Office parks · Nebraska
Union Pacific Harriman Dispatch Center
Operating rail HQ in downtown Omaha, retrofitted from historic depot, no active development opportunity. · summary, model-written
Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from. documented = a quoted excerpt (click to read it) · reported = a source named, no excerpt yet · no source.
Site profile4 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
3+ other atlas sites within 10 km
This site: 13 within 10 km computed · all sites with thisCounty permitting 2,000+ apartment units a year
This site: 2,583 units, Douglas County census-bps · all sites with thisRedeveloped
This site: Union Pacific's rail traffic control headquarters record · all sites with thisOffice
This site: Union Pacific's rail traffic control headquarters newtypes-extraction · all sites with thisNow
| Status | OperatingWikipedia no source |
|---|---|
| Strategy | RedevelopedWikipedia no source |
| New uses | officeWikipedia no source |
| What is there now | Union Pacific's rail traffic control headquartersnewtypes-extraction reported |
Site context
| Housing permits, Douglas County (NE), 2024 | 2,583 units in 5+ unit buildings, 89 in 2–4, 1,867 single-family; 2023: 1,751 in 5+Census BPS |
|---|---|
| Other atlas sites nearby | 13 within 10 km, 14 within 25 km: Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District (0.2 km); Old Market (0.3 km); Nash Block (0.4 km); Burlington Headquarters Building (0.5 km); J. L. Brandeis and Sons Store Building (1.0 km)computed |
| Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW) | 32,260 jobs in 1,709 establishments; average annual pay $41,407; employment location quotient 0.96; employment -0.8% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private |
| Jobs located in the tract, 2022 | 19,246 jobs; 238 in retail trade, 2,153 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 31055001800)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022 |
| Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract) | children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 36th income percentile as adults; 6.1% incarcerated at the 2010 count (116 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights |
| Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract) | not a low-access tract at 1 mile; poverty rate 12.4%; median family income $97,143; 166 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS |
| Schools | Omaha Public Schools (PK-12); 3 public schools within 1 mile: LIBERTY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL; CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL; PINE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLNCES EDGE |
| Elevation | 998 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP |
| Storm events in the county, 2016-2025 | 373 county-logged events: 165 hail, 143 thunderstorm wind, 40 flash flood, 18 flood; $40,535,000 property damage reported; 1 direct deaths; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events |
| Homes for sale in ZIP 68102, 2026-09 | median list price $517,500 (-7.3% on the year); 20 active listings; median 99 days on market; 9% with a price cutRealtor.com Research |
| Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023 | 1,668 establishments (-5%); 36,257 jobs (+4%)Census CBP |
| Housing market in the county | typical home value $294,051 (+2% 1 yr, +23% 5 yr); typical rent $1,381/mo (+2% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research |
| Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024) | 11,489 vehicles a day on 13TH STREET (principal arterial, 4 lanes); 40 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS |
Summary, model-written
The Union Pacific Harriman Dispatch Center operates as an office-park, repurposed from a historic 1891 Union Pacific Freight Depot. It functions as Union Pacific's rail traffic control headquarters ("The Bunker"), located at 850 Jones Street in downtown Omaha. The building was redeveloped in the late 1980s with a reinforced concrete structure. It is currently operating, not vacant. Nearby context includes the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District (0.2km away) and other redeveloped sites like the Union Stockyards site (1km) and a strip mall (1km), all sharing a "redevelop" strategy. Housing market data shows Douglas County ZHVI at $294,051 (2.2% YoY growth). County population grew 5.5% 2018–2023. No current vacancy or development status is noted beyond operation. Unknown: Tenant occupancy rates, specific redevelopment timeline, or current lease terms.
Why. The site is a functioning office-park within a historic rail district, leveraging existing infrastructure. Its proximity to other redeveloped sites (all within 10km) and alignment with Omaha's housing market growth (2.2% YoY) suggest stable demand. The "retrofit already built" status and county growth rate are cited as reasons for low opportunity score (0.0), indicating no immediate redevelopment need.
Where it stands. Operating as a rail control HQ, not a vacant asset. No new development planned (opportunity score 0.0). Context shows strong peer redevelopments nearby, but the site itself is already retrofitted and active.
For a planner
- Downtown Omaha rail corridor has established historic reuse (Harriman Dispatch Center, Omaha Rail District).
- Housing market growth supports office demand, but no vacancy data provided.
For a developer
- No active development opportunity (retrofit complete, operating).
- Nearby redevelopments (e.g., Union Stockyards site, strip mall) show similar strategy but are separate assets.
What we do not know yet
- No vacancy rate or tenant data.
- County growth rate (5.5% 2018–23) not tied to current demand.
- No details on the 1980s retrofit scope or costs.
Generated by qwen3-30b-a3b-64k:latest on Dell 5820 RTX 3090 (Ollama, qwen3-30b-a3b) from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.
Similar sites
- Crossroads Mall, Omaha, NE · Malls · same strategy: redevelop; also in NE; 8 km away
- Mall of the Bluffs, Council Bluffs, IA · Malls · same strategy: redevelop; 9 km away
- Union Stockyards site, Omaha, NE · Industrial sites · same strategy: redevelop; also in NE; 1 km away
- Strip mall near Saddle Creek Road, Omaha, NE · Strip centers · same strategy: redevelop; also in NE; 1 km away
Elsewhere on the web
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- retrofit already built
- county grew 5.5% 2018–23
Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.
History and original facts
| County | Douglas County |
|---|---|
| Census division | 4 · West North Central |
| Notes | Draft from Wikipedia, model-extracted, unreviewed: The Union Pacific Harriman Dispatch Center was redeveloped from a 1891 freight depot into an operational rail traffic control headquarters in 1989. |
Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, year opened, original developer, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.
Background
The Union Pacific Harriman Dispatch Center (HDC) is Union Pacific's rail traffic control headquarters. Also known as "The Bunker", it monitors trains, track and switches across the United States. The dispatch center is located at 850 Jones Street in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska, and is built inside an old Union Pacific freight depot that was built in 1891 and sold in 1897. The building was redeveloped in the late 1980s with a bunker made of 18-24 inch steel reinforced concrete that is designed to withstand a direct tornado strike.
Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.
Sources
- Union Pacific Harriman Dispatch Center · CC BY-SA 4.0
1 quoted sentence
Union Pacific Harriman Dispatch Center
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