Downtown Lincoln’s Thriving Transformation

by Cynthia S. Peterson

‘By leaps and bounds’ continues to describe Downtown Lincoln’s growth, development and reimaging. A lot has changed and the changes are good, with more to come. 

In the early 1980s, except for the train station, a couple bars, thrift store, and a random business or two, there weren’t many reasons to go to what is now the Haymarket District. But people did go and imagined the possibilities.

There were those guys at a local downtown bike shop who wanted a better cup of coffee. So, they decided to open a small gourmet coffee shop next door. As the coffee business flourished, they eventually gambled on an old brick warehouse in the yet-to-be-imagined historic Haymarket District of Downtown.

That gamble paid off. Since 1988, the outdoor covered deck of The Mill is one of the best people-watching/coffee drinking and gathering spots in the city at 8th & P streets.

And, let’s not forget another Downtown pioneer, Anne Burkholder. In the late 1980s, Anne came across an old carpet factory building at 7th & P streets, and achieved her long-time goal of creating a space for artists to create and display their work. Her vision included New York style lofts, too, and she was an early proponent of the Downtown lifestyle. The Burkholder Project remains an essential part of the Haymarket District to this day. (For more on the arts in Downtown, see page 25.)

Many ears ago, Downtown was still where people came to work and shop (and still do, but it’s different). But, except for bars, movie theaters or a concert at Pershing Auditorium, nothing much happened after 5 p.m.

Today, the Haymarket District is 24/7, vibrant and bustling, and the rest of Downtown is only a step behind.  

While Lincoln has many great restaurants, many of the best are Downtown. Concerts? You head Downtown. Major sporting events? Downtown. Culture? Downtown. Want to peacefully protest a social injustice? You go Downtown.

Immediately adjacent to both Downtown and the Haymarket is the University of Nebraska-Lincoln city campus. The staff, faculty and students flow throughout the entire Downtown community every day and night, generating an energy and enthusiasm in the air that’s not found anywhere else in the city.

Many students have also elected to live in recently constructed off-campus housing, usually located Downtown within a mile of campus. Buildings with names like LivRed, Latitude, Academy Lincoln were specially designed to cater to the student lifestyle with amenities that far exceed on-campus residence halls and Greek houses.

Major UN-L sporting events attract thousands of fans to the entire area on any given game day, all in Husker attire. Describing Downtown as a “sea of red” is no exaggeration.

Other events including upcoming arena concerts by Old Dominion, Nickelback, Cody Johnson and DaBaby will attract large crowds too, but much less red.

The appeal of a downtown lifestyle continues to blossom. In 2010, 3,000 residents lived Downtown. In a couple years, that number is projected to
be 10,000+, especially as more core services become available.

When Pinnacle Bank Arena was built 10 years ago, it was anticipated the arena would spark development a block or two to its south, but not all the way to the South Haymarket. Residential development has exceeded nearly all expectations.

The Downtown Lincoln Association’s website lists at least 37 separate multi-story apartment and condo buildings (not including off-campus student housing) of different architectural styles available at various rental rates and purchase prices. Also not included are three recently constructed apartment complexes in the Telegraph District.

A great leap for Downtown in terms of livability is the upcoming redevelopment of the former site of the city’s Pershing Auditorium. Located adjacent to the renovated Centennial Mall and N Street, this was a major catalyst project in Lincoln’s 2018 Downtown Master Plan.

A development group from Omaha plans to construct MURAL, a multi-purpose L-shaped structure offering 93 affordable housing units, first floor spaces for core services like urgent care clinics, hair salons, gym, dry cleaners, etc., and green space. Once the site is ready, construction is expected to take two years. A new city library may also find a home in the same area, but those discussions continue.

Todd Ogden, President and CEO of the Downtown Lincoln Association (DLA)—Downtown’s greatest supporting organization and cheerleader—is excited about “activating that particular area of Downtown. We have a lovely Centennial Mall that is desperate for residents. People deserve to be able to live in a wonderful neighborhood and I believe that will happen there.”

On September 1, 2023 the area known as Downtown Lincoln officially GREW. All thanks to a lot of planning and a 7-0 vote of the Lincoln City Council, Downtown’s boundaries were pushed east of 17th Street to Antelope Creek (roughly 21st Street), K Street north to P Street to include the up-and-coming Telegraph District. The expansion added 156 properties and 80 businesses to Downtown including Open Harvest Co-op Grocery and Journal Star newspaper.  

Further west, construction on a $31 million extended stay hotel—Residence Inn by Marriott—at 9th & R streets will likely start soon. This “really beautifully designed building will be an entry point into Downtown along the 9th Street corridor,” said Ogden.

South Haymarket Park will be a Downtown focal point beginning in 2025/26. Near 7th and N streets, this handsomely designed, world class destination park in the heart of the Haymarket District will include a canopy along N Street with front porch-style swings, inground skate park, accessible playground, lots of green space and gardens, an interactive water feature, trails and more.

It will no doubt be a catalyst for the continued growth of downtown residential living, while promoting a livable community for all Lincoln residents.

Walkability is a watchword for the DLA. While the Haymarket is comfortably walkable for residents and visitors, other parts of downtown need improvement. Both 9th and 10th Streets from K to R streets will be completely transformed to make this major Downtown corridor much more pedestrian-friendly and welcoming.

Expect similar changes on the O Street corridor from 9th Street to Centennial Mall. (You can learn much more about these projects on the city’s urban development web page located at lincoln.ne.gov, keyword ‘redevelopment.’)

The Haymarket District keeps getting better. The work on Canopy Street continues with more improvements to the area under the Harris Overpass. The walkable streetscape will be consistent all the way from Pinnacle Bank Arena south to the future crossing to South Haymarket Park, and further contribute to the charm of the area.

Designs for streetscape enhancements on 7th Street are also underway.

Downtown is vibrant, energetic and noisy, with great food, lots of people, interesting buildings to live in or look at, and green space you don’t have to water or mow. It’s not a lifestyle everyone would choose, but those that do are there because it’s really where they want to be and live their best lives. If a 24/7 lifestyle lacks some appeal, the good news is you can ‘vacation’ Downtown anytime you want.