Salt Lake: If you could tear down one building
Inspired by the never-ending debate regarding the Shilo Inn.
If you could tear down one Building in Salt Lake City. What would it be and why? |
Im going to get my head ripped off for this... but. If i could tear down one building (and I wouldn't choose the Shilo Inn). It would be the Salt Palace.
Honestly! I can't stand the thing. I have hated it ever since they started added on to it in the 1980's. It Messes up the flow of our street, and divides the city. I think when the delta center was built and they decided to rip down the arena and go full on convention center that it would have been a good opportunity to open 100 south and 200 west back up and relocate the convention centre to a more logical location... like the western edge of downtown. possibly behind west high or behind where the gateway is now... we already have I15 so merging blocks wouldn't be as bad as it is so close to the center of down town. I hate the idea of merging blocks :( |
I have to agree. It takes up two and a half blocks and still isn't big enough. From the sky it looks like a grant warehouse right in the middle of downtown. Its a shame they can't somehow build upwards insteed of outwards.
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I also agree, especially because the the Salt Palace was built over Salt Lake's little China Town (now there is finally some ghetto version being built in South Salt Lake, but it just isn't the same). Even though I think Earl Holding was wrong for the way in which he tried to persuade the city to build a new convention center on his land (the parking lot block just south of the new courthouse,) I secretly hoped the city would take the bait so the Salt Palace could be relocated, torn down, and the DT could grow organically between the Gateway and CCC, expanding our skyline westward, and upward, instead of destroying our limited stock of irreplaceable vibrant historical buildings every time someone decided they wanted to build a new skyscraper. Additionally, the Holding block, the parcels to the W of the Matheson courthouse (4oo S - 500 S on Main) and the 400 S block from W Temple to 200 W would have been a more ideal setting because:
1. The 400 - 500 S corridor are already home to very large, entire block, civic structures such as: City County Building, Library, Grand America Hotel, Little America Hotel, Frank E. Moss Courthouse & Expansion, the new Public Safety building, south side of Pioneer Park, Rice Eccles stadium (albeit up the road) and thus: the scale of a convention center would have been more natural in this neighborhood. 2. The 400 - 500 S corridor (especially 500 S) has developed as thoroughfares, and future Grand Boulevards, that never really experience lots of pedestrians on a daily basis. 3. The buildings listen in point #1 receive their influx of people for large events such as: fairs, protests, and celebrations -- a convention center would fit right into the theme of the neighborhood. 4. It's better for the Gateway, CCC, Pioneer Park, Broadway arts district, and all the independent retailers mixed between for their to be ample room for a large DT neighborhood to grow in their midst. It seems like this will never be the case though. I wish that instead of expanding the Salt Palace westward, they would build vertically, and eventually place a green roof/ urban park/ statue garden / zen garden atop the building with food carts and benches so it would be a more aesthetically appropriate view for those wishing to live in our current, and future condo/apartment towers DT. People could walk, or ride an escalator up the eastern portion of the building, walk through the park setting, and then walk down the other side of the building and be in the Gateway/Arena neighborhood. Imagine the views as well! Salt Lake already has the Library, and Conference Center which allow people to walk up to the roof -- this could be a defining theme for Salt Lake architecture. As it stands, the Salt Palace is underutilized, and its design is hurting DT growth as much as the conventions it brings in helps the city, what with being such a large structure, segregating the city, and only being of use a couple times a year -- an accessible park roof could make it useful by connecting the city, and drawing people to it even when there are no conventions in town. |
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It was actualy Japan town :) And yeah the china town in south salt lake is a bit of a gimic... But at least they are finally doing somthing with the old fread Meyer building ... That property has looked like crap for a long long time |
Never mind
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I don't think there are really any buildings in the city which 'must' be torn down, we have enough parking lots in the city to supply years and years of growth-
That said- I've never liked any of the buildings around the intersection of W. Temple and 200 S. The Shilo Inn has obvious aesthetic flaws, the parking garage/office building on the NE corner isn't spectacular, the 2-3 lowrise brick buildings on the SE corner seem out of place, the Hilton looks like a Vegas casino from the 80's, the old Chase bank / Ruth's Chris buildings aren't very exciting and though they add density, the American Towers condos have almost no street presence at all. I wouldn't advocate demolishing any of these- overall, it just isn't my favorite area of town to spend any time. Seven lanes of W. Temple traffic cutting through the area don't help at all.... http://i44.tinypic.com/35k06d4.jpg http://media.expedia.com/hotels/1000...18433_22_b.jpg http://i451.photobucket.com/albums/q...mp200South.jpg http://www.loopnet.com/Attachments/F...EC0D1D34__.jpg http://a3.twimg.com/profile_images/1...ior_bigger.jpg http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/imgs/.../2194widea.jpg http://www.slcagents.com/sold-condos...can-towers.jpg |
Ok editing again. I simply get defensive of each proposal and I realize that isn't the purpose of the thread so I just won't comment. :)
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I wouldn't tear down anything. I was actually sad to see the old Key Bank Tower get imploded for the CCC project... And only because it was "in the way" of CCC's master plan. It was not even 30 years old.
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I would usually prefere renovation to demolition.... However I think the salt palace is an Inhiboter...it just causes a mess and is horribly located.. It makes it hard to create any sort of flow...
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I get that.. But that's why I made the point that it would have been a good time to fix it when the arena was ripped down And I would argue that the salt palace is the reason that there wasn't anything west of the salt palace... If it never would have been built I bet that the city would have progressed much better to the west then it did... The triad center probably would have been more of a success. |
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The Salt Palace arena brought in the Utah Stars, then later the Utah Jazz, then later the Delta Center, then later the Gateway, then later local bars and restaurants and commerce. Bottom line, I wouldn't take your bet. |
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I miss my indoor temprature controlled malls... Crosroads was a blast in the late 80s and 90s... I was like a mall rat at that place from 6th to 12 grade. |
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I would have missed the smiths food fair though |
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The only point I can fully agree with regarding the Salt Palace demolition without laughing is Project's comment that there should be an effort to take the Palace upward. I would enthusiastically support that concept in appropriate areas, along with the addition of a Hotel Tower and more exibition space at the Postal Block. I would like to see the demolition of the Plaza and the Shilo. However, the only reason I can wait patiently for their demolition is because I agree that if push came to shove, I would rather see some of those west side parking lots filled in first. I do think the LDS Church will probably begin development of their parking lots on So. Temple before they consider redeveloping the Plaza property. |
I admit, I saw the title of this thread, and I had to poke my head in to see if Old&New had the cojones to nominate the main Mormon temple there for demolition (not sure what it's actually called - the big pretty one that is always in city pics and the background at the Olympics). You know, to rid your fair city's skyline of the scourge that is religion. ;)
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