Kutak Rock (Omaha Building)

CLIENT: Kutak Rock, LLP
LOCATION: Omaha, NE
ARCHITECT: Alley Poyner Macchietto

Lund-Ross completed the historic renovation of The Omaha Building in downtown Omaha. Built over the years 1888 and 1889, the historical landmark was the city’s first skyscraper and now serves as the headquarters of Kutak Rock, Nebraska’s largest law firm.

Kutak Rock purchased the Omaha Building in the late 1970s and rehabbed the structure. The law firm hired Lund-Ross in 2005 to complete a larger-scale historic renovation, and the Kutak Rock staff was relocated offsite before construction started.

Lund-Ross installed new heating, cooling, plumbing, and electrical systems in the Omaha Building and cleaned the brick exterior of pollutants. The 11th floor was covered in a 12-inch-thick layer of concrete and clay tile and required extensive repair. The excess materials were stripped away and moved from the top floor to the ground level without a working elevator. Lund-Ross replaced the floor with steel decking and concrete to support new mechanical units.

The massive structure received all new windows and lighting, and over 150 offices were renovated. Lund-Ross renovated the central atrium to stretch from the fourth to the top floor. The two-story lobby was restored, and the building’s original elevators were historically restored and reinstalled.

Lund-Ross completed construction on The Omaha Building in less than two years. The project won a regional Excellence in Construction Award in 2009 and was honored as one of America’s best construction projects by Associated Builders and Contractors in 2010.