Omaha Children’s Museum is planning to build a new museum in downtown Omaha at 8th & Douglas Street, along the north side of Heartland of America Park at The RiverFront.
The Children’s Museum will continue to operate at its current location at 20th & Howard Street during the fundraising for and construction of the new building, with the goal of transitioning to its new home in late 2027.
Omaha Children’s Museum has a nearly 50-year legacy of nurturing growth and development in children across the Omaha community – much of it from a building that was originally a car dealership. The development of a new museum would be in partnership with project champions Susan and Mike Lebens and Heritage Omaha, a nonprofit committed to developing impactful philanthropic projects designed to enrich the Omaha community. The goal is to create a dynamic, purpose-built children’s museum full of fun spaces inspired by children and their caregivers, shaped by best practices in early child development.
Omaha Children’s Museum CEO Fawn Taylor said this is an opportunity to build a museum with exhibits and programming that spark joy, curiosity, and connection.
“Nebraska is home to some of the nation’s leading experts on early childhood development who are working with us to plan for the new museum – from the building to the exhibits to the programming,” Taylor said. “Their guidance will combine with input from national peer museums, decades of experience from our staff, and feedback from the Omaha community to create a dynamic new Omaha Children’s Museum.”
Longtime Omaha Children’s Museum supporters and volunteers Susan and Mike Lebens are excited to have a role in leading this project.
“We spent the past year traveling the United States to visit other great children’s museums and are confident that we can create something incredibly fun and full of learning opportunities that is unlike anything else in the country right now,” Susan Lebens said.
Mike Lebens added, “We’re proud to play a role in taking what started in 1976 as a children’s museum operating out of a station wagon into its next chapter, ensuring it can serve area children and their caregivers for generations to come.”
Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert joined Omaha Children’s Museum for the announcement, which included plans at the site for a residential complex from NuStyle Development called The Beam and an adjacent City of Omaha parking garage. The combined museum/apartment development will be bult on city property between Interstate 480 and Heartland of America Park.
The Beam will be a 16-story structure immediately east of the new museum. It will include a 12-story, wood-timber apartment building constructed on top of a 4-story, city-owned parking garage. Additionally, the city will build a 600-stall parking garage on a current surface lot immediately north of the future museum.
The estimated site development and parking cost is approximately $36 million. The city will pay $26 million of those costs, using lease purchase bonds.
NuStyle estimates its investment at $87 million. The Beam will offer 261 one- and two-bedroom units. The developer has applied for $13 million in Tax Increment Financing.
“This is a perfect example of a property that would never have been developed if not for the streetcar and TIF,” said NuStyle president Todd Heistand.
Mayor Stothert says the project would add to the momentum downtown.
“This entire development fits right in with all the year-round family-friendly activities at the surrounding parks, museums, and entertainment venues downtown,” said Mayor Stothert. “We love that the site has easy access for pedestrians and cyclists and a location directly on the ORBT bus and Omaha Streetcar routes, and we know that the new City of Omaha parking garage will get plenty of use from museum guests, Beam tenants, and everyone visiting downtown.”
Since the streetcar announcement in 2022, numerous urban core developments have been announced or construction has started. The city had projected approximately $1.2 billion in new development will be underway along the streetcar corridor by the end of 2024. Investment is already well ahead of that pace.
The Beam, which is expected to open in the spring of 2028, will bring the current investment estimate to more than $1.5 billion, pending city approvals of The Beam and six additional projects in various stages of planning.
The garage and associated redevelopment agreements are scheduled to go before the Omaha City Council in the coming weeks.
Omaha Children’s Museum is working with internationally renowned design firm Snøhetta to create the architecture and landscape of the museum. Snøhetta recently completed the renovation and expansion of Omaha’s Joslyn Art Museum and sculpture gardens. Other project partners include award-winning exhibit design firm Roto, Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture, and Kiewit Building Group.
