Omaha Exploration

At the eastern edge of the Blackstone District sits a building that not only bears its name but whose black-painted granite facade also reflects it. For decades, it has been the home to one of the country’s largest companies by revenue.

Local construction firm Peter Kiewit Sons’ Inc. picked a prominent location at the southeast corner of 36th and Farnam Street when it decided to build its new headquarters, across from the famous Blackstone Hotel.

The 15-story modernist building at 3555 Farnam Street was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Bunshaft was considered one of the top modernist architects of the era. The building was named for Kiewit, which led the development team.

Completed in 1961, the multi-use building housed Kiewit’s offices and was joined by Berkshire Hathaway in 1962. It was also home to men’s and women’s clothiers Parsow’s and Topp’s, among others, not to mention The Fountain Room restaurant and other business and residential space on the main floor. Upon moving in, Warren Buffett consolidated six partnerships into one, using the building as headquarters.

Following the redevelopment of the Blackstone District, the building was purchased by Blackstone Plaza LLC in 2019. Extensive renovations took place to modernize the space while retaining its mid-century modern vibe. Kiewit moved out in 2022 after its new headquarters in North Downtown’s Builders District was complete. The building remains the home to Berkshire Hathaway and added WOWT Channel 6, which moved from next door.

Today the concourse level features a fitness center, barber shop, and regional restaurant chain HomeGrown. The top floor was restored as The Cloud Room. As it was when the building first opened, it offers panoramic views of not just the Blackstone District but across the city. The exclusive space is available to tenants and their guests.

Blackstone Plaza remains a visual landmark on the Omaha skyline marking where the Blackstone neighborhood begins. It is impressive enough that this building houses one of the top companies in America. Perhaps even more striking is that Berkshire Hathaway, with nearly 400,000 employees worldwide, runs its headquarters out of an office where only 27 of them work.

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Sources

• Omaha World-Herald archives
• Blackstone Plaza – Wikipedia
• Where is Kiewit Corporation Located? HQ, Global Offices & Company Insights