OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Omaha's new downtown library branch is set to open Sunday.
The new branch sits in a freshly renovated, 111-year-old building at 1401 Jones St. with two levels open to the public.
Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert announced the new downtown location in November 2021 and renovation of the historic building began four months later. The longtime downtown branch, the W. Dale Clark Main Library, closed in August.An interim branch has been in place in the meantime.
The new branch replacesW. Dale Clark as downtown's branch, but not as the new central library. That's a much bigger project expected to come on the corner of 72nd and Dodge Streets.
The price tag of the renovation: $6.5 million. The building is being leased to the city for $465,000 a year for 10 years, with an option to opt out of the lease at the five-year mark.
The building opened in 1912 as David Cole Creamery, but in the 1940s was converted to cold storage. The renovation puts the building to use for the first time in decades, said Alex Bullington, the project manager at White Lotus Group, who owns the building.
"When we came across it, it was a little worse for the ware," said Kevin Augustyn, a design architect for HDR. "There was a lot of work that needed to be done. But I think all of us saw the ... potential."
Structural issues delayed the project's completion, which isn't uncommon in old buildings, said Mark Lawlor, the senior project manager at Ronco Construction.
The library will open its doors Sunday at 1 p.m., with activities to celebrate the opening that day, including story times and a scavenger hunt for all ages.
RELATED: Omaha area students invited on tour of new downtown library on Wednesday
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