Published June 3, 2026 | Updated June 6, 2026

After two years, Polina Gardens is finally open. It offers the tranquility of a lush green space surrounded by the sounds of the city.

Its opening completes the long-awaited transformation of a long-neglected parking lot into a welcoming garden where visitors can eat, meet, or relax while experiencing nature and art in a free space that is open to all.

At more than an acre, it is the first satellite location for Lauritzen Gardens. Once covered in crumbling concrete, the space now has more than 120 trees and 22,000 perennials including a mix of native plants and other foliage from around the country. The year-round garden blends native and global plant species and is designed for all seasons, whether spring blooms, summer foliage, fall color, or winter structure. Its design also incorporates two historic buildings: the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts and the Anheuser-Busch depot.

Polina Gardens offers four areas to explore:

• The Garden Green is on the eastern end of the Anheuser-Busch Building and stretches south toward the Bemis and east toward 12th Street. It combines a hilly green space ideal for playing, relaxation, or picnics. It also has a stage that can be used for performances and other events.
• The Garden Patio extends from the Rain Garden north along 13th Street to Jones Street and extends east behind the Anheuser-Busch Building. The area is surrounded by plantings and provides plenty of seating and tables.
• The Whimsical Garden is located on the southwestern corner between the Bemis, north of Leavenworth Street and east of 13th Street. It has winding paths, colorful plants, a climbing sculpture for children, and a trellis on which vines and other plants will continue to grow.
• The Rain Garden is centrally located along 13th Street on the garden’s western end. It is a basin where water collects during rainstorms, allowing it to penetrate the soil and plant roots. It has a mix of perennials and grasses that thrive in wet and dry conditions and will provide a habitat for pollinators.

In the middle of it all is the striking Sophie Ryder wire sculpture titled “The Kiss 11.” Depicting two intertwined hands clasping, the attention-getting work of art stands more than 20 feet tall and allows visitors the opportunity to experience the sculpture from within the two wrists. The sculpture offers a visually stunning contrast against the historic brick buildings that surround it.

In July, “The Kiss 11” will be joined by another large-scale work of art titled “Switchgrass.” Following a call for public art coordinated by Omaha-based nonprofit Amplify Arts, Lee Emma Running was selected. Of the work, Running says: “This work will not only be a study of the native grass, but a material study. The sandblasted marine plywood will age to a beautiful gray over the seasons, and the shaped steel will rust on the side that has been sandblasted. As the seasons change and the garden grows, this mural will change as well. The switchgrass will indeed ‘switch’ forms from object to shadow, and dark to light.”

Located at 727 S. 13th Street, Polina Gardens straddles two historic districts in downtown Omaha. The Old Market sits to the north, the Rail and Commerce Historic District to the south and Kaneko to the west.

Polina Gardens was designed by leading landscape design firm Field Operations, whose other work includes the High Line in New York City and Lurie Garden in Chicago’s Millennium Park, with planting design by internationally acclaimed landscape designer Piet Oudolf. Of the gardens, landscape architect Kim Cooper said in an interview with the Omaha World-Herald that “It brings nature back to people, and they don’t have to go out of the city to find it.”

The garden is named for Polina Schlott, an immigrant from Latvia who carries with her a deep love for nature. She and her husband Bob were key donors and advocates for the project. They also donated another popular outdoor space, Sofia’s Play Garden, named in honor of their daughter, which opened at Lauritzen Gardens in 2025. Polina said in the Omaha World-Herald that “Creating spaces that invite people to slow down and reconnect with nature feels more important than ever.”

Sources

• Omaha World-Herald archives
• Marjie Ducey, “Polina Gardens opens Wednesday in Omaha’s Old Market,” Omaha World-Herald, June 3, 2026.
• “Polina Gardens Call for Public Art,” Amplify Arts, amplifyarts.org.
• Polina Gardens, Lauritzen Gardens, lauritzengardens.org/polinagardens.
• The Kiss 11 – SOPHIE RYDER
• Polina Gardens Call for Public Art — Amplify Arts
• https://www.unmc.edu/newsroom/2019/09/26/landscaped-corner-transforms-med-centers-southern-entrance/