November 29, 2006
Home and work: 2 condos, 1 place
Psychotherapist Jeff Stormberg is unpacking boxes in his new condominium and meeting with potential clients in his new office two floors below in the Paxton.
He already has taken his bike for a spin to check out the Con-Agra campus and area south of the Old Market, found a breakfast spot and savored his west-facing view as the morning sun illuminates the buildings across the street.
“I’m getting a feel for the place,” he said. “I love the house, and I’m very excited about making my life here in downtown Omaha.”
Stormberg, 49, was living in Lincoln and looking for a place to start over after the death of his wife nearly two years ago. He was the 16th to buy a Paxton residential condo, and the first to buy an office condo.
This month, he became the second person to occupy the 77-year-old, renovated former hotel at 14th and Farnam Streets.
Stormberg owns a two-bedroom, two-bath, 1,350-square-foot condo with “the best shower I’ve ever had.” He and a partner share a 655-square-foot office suite. He has a total of four garage parking spaces for his residence and office, but his commute involves walking down two floors.
Stormberg said he grew up in the Dundee area and received two degrees from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, so he's coming home. In effect, he gave up a 16-year-old practice in Lincoln and is starting a new one in Omaha.
“It’s a huge deal,” he said. “All the colleagues, physicians, attorneys and the court system – all the places I got referrals from – are different. I’m starting from scratch.”
He said he was drawn to downtown Omaha even as a teenager when the Old Market was mostly warehouses. Later, he bought his wedding rings at an Old Market shop.
“I'm drawn to the notion of people living in large urban areas and doing it well, in a way that’s satisfying and in a way that decreases the amount of time spent in cars.”
Even though the Paxton’s first units are opening four months later than originally planned, Stormberg said that worked out well for him. He said he understands the delays that come from renovating a historic building – “an absolute gem” – and he appreciates the attention to detail by developer Mike Moylan.
In the end, Stormberg said, he didn't sell his Lincoln townhouse until seven weeks ago, and he had to be out the day he moved into the Paxton.
“It worked out perfectly,” he said.
BY DEBORAH SHANAHAN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER