A city block that was once home to Union Pacific’s corporate headquarters building is being converted into a temporary laydown yard to support streetcar construction. The block is bounded by 14th, Dodge and 15th streets as well as Capitol Avenue. Union Pacific’s headquarters building occupied the site for many decades until the railroad’s current HQ building opened in 2004. Shortly after that time, the old headquarters was torn down to make way for a proposed 32-story condominium tower that failed to materialize. The land has been vacant ever since.
A laydown yard is used to store heavy equipment and construction materials during major projects. The south side of the block will be a laydown for Hawkins Construction, which is handling utility work on the eastern portion of the streetcar route. The northern half of the block will be a laydown for Kiewit, which is handling the actual track construction. The streetcar is scheduled to open in 2028, at which time, the site will presumably be redeveloped or used for some other purpose.
