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Lincoln residents, top left, look over the plans presented by the design team, top right. The bottom photograph shows the current state of the mall. Photos: Ivana Jackson, NewsNetNebraska
"This should be a focal point for the city of Lincoln," Laura Christensen said. "Now it's just a real disgrace."
Christensen was one of a large group of Lincoln residents who attended the Centennial Mall Open House Tuesday at the Scottish Rite Temple. It was an informal opportunity for community members to review preliminary designs of the mall renovation.
"What we're trying to do is bring a little more storytelling to the mall," said Dennis Scheer, one member of the design team.
As people explored the room they saw mall plans from 40 years ago, current photographs of the area and potential plans for the future.
The hope of the new plans: that the re-design of Centennial Mall will recognize and celebrate the legacy of stewardship in Nebraska-past, present and future.
The focus of the plans separated the mall-which runs from the Nebraska Capitol on K Street north to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on R Street-into three zones: the civic zone, the community zone and the campus zone.
"It looks good so far," said Kylie Von Seggern, a junior architecture major at UNL. "But I don't think it should be three separate areas. They should morph together."
Olsson Associates, Tom Laging & Associates, Bahr Vermeer & Haecker and The Clark Enerson Partners make up the design team.
"We're going to have to start from scratch," said Gary Bowen, design team member. "You can't think from this block to this block with so much to be done. It has to be a major idea developed. Then you can kind of work from a generic idea to specifics."
Design team members hoped community members would contribute specific ideas. Three sketch artists were there to document the ideas.
Some residents supported the idea of the mall as a child-friendly place, while others expressed safety concerns.
"I really want just an outdoor area," Von Seggern said, "a place to hang-out between classes."
The cost of the mall renovation is not final, but projections indicate that it will be between $7 million and $10 million. The City of Lincoln has committed $2.2 million of tax increment funding, and the remaining money is expected to come from fundraisers and public entities that benefit from the mall.
As one resident told Bowen: The mall just needs to be "postcard worthy."
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