating

2464-585: The Omaha Children's Museum , and the Rose Theater . There are still major employers in the area, such as Physicians Mutual Insurance Company , but there is also evidence of better days gone past such as the now vacant Northern Natural Gas Building . Omaha's Destination Midtown has been working to restore the area in recent years, as well as other Midtown neighborhoods, and evidence of revitalization can be seen in newly restored condos and apartments in

2552-675: The Simon Brothers Company at 1024 Dodge Street. The street was once lined by the Old Post Office . Accommodating U.S. 6 it conjoins with Douglas Street at 30th Street to hold six lanes of two-way traffic. The City of Omaha is considering developing a light rail system that would extend from NoDo to the Rosenblatt Stadium / Henry Doorly Zoo area in South Omaha . The historical Omaha port site

2640-578: The Union Passenger Terminal . Omaha's main east–west street, Dodge Street begins downtown as a westbound one-way offramp from I-480 right after it crosses the Missouri River from Iowa . This route of the former Lincoln Highway in Omaha includes several buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places , including the Kirschbraun and Sons Creamery, Inc. at 901 Dodge Street, The Logan at 1804 Dodge Street, and

2728-510: The Union Stock Yard Gate still arches over Exchange Avenue, next to the firefighters' memorial, and can be seen by those driving along Halsted Street. This limestone gate, marking the entrance to the stockyards, survives as one of the few relics of Chicago's heritage of livestock and meatpacking. The bovine head decoration over the central arch is thought to represent "Sherman", a prize-winning bull named after John B. Sherman,

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2816-481: The crime in Omaha in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Downtown Omaha is generally thought of as a large neighborhood itself; however, currently and historically within it are several distinct areas. The Old Market Historic District has been rehabilitated into boutique shops, offices and loft residential units. On the south edge of downtown bordering Little Italy , the Burlington Station

2904-447: The district court immediately denied plaintiffs' request to stop demolition. The district court later ruled in favor of defendants on the merits, with a court of appeals affirming the district court decision in a brief opinion. The court of appeal granted a partial stay of demolition during the appeals at a time when five buildings remained standing in the district. The injunction was later dissolved, and ultimately, all 24 buildings in

2992-627: The "Back of the Yards". It was a name that the residents proudly claimed as their own. In 1939, the Town of Lake Journal officially changed its name to Back of the Yards Journal . Pioneers to the area first called "Town of Lake" were S. S. Crocker and John Caffrey. Indeed, Crocker earned the nickname "Father of the Town of Lake". By February 1865 the area was incorporated officially as "Town of Lake"

3080-649: The 1870s onward. After George Francis Train landed the Union Pacific and Credit Foncier of America in Omaha, the city quickly turned into a transportation hub. Fruit and vegetable wholesalers, meatpackers , and all sorts of supply people created a range of businesses, building almost 24 densely congested buildings in a seven-block by three-block area in downtown Omaha. At its peak, Jobbers Canyon had more than 1,700,000 square feet (160,000 m) of office, warehouse, industrial and shipping space. Speaking in 1987 about Jobber's Canyon, J. Jackson Walter, president of

3168-581: The 1890s, the railroad capital behind the Union Stockyards was Vanderbilt money. The Union Stockyards operated in the New City community area for 106 years, helping Chicago become known as the " hog butcher for the world ", the center of the American meatpacking industry for decades. The yards became inspiration for literature and social reform. The stockyards became the focal point of

3256-410: The 2,700 jobs at the Omaha offices. 41°15′21″N 95°55′38″W  /  41.25583°N 95.92722°W  / 41.25583; -95.92722 Downtown Omaha Dating almost to the city's inception, downtown has been a popular location for the headquarters of a variety of companies. The Union Pacific Railroad has been headquartered in Omaha since its establishment in 1862. Downtown Omaha

3344-677: The 320-acre (1.3 km ) marshland area in southwest Chicago for US$ 100,000 in 1864. The stockyards were connected to the city's main rail lines by 15 miles (24 km) of track. In 1864, the Union Stock Yards were located just outside the southern boundary of the city of Chicago. Within five years, the area was incorporated into the city. Eventually, the 375-acre (1.52 km ) site had 2300 separate livestock pens, room to accommodate 75,000 hogs, 21,000 cattle and 22,000 sheep at any one time. Additionally, hotels, saloons, restaurants, and offices for merchants and brokers sprang up in

3432-400: The Chicago stockyards rose from 392,000 hogs in 1860 to 1,410,000 hogs over the winter butchering season of 1864–1865; over the same time period, beef receipts in Chicago rose from 117,000 head to 338,000 head. With an influx of butchers and small meat packing concerns, the number of businesses greatly increased to process the flood of livestock being shipped to the Chicago stockyards. The goal

3520-581: The Chicago stockyards: westward expansion of railroads between 1850 and 1870, which drove great commercial growth in Chicago as a major railroad center, and the Mississippi River blockade during the Civil War that closed all north–south river trade. The United States government purchased a great deal of beef and pork to feed the Union troops fighting the Civil War. As a consequence, hog receipts at

3608-795: The National Register-listed historic district were demolished, and the adjacent corporate campus was completed in 1992. Two historic districts listed on the National Register currently border the former Jobbers Canyon site. They include the Old Market Historic District , which was listed in 1979; and the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District , which was listed in 1996. The Union Station , Burlington Train Station and Bemis Bag Company Building are all nearby buildings that have been included on

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3696-629: The New York Life Insurance Company in Kansas City, Missouri. The building was Omaha's first ten-story structure. There has been a recent revitalization of the area, with several notable new buildings and other developments taking place. Following are some of the notable locations throughout the area. Omaha's tallest building, the 45-story First National Bank Tower , is in Downtown. The Old Market Historic District

3784-568: The NoDo area. The stadium will seat 24,000 and could be expanded to hold as many as 35,500. The stadium will feature open air concourses and will have impressive views of the downtown skyline from the third base side. The stadium will face southeast towards the Qwest Center , and the new riverfront developments, the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge and, RiverFront Place Condos . The 2008 financial crisis did not impact Omaha as much as other areas of

3872-613: The Register individually, reflecting the area's significance. The National Park Service officially delisted the non-existent Jobbers Canyon Historic District in 2002. In 2005 a restaurant called "Jobber's Canyon" opened in the Old Market, but later closed. Some critics charge that Omaha's dual losses of Jobbers Canyon and the Union Stockyards represent a blatant disregard for the city's working-class history. In 2015, ConAgra moved its headquarters to Chicago and cut 1,500 of

3960-503: The United States. In 1906, architect Charles Cleves designed a six-story building for the U.S. Supply Company, which distributed of wholesale steam, water and plumbing supplies. The Dempster Building was a five-story Renaissance Revival-style warehouse designed by Omaha architect John Latenser, Sr. in 1902. The Dempster Mill Manufacturing Company started as a small retail pump and windmill shop in 1880 and eventually grew to become

4048-580: The actual historically designated area of the Old Market Historic District is a few square blocks. Several projects commencing in Downtown Omaha are restoring and expanding the city's core. Omaha's own HDR, Inc. designed downtown's important Omaha World-Herald Freedom Center , which opened in 2001. The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge is sparking a riverfront expansion project in Omaha and Council Bluffs. The bridge has

4136-636: The area includes the new Slowdown venue. The new TD Ameritrade Park opened in April 2011 near CenturyLink Center as the new home of the College World Series and Creighton University baseball. The area also includes national retailers and several restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. Several buildings have also been renovated into apartments and condos. The Missouri River riverfront is the eastern boundary of NoDo where millions in redevelopment has taken place in recent years. The city has created

4224-519: The area still consisted of fewer than 700 persons. In the early 1860s the meat packing industry of the United States was still located in Cincinnati, Ohio, the original "Porkopolis" of the pre-Civil War era. However, with the end of the American Civil War, the meat packing industry had started to move westward along with the westward migration of the population of the United States. For the meat packing industry moving west meant coming to Chicago. As early as 1827, Archibauld Clybourn had established himself as

4312-415: The area. As of 2004, an elementary school, Liberty Elementary, has been established to serve the growing downtown population. Home to the original Nebraska State Capitol , the Park East neighborhood has hosted several significant historical buildings and structures. One of Omaha's original parks, Jefferson Square , was located in the neighborhood, with the Market House and Omaha's first school located in

4400-406: The area. At this time the area was known as the "Town of Lake". Indeed, the area would continue to be called Town of Lake until 1939. Witness that the newspaper of the area was called the Town of Lake Journal . Only with the founding of the community organization called the "Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council" in 1939 did the neighborhood west and south of the meat packinghouses start being called

4488-412: The automobile assembly line that Henry Ford popularized in 1913. For a time the Armour plant, located on a 12-acre site, was renowned as the largest factory in the world. In addition, hedging transactions by the stockyard companies were pivotal in the establishment and growth of the Chicago-based commodity exchanges and futures markets . Selling on the futures market allowed the seller to have

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4576-428: The building extensively in 1899. That company's depot in the downtown area was recently rehabilitated for use as high-end condominiums . In 1889 ASARCO , a smelting company, consolidated several plants at the corner of 5th & Douglas Streets in Downtown Omaha. By 1915 it was the largest lead refinery in the world. In 1972 the plant was found to be releasing high amounts of lead into the air and ground surrounding

4664-477: The cars from Creighton University near 20th and Webster streets, proceeding east to 10th Street, passing by the CenturyLink Center and moving south to Jackson Street in the Old Market . After that it would then move west to 16th Street and then north to Farnam before returning to 10th Street. This neighborhood is considered the gateway to Downtown Omaha. Although, due to its tall buildings and proximity to downtown, most Omaha citizens consider this area to be part of

4752-523: The city of Chicago. In 1848, a stockyard called the Bulls Head Market was opened to the public. The Bulls Head Stock Yards were located at Madison Street and Ogden Avenue. In the years that followed, several small stockyards were scattered throughout the city. Between 1852 and 1865, five railroads were constructed to Chicago. The stockyards that sprang up were usually built along various rail lines of these new railroad companies. Some railroads built their own stockyards in Chicago. The Illinois Central and

4840-420: The city of Omaha, where the riverfront held businesses and the area surrounding it bore the brunt of its commercial, residential, and social activities. The Omaha National Bank Building was the first tower in downtown. Constructed in 1888 and 1889, the building was designed in the Renaissance Revival style by the New York architectural firm of McKim, Mead, and White. The firm designed an identical office tower for

4928-423: The city's drinking water. The meatpacking district was served between 1908 and 1957 by a short Chicago 'L' line with several stops, devoted primarily to the daily transport of thousands of workers and even tourists to the site. The line was constructed when the city of Chicago forced the removal of surface trackage on 40th Street. Evolving methods of transportation and distribution led to declining business and

5016-470: The city's inception in 1854. The following are all buildings, districts and other notable locations in Omaha that have been lost over the last 150 years. Other sites labeled as key historic sites by the Federal Writers Project include the Douglas Street Bridge , Herndon House , First Territorial Capitol , Diamond Gambling House , Original Union Pacific Headquarters , Joslyn Memorial , Original World-Herald Building , Apex Saloon , Omaha Auditorium and

5104-411: The city. It was south and west of the earlier stock yards in an area bounded by Halsted Street on the east, South Racine Avenue on the west, with 39th Street as the northern boundary and 47th Street as the southern boundary. Led by the Alton, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad and the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway , a consortium of nine railroad companies (hence the " Union " name) acquired

5192-490: The closing of the Union Stock Yards in 1971. National Wrecking Company negotiated a contract whereby National Wrecking cleared a 102-acre site and removed some 50 acres of animal pens, auxiliary buildings and the eight-story Exchange Building. It took approximately eight months to complete the job and ready the site for the building of an industrial park. The area and scale of the stockyards, along with technological advancements in rail transport and refrigeration , allowed for

5280-420: The country. In addition, the recovery in residential construction in Downtown Omaha was much swifter than the suburban west Omaha. Many new residential developments have been completed or are ongoing. The list below totals 2,270 new units completed or planned since 2008 valued at approximately $ 513 million. Aside from the Old Market, other attractions in Downtown Omaha include the historic Orpheum Theater , which

5368-539: The creation of some of America's first truly global companies led by entrepreneurs such as Gustavus Franklin Swift and Philip Danforth Armour . Philip Armour was the first person to build a modern large-scale meatpacking plant in Chicago in 1867. The Armour plant was built at 45th Street and Elizabeth Avenue immediately to the west of the Union Stockyards. This new plant employed the modern "assembly line" (or rather dis-assembly line) method of work. The mechanized process with its killing wheel and conveyors helped inspire

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5456-399: The downtown central district. The area runs from 20th street on the east to 28th street on the west and from Dodge street to the north and Leavenworth to the south. The neighborhood, situated between Midtown Omaha and Downtown, is home to several historic buildings as well as some of Omaha's tallest buildings. The area has some of Omaha's major art institutions such as the Joslyn Art Museum ,

5544-404: The east, Howard street to the north and the train tracks to the south. Part of Market West is included in the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District . While the neighborhood is dominated by historic warehouses, the area is beginning to see new construction of apartment buildings. The area of Market West is often confused with the Old Market , as south 13th street is the most obvious boundary -

5632-414: The growing community around the stockyards. Led by Timothy Blackstone , a founder and the first president of the Union Stock Yards and Transit Company, "The Yards" experienced tremendous growth. Processing two million animals yearly by 1870, in two decades the number rose to nine million by 1890. Between 1865 and 1900, approximately 400 million livestock were butchered within the confines of the Yards. By

5720-418: The largest single loss of buildings included on the National Register of Historic Places to date. All of the 24 buildings in the Jobbers Canyon were demolished in 1989, to be replaced by the ConAgra headquarters and Heartland of America Park . The Warehouses in Omaha Multiple Property Submission brings together several historic locations around Downtown Omaha, as well. According to a 1939 publication by

5808-547: The location of the Union Pacific Railroad headquarters since its founding in 1865; they constructed a bridge , shops and a station downtown for their traffic. In 1989 the railroad combined all of its nationwide operational coordination into the rehabilitated 1892 Harriman Dispatch Center ; in 2002 they opened a new headquarters building downtown as well. In a similar fashion, the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad built their headquarters in downtown in 1879, with renowned Omaha architect Thomas R. Kimball redesigning

5896-431: The major meatpacking companies resisted change, but Swift and Armour both surrendered and vacated their plants in the Yards in the 1950s. In 1971, the area bounded by Pershing Road, Ashland, Halsted, and 47th Street became The Stockyards Industrial Park . The neighborhood to the west and south of the industrial park is still known as Back of the Yards , and is still home to a thriving immigrant population. A remnant of

5984-400: The neighborhood was the smell of the community caused not just by the packing plants located immediately to the east, but also by the 345-acre Chicago Union Stock Yards containing 2,300 pens of livestock, located further east from the packing plants. Settlement in the area that was to become known as the "Back of the Yards" began in the 1850s before there were any meat packers or stockyards in

6072-415: The neighborhood. Additionally, there was a "Hair Factory", located at 44th Street and Ashland Avenue, which processed hair from butchered animals into saleable items. Next to the Union Stock Yards, the International Amphitheatre building was built on the west side of Halsted Street at 42nd Street in the 1930s, originally to hold the annual International Live Stock Exposition which began in 1900. It became

6160-436: The north by 43rd Street and on the south by 47th Street. At first, the residents were overwhelmingly Irish and German—60% Irish and 30% German. Officially designated the "Town of Lake" until its incorporation into the City of Chicago in about 1870, the neighborhood was known locally as "Packingtown". However, much later in the 1930s, the community would become known as the "Back of the Yards". The overwhelming sensation about

6248-462: The park. The Old Post Office and other buildings were there, too. The Old Market is a neighborhood bordered by South 10th Street . The neighborhood has many restaurants, art galleries and upscale shopping, and is the location of several condominiums, including the JLofts on the Market and the Broatch Building . The area retains its brick paved streets from the turn of the 20th century, horse-drawn carriages, and covered sidewalks in some areas. It

6336-640: The plant, and in 1995 ASARCO submitted a demolition and site cleanup plan to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. The company was fined $ 3.6 million in 1996 for discharging lead and other pollutants into the Missouri River , and the plant was closed in July, 1997. After extensive cleanup the land was turned over to the City of Omaha for use as a 23-acre (93,000 m ) park. All of North Omaha , comprising more than 8,000 acres (3,200 ha),

6424-510: The rise of some of the earliest international companies. These refined industrial innovations and influenced financial markets. Both the rise and fall of the district reflect the evolution of transportation services and technology in America. The stockyards have become an integral part of the popular culture of Chicago's history. They are considered one of the chief drivers that empowered the animal–industrial complex into its modern form. From

6512-727: The start of the 20th century, the stockyards employed 25,000 people and produced 82 percent of the domestic meat consumed nationally. In 1921, the stockyards employed 40,000 people. Two thousand men worked directly for the Union Stock Yard & Transit Co., and the rest worked for companies such as meatpackers, which had plants in the stockyards. By 1900, the 475-acre (1.92 km ) stockyard contained 50 miles (80 km) of road, and had 130 miles (210 km) of track along its perimeter. At its largest area, The Yards covered nearly 1 square mile (3 km ) of land, from Halsted Street to Ashland Avenue and from 39th (now Pershing Rd.) to 47th Streets. At one time, 500,000 US gallons (2,000 m )

6600-426: The stockyards was due to both the concentration of railroads and the evolution of refrigerated railroad cars . Its decline was due to further advances in post–World War II transportation and distribution. Direct sales of livestock from breeders to packers, facilitated by advancement in interstate trucking , made it cheaper to slaughter animals where they were raised and excluded the intermediary stockyards. At first,

6688-478: The west and Riverfront Drive on the east. The area comprising NoDo is central to the history of Omaha . Along the river, Miller's Landing was the site where the Lone Tree Ferry brought settlers from Iowa. The early Territorial Legislature platted Scriptown in the area. The historic neighborhood of Squatter's Row and the city's notorious prostitution alleyway, The Cribs , were located here. Today

6776-603: Was also the site of the Jobbers Canyon Historic District , which housed 24 historic warehouses. All 24 buildings were demolished in 1989, representing the largest single loss of buildings to date from the National Register. The site was home to many import and export businesses necessary for the settlement and development of the American West . Today dozens of companies have their national and regional headquarters in downtown Omaha. The area

6864-416: Was asked about the district, and responded saying it was "some big, ugly red brick buildings". ConAgra's campus created almost 300,000 square feet (30,000 m) of office space. Critics charged that the city was being "held hostage" by ConAgra, and that the city should not have to choose between its corporations and its historical legacies. At the time Omaha's then-planning director, Marty Shukert, said it

6952-709: Was built by influential Omaha philanthropist John A. Creighton , whose family also built the city's Creighton University . Along with the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center , this is the oldest theater left in downtown. Other performance spaces downtown include the Magic Theatre , which features experimental theater . The Omaha Children's Museum , Durham Museum , and the Holland Performing Arts Center are all important visual arts spaces downtown, while

7040-412: Was built in 1900 as a six-story brick Renaissance Revival style structure. Kingman was a wholesale distributor of farm implements and vehicles. The Fairbanks, Morse and Company building at 923 Farnam Street was six stories tall. It was designed in 1907 by Omaha architects Fisher and Lawrie . In 1907 Fairbanks, Morse and Company was the largest manufacturer of gasoline, kerosene, and crude oil engines in

7128-455: Was declared a Superfund site, and as of 2003, 290 acres (120 ha) had been cleaned. Union Stockyards The Union Stock Yard & Transit Co. , or The Yards , was the meatpacking district in Chicago for more than a century, starting in 1865. The district was operated by a group of railroad companies that acquired marshland and turned it into a centralized processing area. By

7216-463: Was designated a Chicago Landmark on February 24, 1972, and a National Historic Landmark on May 29, 1981, and is the only remnant of the old stockyards, which largely became business and industrial parks after the closure. Before construction of the various private stockyards, tavern owners provided pastures and care for cattle herds waiting to be sold. With the spreading service of railroads , several small stockyards were created in and around

7304-473: Was designed by architect Charles Cleves. Today the Greenhouse Apartments at 900 Farnam Street are the only building left from the original Jobbers Canyon. The Nash Block at 902 Farnam Street was designed by Thomas R. Kimball and built in 1907. Agriculture -related industries have always been important to Omaha's workforce. In addition to the meat industry , major employers have included

7392-401: Was located in downtown, with dozens of businesses lining the riverside to serve the steamboats and other water traffic. Jobbers Canyon was originally built here to accommodate river traffic. That same area today is home to Miller's Landing , which is a riverboat excursion launching site, and the new Missouri River Pedestrian Bridge that will take walkers to Council Bluffs. Downtown has been

7480-413: Was more important to keep the city's downtown core healthy than to keep the historic district. "This development may not be a large thing to a city with multiple corporate headquarters and a large development industry," he said. "In a relatively small community like this, the effects of a growing, national corporation echo throughout the economy." People for Responsible Omaha Urban Development (PROUD), with

7568-404: Was seen as far away as Indiana, and caused approximately $ 6 million worth of damages. One employee and 8,000 head of cattle died. The yards were in business the following Sunday evening. Following the opening of the new Union Stockyards on December 25, 1865, a community of workers began living in the area just west of the packing plants between Ashland Avenue and South Robey Street and bounded on

7656-405: Was the mass mob murder of Willy Brown in 1919, in which Mayor Ed Smith was lynched and almost murdered as well. The event, coordinated by city boss Tom Dennison , was in retaliation of Smith's reform administration. Dennison operated a private bank at 1409 Douglas Street, bankrolling a number of illegal operations throughout the city. He was likely in control of the city's Sporting District ,

7744-426: Was to butcher and process the livestock locally rather than transferring it to other northern cities for butchering and processing. Keeping up with the huge number of animals arriving each day proved impossible until a new wave of consolidation and modernization altered the meatpacking business in the post-Civil War era. The Union Stock Yards, designed to consolidate operations, was built in 1864 on marshland south of

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