Sam Mercer, the man credited for developing the Old Market in the 1960s, has died.
Sam Mercer, the man credited for developing the Old Market in the 1960s, has died. He was 92.
Jeff Beals works in commercial real estate and is the co-host of KFAB's Grow Omaha. He says Mercer's contributions are immeasurable. "It would be hard to put it into words," says Beals, "because there was no real heritage of saving old buildings and converting them to other uses in Omaha at that time."
Beals says Mercer withstood pressure from city leaders, who wanted the warehouses torn down. He ended up redeveloping them.
