OMAHA — A $108 million facility aimed at educating and drawing Nebraskans into the performing arts has officially opened in the downtown of the state’s most populated city.

The new Tenaska Center for Arts Engagement was funded primarily by private donors and boosted by about $9 million in public funds, said Joan Squires, president of Omaha Performing Arts.

“It’s just a momentous day to see the entire campus realized with the opening of the Tenaska Center,” she said Thursday (March 19th) following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the 100,000-square-foot facility at 11th and Dodge Streets.

The center completes a campus long envisioned by the nonprofit Omaha Performing Arts that includes the Holland Center directly to the west and the Steelhouse Omaha live music venue to the north. Together, the pieces are known as the Dick & Mary Holland Campus.

Omaha Performing Arts also oversees the Orpheum Theater in downtown Omaha. As Nebraska’s largest arts institution, the organization says it generates an annual economic impact of more than $61 million, reaching audiences through jazz, dance, comedy, camps, live music and community engagement ventures.

Included in the new Tenaska facility are classrooms, studios, an event hall and  rehearsal halls that will better serve students of performing arts, Squires said.

She noted that students from Nelson Mandela Elementary in North Omaha performed at the ribbon-cutting event. “That’s exactly why we built the building — for young people and all of the community to experience and participate in the performing arts.”

A glassy, transparent exterior allows for natural light and a feeling of connection to other buildings and recent investments in the downtown area, Squires said.

She expects the new center and campus to help workforce development efforts. When prospective employees and talent come to the central business district, Squires said, they want to know what offerings and activities Omaha has to offer.

Funding that buoyed the Tenaska project included about $6.3 million from the state’s shovel-ready project program. Squires said the City of Omaha directed about $3 million of its pandemic-related funding to the project.

Omaha Performing Arts, with the City of Omaha as co-applicant, are seeking approval of a state tax incentive that could bring an estimated $2 million a year to help promote arts and culture at the Tenaska Center.

The organization’s request is among nine applications that have stalled as Gov. Jim Pillen has said he will not provide his necessary vote to advance pending applications with the Sports Arena Facility Financing Assistance Act.

All parts of the Dick & Mary Holland Campus were designed by Ennead Architects. Omaha-based HDR collaborated on the Holland Center. Omaha-based Holland Basham Architects helped with the Steelhouse and Tenaska buildings. Additional project partners include Fisher Dachs, Threshold Acoustics, Kiewit Building Group and TRI Project Solutions.

Next up for the performing arts group, Squires said, is a renovation of the Holland’s Mammel Courtyard, an outdoor patio at the Steelhouse venue and investments at the Orpheum that coincide with its 100th birthday in 2027.

“We want to make sure our buildings stay state-of-the-art and serve everyone here in Omaha and the state,” she said.

This story was published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. Read the original article: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/108m-omaha-facility-for-performing-a...