Stored Potential (gone)

Stored Potential began as a desire to do something with a grain elevator that had become visual white noise to 76,000 daily passing commuters on I-80. Emerging Terrain—a nonprofit research and design collaborative based in Omaha—identified potential in this marker of urban transformation, situated half-way between downtown and westward suburban expansion and no longer used to store grain after the widening of I-80 clipped the structure and removed the off-ramp. Inconvenient for farmers to deliver grain, the rail was removed, the elevator sat empty, and slowly became an ‘eyesore’ to the surrounding residential neighborhood until local rock climbers began to rehab the site for climbing activities. These new owners agreed to support our idea of transforming the exterior, leading to a collaboration among artists, foundations, city agencies, landowners, organizations, sponsoring corporations and individuals, neighborhood associations, and countless volunteers.