‘Going to be the nicest one in town’: Work underway on luxury hotel in Millwork Commons

A developer plans to convert a historic building in Millwork Commons into a luxury hotel with 144 rooms, a rooftop bar, a restaurant, and an atrium. It's set to open by the end of 2027.

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Work underway on luxury hotel in Millwork Commons

OMAHA, Neb. —

Developers are preparing to transform a historic building at 12th and Nicholas Streets in Omaha into a luxury hotel. It’s set to open by the end of 2027.

“This hotel really is going to be the nicest one in town,” said Stephen Osberg, vice president of development company PGSA.

The building, originally constructed in 1886 for the M.A. Disbrow Company, was once used for furniture manufacturing.

Osberg said they plan to use the existing structure. He said historic constructions are “built like tanks” and reusing it will save money.

Construction work on the building itself should begin in the next week or two, Osberg said, but workers are already clearing junk out of the structure.

“But then beyond that, you can just look at the aesthetics, and you see the patina on the bricks, you see the aging wood structures, and there’s something that — there’s a warmth there that you can’t get from new construction alone,” Osberg said.

The Millwork Commons neighborhood, which has already undergone significant transformation, will gain a hotel alongside its apartments, eateries, retail, and office spaces.

“We’re adding a floor to the building as well. It’ll have a rooftop bar, which should be really unique for the Omaha region. It becomes kind of a central hub for the Millwork Commons neighborhood here,” Osberg said.

The hotel will feature 144 rooms, a restaurant, and an atrium with living trees. Its location near the downtown ballpark and the future home of Union Omaha soccer is expected to make it a destination for both visitors and locals, Osberg said.

“There’ll be plenty of events there, plenty of things for people to do. It’s a hotel for Omaha as much as it is for guests,” Osberg said.

The Omaha City Council approved an expansion to the city’s redevelopment agreement for the hotel on Tuesday, increasing the amount of ad valorem taxes pledged to the project by about half a million dollars to account for an expanded project.

The city will also buy a parking lot in the area, which will be run by Park Omaha. Work on a parking garage in Millwork Commons is already underway.

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