Jobbers Canyon Historic District was a large industrial and warehouse area comprising 24 buildings located in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska, United States. It was roughly bound by Farnam Street on the north, South Eighth Street on the east, Jackson Street on the south, and South Tenth Street on the west.(nd) National Register of Historic Places - Nebraska, Douglas County. Retrieved 7/8/07. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 and was removed in 2002. From 1988 to 1989, all buildings, excluding McKesson-Robbins Warehouse, in Jobbers Canyon were demolished, representing the largest National Register historic district loss to date.
History
Background The Jobbers Canyon Historic District was primarily developed from the late 1880s to the early 1920s as a warehouse district directly bordering the Missouri River in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Properties within the district housed several organizations, such as Kellogg Company, Campbell's, and John Deere.Reeves, R. (nd) Omaha, Douglas County . University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Retrieved 7/8/07. Additionally, the district housed some of Omaha's largest wholesale companies. The district was named for the higher than usual elevation, which created a canyon-like effect.
In 1981, the Fairbanks, Morse and Co. building was added as an Omaha Landmark. Additionally, the city planned on listing the entirety of Jobbers Canyon as a whole to be listed as an Omaha Landmark. However, the restrictiveness of the landmark designation caused property owners to reject a local listing. Three years later, in 1986, a major movement to list the district on the National Register of Historic Places was launched. The nomination was officially approved by the LHPC on September 11, and the National Park Service officially listed the district on December 4, 1986.
Demolition In August 1987, ConAgra Foods announced that it would be moving its headquarters from the north tower of Central Park Plaza to directly border the Riverfront. The move would require the demolition of almost all of the buildings on the site. While several proposals were made to keep some, if not all of Jobbers Canyon, ConAgra rejected the designs, threatening to move out of Omaha if the city did not let them demolish the district. At the time Charles M. Harper, chief executive of ConAgra, was asked about the district, and responded saying it was "some big, ugly red brick buildings".(1987) "Historic district at issue in Omaha," New York Times. 12/13/87. Retrieved 7/8/07.
The announcement sparked outrage against the development. The People for Responsible Omaha Urban Development (PROUD), with the National Trust for Historic Preservation as an intervening plaintiff, sued the Interstate Commerce Commission, the National Park Service and the Army Corps of Engineers in order to stop the demolition. The lawsuit alleged that the federal agencies failed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. Demolition began in 1988. The trial began in May 1988, and the district court immediately denied plaintiffs' request to stop demolition."People for Responsible Omaha Urban Development v. Interstate Commerce Commission". Defense Environmental Network and Information Exchange. Retrieved 7/8/07.
The district court later ruled in favor of defendants on the merits, with a court of appeals affirming the district court decision in a brief opinion. The court of appeal granted a partial stay of demolition during the appeals at a time when five buildings remained standing in the district. The injunction was later dissolved, and ultimately, all buildings in the historic district, excluding the McKesson-Robbins Warehouse, which was separately listed on the National of Historic Places in 1985, were demolished by 1989.Gratz, R.B. (1996) Living City: How America's Cities Are Being Revitalized by Thinking Small in a Big Way. John Wiley and Sons. p. 6.
Aftermath As of 2025, the demolition of the Jobbers Canyon Historic District remains the largest single historic loss on the National Register of Historic Places.Gratz, R.B. (1996) Living City: How America's Cities Are Being Revitalized by Thinking Small in a Big Way. John Wiley and Sons. p. V.National Trust for Historic Preservation and Zagars, J. (1997) Preservation Yellow Pages: The Complete Information Source for Homeowners, Communities, and Professionals. John Wiley and Sons. p.80. ConAgra Foods later completed its corporate headquarters in 1992. Additionally, Heartland of America Park was developed on the site and opened in 1990. The National Park Service later de-listed the district in 2002. ConAgra later moved its corporate headquarters out of Omaha and to Chicago, Illinois in 2016. Four years later, one of the campus's buildings itself was demolished to build the Brickline at Mercantile.
Individual properties All of Omaha's largest and most notable wholesale and mercantile businesses built massive warehouse structures in the area by the early 20th century. Six- and seven-story red brick buildings filled with jobbing houses towered over red brick streets, creating a canyon-like feeling and leading to the area becoming called "Jobber's Canyon". The brick-surfaced South Ninth Street was an important streetscape in the city, with brick and cobblestone streets, railroad spur lines, loading docks, and dock canopies all contributing to the character of Jobbers Canyon. The eight-story Creighton Block was built for John A. Creighton to house the Byrne and Hammer Dry Goods Company. The most ornate building in Jobbers Canyon, this Renaissance Revival-style structure was designed by architect Charles Cleves.(nd) "Jobbers Canyon". Mountain Lumber Company. Retrieved 7/8/07.
Jobber's Canyon buildings Address Built Demolished Notes U.S. Supply Co. 901 Farnam Street 1906 1989 Kingman Implement Co. 923 Farnam Street 1900 1989 Harding Cream Co. 802-810 Harney Street 1904 1989 H.J. Lee warehouse 822 Harney Street 1900 1989 Fairbanks, Morse and Co. 902 Harney Street 1907 1989 Dempster 908 Harney Street 1902 1989 Crane Co. then Nogg Brothers Paper Co. 323 South Tenth Street 1905 1989 Bought by Nogg in 1966 Carpenter Paper Co. 815 Harney Street 1906 1989 Top floor remodeled in 1928 John Deere Plow Co. 402 South Ninth Street 1908 1989 Largest structure in the district Creighton Block 824 Howard Street 1905 1989 Rector and Wilhelmy Co. 523 South Tenth Street 1889 1989 Richardson 902 Jackson Street 1891 1989 D. H. Food Co. 823 Howard Street 1901 1989 J.I. Case Plow Works 814 Jackson Street 1913 1989 Trimble Brothers 802 Jackson Street 1920 1989 American Radiator Co. 417 South Tenth Street 1905 1989 John Day Co. 401 South Tenth Street c. 1892 1989 Remodeled 1932 Brunswick-Balke-Collender 407 South Tenth Street c. 1888 1989 Nash Block 902 Farnam Street 1907 – Only remaining building; divided into residential apartments Omaha Cold Storage Co. 809 Farnam Street 1913 1989 Lee-Coit-Andreesen Hardware Co. 815 Farnam Street 1916 1989
See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Douglas County, Nebraska Transportation in Omaha Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District Old Market Historic District Warehouses in Omaha MPS
References
Bibliography (2004) Omaha Since World War II: The Changing Face of the City (DVD). UNO Television.
External links Picture of downtown Omaha circa 1946, including the Jobbers Canyon in center. Slideshow of 3-dimensional model of Jobber's Canyon with present Greenhouse Apartments (former Nash Building) in detail. (This is a work in progress).