Omaha Discovery Trust to Build Science Center as part of RiverFront Revitalization Project
Omaha Discovery Trust announced its plans to build a science center on Omaha’s Lewis and Clark Landing as part of The RiverFront Revitalization Project. The proposed 82,000-square-foot attraction will be a learning and entertainment destination offering interactive exhibitions and engaging programs focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The center will be a welcoming and inclusive space intended for a diverse audience of all ages and is expected to draw residents, regional visitors, and community partners to its family-friendly destination. The building will reflect the area’s rich heritage of discovery, design, engineering, and construction and help position Omaha as a must-see city, as well as attract economic development.
The privately funded, $101 million project total includes construction costs, exhibit design and fabrication, one year of operating expenses, plus an endowment that will provide for the future sustainability of the project. A planned opening date is set for early 2023.
Partners involved in the project include Omaha Discovery Trust, a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit created to manage the project; Heritage Services, which initiated a $101 million capital campaign to build the center; HDR, which will serve as lead architect and engineer; and the Exploratorium, a San Francisco-based museum of science, technology and arts that will lead the design of programming and develop hands-on exhibits that reflect the community’s unique needs. Several Kiewit-affiliated partners generously donated to the project, including the Kiewit Corporation, the Peter Kiewit Foundation, former Kiewit Chairman Walter Scott Jr.’s foundation, and the Grewcock family. As lead donors, the building will include Kiewit in the name.