I wonder if they would be interested in picking up the 3 Zephyr cars at
Black Hill and include them in the project. Sure would be nice.
Ray Bedard
San Jose CA
>From: "John Lewis" <CBQJohn@msn.com>
>Reply-To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
>To: <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
>Subject: [CBQ] New Plans for the Q's Omaha Union Station
>Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005 13:35:16 -0500
>
>Saw this posted on Trainorders.com, thought you all would be interested.
>
>Regards from Palmyra, Missouri
>
>John Lewis
>
>*************************************************
>Published Tuesday
>June 14, 2005
>
>Omaha landmark to come back to life
>
>BY DEBORAH SHANAHAN
>
>WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
>
>Work to convert a long-vacant downtown Omaha train station into
>condominiums, shops, restaurants and a spa is scheduled to begin late next
>month.
>
>Muriel Boes, whose Ontrack Development LLC bought the Burlington depot at
>1001 S. 10th St. late last year for $650,000, said she has selected the
>Weitz Co. as the contractor to carry out plans drawn by Alley Poyner
>Architecture.
>
>Twelve of the 14 condos remain to be sold, Boes said. Ranging from 850 to
>2,800 square feet, they sell for $200 to $250 a square foot, for a price
>range of about $180,000 to $700,000. The plan is to build the condos to
>"white box" stage and leave the finishes cabinets, flooring, counters and
>trim to buyers.
>
>Plans also include construction of a restaurant that extends over the
>tracks; a grand staircase to the track level; lush gardens with outdoor
>kitchens; a spa and gym with a resistance pool; and a lobby like that of a
>fine hotel.
>
>Boes, an interior designer who recently worked on the models of the Rows at
>SoMA condos, refers to Chicago's W Hotel on Adams Street when describing
>the ambiance she wants to create.
>
>The hotel is in a 1920s building that, one reviewer wrote, has been
>"restored impeccably and married with an edgy urban appeal."
>
>Its lobby, called the Living Room, features a gilded dome ceiling, cushy
>couches, a DJ and board games combining, the reviewer said, the energy of a
>sophisticated nightclub with the mellowness of a coffeehouse. It serves as
>an after-work gathering place, not only for guests but also for local
>executives.
>
>The Burlington's lobby, Boes said, will feature an atrium, a replica of a
>curving double staircase removed during a 1930s remodel and a restored,
>10-foot art deco light fixture.
>
>The fixture is among those removed when the building was gutted in the
>1980s. The Burlington operated as a train station until 1974. Warren
>Distribution officials, who bought the building in 1989, located some of
>the fixtures and put them in storage and, after last year's sale, passed
>them on in pieces.
>
>Boes has teamed with Dave and Brad Underwood as developing partners for the
>project. At Alley Poyner, Albert Macchietto is the principal in charge and
>Mike Thompson is the project architect.
>
>Alley Poyner has a history not only of working with downtown buildings
>including the Securities, Ford Warehouse, Butternut, Bull Durham and Tip
>Top buildings but also of studying the Burlington's potential for various
>clients, Thompson said.
>
>"Now we've got another person who's very, very serious about working on it,
>about bringing it back to life," he said.
>
>The schedule calls for construction to be complete in about a year, he
>said.
>
>Boes said her goal for the Burlington is for residents and visitors to have
>access through the lobby to restaurants and bars and smaller shops, such as
>a gift shop, newsstand and flower shop. She expects the gift shop to offer
>train-related items. Also on her wish list: a gourmet market.
>
>"I want to keep the architecture pure and bring in fun, modern features so
>it's the hot place for everyone to stop and have a cocktail, a place that
>attracts all ages," Boes said.
>
>The track-level spa, she said, would be "very deluxe" with a Zen-like décor
>and two waterfalls. She said it would include a gym, resistance pool, steam
>room, massage rooms and a juice bar. She envisions having a system that
>projects changing images onto the walls for people to view as they work
>out.
>
>The street level of the depot would be divided to create a third level
>overlooking the lobby. That's possible, Thompson said, because of the tall
>ceiling and large volume inside; even after being divided, the street level
>would have 22-foot ceilings.
>
>The spa is the only commercial space that Boes has secured an operator for,
>whom she declined to name. She said she is pursuing operators for the other
>commercial spaces, including the main-floor restaurant, which she said
>could be combined with a bar and would have an outdoor terrace. Thompson
>said the restaurant would be where a previous passenger area extended over
>the tracks. All that remains is a metal frame.
>
>A separate, 2,200-square-foot outbuilding with its original gargoyles
>"would make a wonderful coffee shop or jazz club," Boes said.
>
>"I'm trying to provide for all the needs that the condo people have," she
>said.
>
>Although the lobby would attract the public, the gardens are expected to be
>private getaways for residents, she said. She said gardens will feature
>fountains, private dining areas and an outdoor kitchen and seating areas.
>
>Balconies and French doors will be installed in some of the windows, and
>all of the large existing windows will be replaced with working windows.
>Underground, secure parking will provide two stalls for each condo unit. A
>street-level parking lot would accommodate 130 cars for visitors and
>customers.
>
>Boes plans to install an oversized elevator and have some condos designed
>on one level with sliding pocket doors to accommodate long-term living.
>
>"The building will always be accessible for all ages," she said.
>
>
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