Demolition
Agriculture-related industries have always been important to Omaha's workforce. In addition to the meat industry, major employers have included the Kellogg Company and the Campbell Soup Company, which produces frozen Swanson and LeMenu products in Omaha. Exercising its influence, industry giant ConAgra transformed the skyline by demolishing Jobber's Canyon in 1989. Today its world headquarters sits on 30 acres (120,000 m2) of the former historic district. At the time Charles M. Harper, chief executive of ConAgra, was asked about the district, and responded saying it was "some big, ugly red brick buildings". ConAgra's campus created almost 300,000 square feet (30,000 m2) of office space.
Critics charged that the city was being "held hostage" by ConAgra, and that the city should not have to choose between its corporations and its historical legacies.
At the time Omaha's then-planning director, Marty Shukert, said it was more important to keep the city's downtown core healthy than to keep the historic district. "This development may not be a large thing to a city with multiple corporate headquarters and a large development industry," he said. "In a relatively small community like this, the effects of a growing, national corporation echo throughout the economy."In addition, Jobbers Canyon was also in disrepair and was often times a location that the fire department was forced to go as a result of homeless people lighting fires within the structures to keep warm in the winter. As there had not been the necessary upkeep done over the years, it came to be an eyesore for the downtown area.
Read more about this topic: Jobbers Canyon Historic District