If you haven't been downtown Omaha for a while, you've missed some big changes on the construction site for the new Mutual of Omaha headquarters. The tower is now the third tallest building in Omaha, and it continues to grow taller.
For this week's Mark at the Park, I wanted to give everyone an update on the progress we can all see from Gene Leahy Mall with the help of Stephen Harris from Lanoha Real Estate Company. Lanoha is the development manager for the project.
The core of the building has now grown to 29 levels, reaching 382 feet, as of the middle of January. That's the skinny and tallest part of the tower with the yellow box on top right now. The core may look small from street level, but it will hold elevator shafts, stairs, bathrooms, mechanical, and electrical.
The lower part of the tower, called the podium, takes up nearly the entire city block. It has reached 175 feet, which won't get much taller. It will house the lobby, loading areas, building infrastructure and services, and parking.
In about a month and a half, steel construction will begin to grow from the concrete podium, which will give us a better idea of the actual width of tallest part of the tower. By the end of 2025, the steel should reach its highest height.
Once finished, the highest occupied level will be the 44th floor, but the tower will climb to 677 feet. This will push over the heights of both Woodmen Life and FNBO towers, making it the tallest tower in Nebraska and multiple other surrounding states.
The yellow crane on the eastern edge of the project (Gene Leahy side) is about 100 feet taller than the tower's core and will continue to grow ahead of the tower. The blue shorter crane will be taken down in early summer.
Also in early summer, the glass exterior should start to go up from bottom to top. By the end of 2025, Harris expects the tower to be nearly fully enclosed.
The construction team is having to fight the winter cold at times right now. The concrete needs to be kept warm enough while traveling to the site and for pouring. When it's too cold to pour concrete, the team can still get other work done. Stairs, drywall, plumbing, and electrical are all being built inside the core.
Strong winds can also impact the construction schedule. The yellow crane must shut down for safety on days with too much wind. Sensors measure wind speeds at the top of the crane, which can vary from street level.
Mutual of Omaha hopes to move into the tower in 2026.
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