Omaha Conservatory of Music

Omaha, Nebraska

Having outgrown several “temporary locations,” the Omaha Conservatory of Music (OCM) searched for and found a more permanent home in the former Temple Israel Synagogue in Omaha. OCM purchased the eight-acre campus and 40,000 SF building (which had been vacant for three years) in December 2014. Kiewit leveraged the existing brick shell and several interior structural elements to transform the building into a state-of-the-art community venue for teaching, learning, and performing music.

Over the course of 12 months, the Temple’s classrooms were transformed into teaching studios; administrative offices were re-worked into group classrooms; and the former conference center became a café and lounge. The sanctuary and social hall were re-configured into a signature performance venue with state-of-the-art acoustic elements, fixed seating for 200, and retractable seating to accommodate an additional 300 people.