Published December 22, 2024 | Updated August 6, 2026

Omaha was left without a permanent branch downtown after W. Dale Clark, its main branch since 1977, was razed. That’s no longer the case with the opening of a new branch at 14th and Jones Street west of the Old Market in 2023.

The downtown branch of the Omaha Public Library was awarded the 2024 Best Design Award for Adaptive-Reuse Education from The Architect’s Newspaper. If you’re like me, you were probably a little skeptical that the main branch downtown was being razed and replaced with the Central Public Library at 72nd and Dodge.

Despite that, I was personally blown away by the new downtown library. In my opinion, it is much better than the library it replaced. Located within the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District, the building at 1401 Jones Street was built in 1912 as the David Cole Creamery Company. It operated as such for nearly three decades. In 1940 it was renovated into cold storage and later operated as an auto parts supply business. It was sold to investors in 2013.

Walking through the historic building, its clear that care was taken to preserve its integrity. As such, most of its key features were preserved including the brickwork and limestone window sills. Inside it maintains it’s tin ceilings, tiles, and exposed wood beams. Both artwork and photographs honor the history of the building as well as Omaha. Modern touches were added including large windows, wood, and steel.

The first floor is designed to invoke a cozy living room with relaxed seating areas, a seating stair overlooking a streetscape and computers. It also features the children’s area. The second floor has the books you would expect to find as well as reading and meeting rooms.

Meanwhile, the land where W. Dale Clark used to sit between Farnam and Douglas Streets and from 14th to 15th Streets is the future home to the new Mutual of Omaha Headquarters, which will become the tallest building in not just Omaha or Nebraska but several surrounding states.

While the move of its main branch outside the urban core is unusual for a library, I find the new branch to be an improvement over its predecessor even if many of its services have moved. Perhaps this new branch will also spur development west from the Old Market to an area that retains some of the same charm with its cobblestone streets and brick buildings.

This article is part of a series exploring Omaha’s main and downtown library branches.

I’d love to hear what you have to say so please feel free to comment. Until next time, keep exploring!

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