Skinner Meat Packing Plant, 6006 South Twenty-seventh Street, Omaha, Douglas County, NE

Significance: The Skinner Packing Company plant stood as a state-of-the-art packing house when completed in 1920. Its reinforced concrete construction is an example of early twentieth century industrial construction, the first of its type in Omaha, Nebraska. In addition, under the management of the Dold Packing Company, and later, Wilson & Company, the plant played a significant role in the rise of the Omaha Union Stockyards' (USY) national position and status. In 1955, Omaha achieved its long time goal of recognition as the largest livestock and packing center in the nation, if not the world. In 1938, when the Wilson operation took over the Skinner plant, the USY achieved the distinction of being the only location where all four of the country's largest packing firms (Armour, Swift, Cudahy, and Wilson) operated plants. Although, the Skinner plant never surpassed the scale of plant size or scope of production of the Armour or the Swift packing complexes, it nevertheless remained an essential component to the continuing success of the USY. During the 1960s, Wilson had reorganized, modified, and expanded its production capacity. An earlier addition in the late 1940s had incorporated an expanded sheep processing area. Now the reorganization and addition of a packing and shipping facility had opened space for newer machinery and equipment. The introduction of the new accommodations appeared well timed. By 1967, Armour, Swift, and Cudahy gave in to the growing trend of decentralization of livestock markets and moved out of Omaha, leaving Wilson's Skinner plant as the only national packing company at the USY. Even though Cudahy had built a new modern facility earlier in the decade, the Armour and Swift operations still occupied their initial sites. Through additions and remodeling both had maintained effective operations, but their antiquated plants could no longer accommodate modern technological advances without major capital expenditures. The combination of the industry's new direction and the loss of three major packing concerns occasioned the decline in the Omaha market with the USY losing its premier rank in 1973. At the same time, the Skinner plant maintained an expanded rate of production until the reduced livestock receipts at the stockyards forced shutdowns and effected profitability. In 1976, when it became painfully apparent that the Skinner plant had also outlived its value, it was quickly and summarily closed.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N946
Survey number: HAER NE-12
Building/structure dates: 1918-1920 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1965 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1976 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 2002 Demolished
Building/structure dates: after. 1950- before. 1955 Subsequent Work