The largest destruction of a historic district in the country occurred in Omaha nearly four decades ago. The area was known as Jobbers Canyon.
The industrial district was formed after Council Bluffs was designated the eastern terminus for the transcontinental railroad in 1863. This act helped establish Omaha as an important transportation hub as its location on the western banks of the Missouri River was the starting point for the railroad that extended to the west coast.
In the area between the river and the train tracks, wholesalers or jobbers that acquired goods from manufacturers via train so that they could be sold to retailers, began to build warehouses. Starting in the 1880s and continuing into the 1920s, they built two dozen buildings in an area that grew into a massive jobbing district. This helped propel the city’s economic growth during its early years.
While the area extended from 8th to 10th and from Farnam to Jackson streets, there was a three-block section along 9th Street in which the massive structures created a “canyon” effect, thereby earning the nickname Jobbers Canyon. The warehouses within the district were designed by some of Omaha’s most prominent architects and firms, including Thomas Kimball, John Latenser and Sons, Fisher and Lawrie, Charles Cleves and George Prinz.
As the city grew, the downtown area continued to thrive as a center of commerce well into the 20th century but began to suffer as the city expanded west. This led to a decline in the urban core driven by highway construction, urban renewal projects and the building of suburban neighborhoods, shopping centers and business parks…