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View Poll Results: When will Salt Lake City ever get it's own signature tower?
By 2020 19 14.73%
By 2030 39 30.23%
By 2040 12 9.30%
By 2050 or later 7 5.43%
Never 52 40.31%
Voters: 129. You may not vote on this poll

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  #61  
Old Posted Mar 1, 2014, 7:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Dirt View Post
Note to SLC folks: obvious troll is being obvious. Also, SkottK is from Boulder so he lives in a glass house.

Back on topic: A good indicator of a signature tower on the near future are past proposals that fell through. Have there been any proposals within the last 10 years resembling a signature tower?
Yes, in the early 2000's, Zions was going to have a big unique tower in SLC in time for the Olympics. It was designed to stand out and make a signature tower for the city. It would've been a new tallest.

I don't know the details, but it fell through.
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  #62  
Old Posted Mar 1, 2014, 10:15 PM
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doesn't slc already have a signature tower? COB?? when I think of slc skyline I picture that building..with the temple spires that makes it signature right? or are we talking a NEW signature? define signature...
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  #63  
Old Posted Mar 1, 2014, 10:32 PM
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doesn't slc already have a signature tower? COB?? when I think of slc skyline I picture that building..with the temple spires that makes it signature right? or are we talking a NEW signature? define signature...
Think of New York, what skyscraper comes to mind?

Think of LA. What skyscraper comes to mind?

Think of St. Louis. What structure comes to mind?

Think of Seattle. What structure comes to mind?

Think of Dallas. What neon skyscraper come to mind?

Those are signature towers.

Now I'm gonna make a point here...

Think of New Orleans. What skyscraper comes to mind?

Think of Miami. What single skyscraper comes to mind?

Think of Minneapolis. What skyscraper comes to mind?

Think of Providence. What skyscraper comes to mind?

You probably can't come up with any. But we all know those cities. They don't absolutely need a signature tower. Though, signature towers are very nice, and we all want one.

I've only been to Boise once as a very young child, but today I can think of two Towers that stick out in my brain. US Bank, and Zion Bank towers. But, that's because I live in the mountain west and know what the cities look like. As would be the same with folks in the North East.

If you remove the temple from the SLC skyline, and show it to someone from let's say, Little Rock, They probably wouldn't know it was Salt Lake. Unless they guessed correct. They'd just know it was a large mountain city.
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  #64  
Old Posted Mar 1, 2014, 10:32 PM
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I wouldn't call the COB a signature tower. The Temple is certainly a signature building, however.
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  #65  
Old Posted Mar 1, 2014, 10:34 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ToysNoiz View Post
Think of New York, what skyscraper comes to mind?

Think of LA. What skyscraper comes to mind?

Think of St. Louis. What structure comes to mind?

Think of Seattle. What structure comes to mind?

Think of Dallas. What neon skyscraper come to mind?

Those are signature towers.

Now I'm gonna make a point here...

Think of New Orleans. What skyscraper comes to mind?

Think of Miami. What single skyscraper comes to mind?

Think of Minneapolis. What skyscraper comes to mind?

Think of Providence. What skyscraper comes to mind?

You probably can't come up with any. But we all know those cities. They don't absolutely need a signature tower. Though, signature towers are very nice, and we all want one.

I've only been to Boise once as a very young child, but today I can think of two Towers that stick out. US Bank, and Zion Bank towers. But, that's because I live in the mountain west and know what the cities look like. As would be the same with folks in the North East.

If you remove the temple from the SLC skyline, and show it to someone from let's say, Little Rock, They probably wouldn't know it was Salt Lake. Unless they guessed correct. They'd just know it was a large mountain city.
When I think of Minneapolis, I instantly think of this:

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  #66  
Old Posted Mar 1, 2014, 10:40 PM
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I wouldn't call the COB a signature tower. The Temple is certainly a signature building, however.
The COB is only signature to those who live in the region. The folks from Boise and Denver probably think of the COB when thinking of SLC. And SLC folk think of the Wells Fargo and Zions for Boise and Denver. Least I do....

As a Salt Laker, I think of Wells Fargo Center and 99 west for Downtown.
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  #67  
Old Posted Mar 1, 2014, 10:42 PM
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Providence? Where is that?
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  #68  
Old Posted Mar 1, 2014, 10:52 PM
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Providence? Where is that?
Rhode Island
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  #69  
Old Posted Mar 1, 2014, 11:18 PM
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Rhode Island, what's that off the coast of?
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  #70  
Old Posted Mar 1, 2014, 11:28 PM
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Rhode Island, what's that off the coast of?
It's an island somewhere in the Atlantic I think.
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  #71  
Old Posted Mar 2, 2014, 12:00 AM
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I see, well then I change my vote to never.. I don't think anything will ever compete with those mountains in a skyline shot… as salt lake city becomes more recognized beyond the region.. I'm afraid that the mountain backdrop is what will stick in people's minds far more than any particular building...
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  #72  
Old Posted Mar 2, 2014, 4:46 AM
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Originally Posted by Scraperdude801 View Post
Could you imagine how tall the point of the mountain prison would be if it was consolidated into a DT skyscraper? It is being moved and all... Never mind, a signature prison tower would make SLC look like a police state.
We already had that and tore it down, although it wasn't a skyscraper...

Crossroads Plaza.
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  #73  
Old Posted Mar 2, 2014, 2:22 PM
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Originally Posted by ToysNoiz View Post

Now I'm gonna make a point here...

Think of New Orleans. What skyscraper comes to mind?


You probably can't come up with any. But we all know those cities. They don't absolutely need a signature tower. Though, signature towers are very nice, and we all want one.


...when I think of New Orleans, the building that comes to mind is St Louis Cathedral -- not a skyscraper or a signature "tower," certainly, but a building that helps define the history of the city and the region, nonetheless. I think even if SLC built a 45 story tower with an incredible crown on it that we all loved, built on the Zions Bank parking lot or the Carls Jr site, and it was instantly filled, and was The Adobe Building or something...people would still think of the Salt Lake Temple as our "signature building."

You're right, not every city has a signature tower...but many cities have a building or structure they're most famous for. Philadelphia's Independence Hall, even though it's tiny, overshadows most of the skyscrapers in that city. None of the many famous buildings in Washington DC is a skyscraper (although that's due to tradition and ordinance...still, if DC were a city of skyscrapers, the White House, Capitol, Lincoln Memorial etc would be more well-known). For Salt Lake City, the most famous, most signature building is the Salt Lake Temple.

And yes, hopefully we'll get some great towers in the near future, and hopefully we'll get more diversity into the skyline, and from a diversity of investors. I just don't know that any building will overcome the history and perception of what much of the city and state's history was built on. And that's good and bad.
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  #74  
Old Posted Mar 2, 2014, 4:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ToysNoiz View Post
Now I'm gonna make a point here...

Think of New Orleans. What skyscraper comes to mind?

Think of Miami. What single skyscraper comes to mind?

Think of Minneapolis. What skyscraper comes to mind?

Think of Providence. What skyscraper comes to mind?
I think jedikermit is exactly right about New Orleans, the cathedral, and the French Quarter in general, are what come to mind. Not a tower, but it's something in their city that's immediately recognizable. If SLC had Bourbon Street, you wouldn't need a signature tower. Just like New Orleans doesn't. That's just not their city.

Miami and Minneapolis, you're right, no signature tower. But their skylines on the whole, especially Miami's, stand out. People recognize Miami, and if not Miami, then the art deco street wall in Miami Beach. It works for them, no need for a signature tower as a symbol. If SLC had a skyline everybody just knew, then you wouldn't need a signature tower. But you don't, and you won't, hence this discussion. (Think Hong Kong - not sure any one building flashes in most people's minds...it's the whole skyline that folks know. The opposite of Los Angeles, where I think most folks imagine a single building, and aren't really sure if there's a skyline around it. Maybe that'll change. But LA is still the Hollywood sign more than a signature building.)

Minneapolis is just a low profile city all around. But a distinctive skyline all the same. Still, if I were in Minneapolis, I'd probably be day-dreaming about something (bigger than Foshay) to put us on the symbolic map. Miami and NO aren't worrying about that.

Providence - nobody knows Providence, bad example. How big is Providence, half a million? Doesn't even count.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jedikermit View Post
I think even if SLC built a 45 story tower with an incredible crown on it that we all loved, built on the Zions Bank parking lot or the Carls Jr site, and it was instantly filled, and was The Adobe Building or something...people would still think of the Salt Lake Temple as our "signature building."

And yes, hopefully we'll get some great towers in the near future, and hopefully we'll get more diversity into the skyline, and from a diversity of investors. I just don't know that any building will overcome the history and perception of what much of the city and state's history was built on. And that's good and bad.
I think he's right on the point here. There is no building SLC could ever possibly build - even on an OKC scale - that would be so distinctive that folks generally would ever think of it before the Temple as the symbol of the city. The Temple will always be the symbol of SLC, love it or hate. SLC will never be a city folks elsewhere associate with a skyscraper, no matter what you build.
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  #75  
Old Posted Mar 2, 2014, 6:23 PM
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Yes many of those cities listed we can't think of a signature tower, only because we aren't as familiar with those cities as we are with the one's on the top half of the list.

As soon as I read the list, before even scrolling down the page to Comrades post I instantly thought to myself, Minneapolis = The IDS tower. I know that because I lived there, I also know that Key Tower is the signature tower in Cleveland, because I lived there.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Comrade View Post
When I think of Minneapolis, I instantly think of this:

Even if we get what we consider a signature tower, it will only be that to those of us that live here, visit here (and care about towers), and a few people (most likely forumers) from neighboring states.

We currently have two signatures that are likely the most recognizable outside of the region. The Salt Lake Temple, and the Wasatch Mountains.
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  #76  
Old Posted Mar 2, 2014, 8:29 PM
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I agree with what you guys are saying. but this discussion is about a signature tower, not a landmark building. New Orleans will always be known for it's festivities, and Salt Lake will always be known for the Temple and Mountains.

But like I said, remove the temple from the SLC skyline, and New Orleans' streets from photos, and no one really knows what cities they are.

Oh, and seriously, Salt lake will NEVER get a tower?? Not even in 50 years?
When's the last time Denver got anything "signature" after the wells fargo tower? I'm not trying to turn this into a city war, but please, tell me.
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  #77  
Old Posted Mar 2, 2014, 9:27 PM
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I agree with what you guys are saying. but this discussion is about a signature tower, not a landmark building. New Orleans will always be known for it's festivities, and Salt Lake will always be known for the Temple and Mountains.

But like I said, remove the temple from the SLC skyline, and New Orleans' streets from photos, and no one really knows what cities they are.

Oh, and seriously, Salt lake will NEVER get a tower?? Not even in 50 years?
When's the last time Denver got anything "signature" after the wells fargo tower? I'm not trying to turn this into a city war, but please, tell me.
And this quote right here children is the birth of an endless and needless debate about cities comparing each other.
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  #78  
Old Posted Mar 2, 2014, 10:07 PM
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And this quote right here children is the birth of an endless and needless debate about cities comparing each other.
This actually made me laugh. Thank you, seriously.
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  #79  
Old Posted Mar 2, 2014, 11:38 PM
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Oh, and seriously, Salt lake will NEVER get a tower?? Not even in 50 years?
When's the last time Denver got anything "signature" after the wells fargo tower? I'm not trying to turn this into a city war, but please, tell me.
Denver hasn't since the early 80s. And if you put the same poll up for Denver, I'd vote never.

Because signature towers are a function of office demand. Office demand is, at some level, a function of population, and more directly a function of the working population. And due to demographic changes, it's unlikely we will ever again see the sorts of rushes in demand that marked previous highrise booms in the U.S. Most corporate growth is now overseas, and you don't get big towers out of incremental growth (because, simplifying here, somebody will slap up a 20-story tower and siphon off demand before anybody can get a 40-story tower out of the ground).

The last major growth in the office workforce came as women moved to the workforce, but that's done now. Population growth is widely expected to level off overall. It's hard to see a situation in which we have growth that's fast enough to get big towers, except for a few corporate one-offs (OKC, Charlotte) and in select cities. You needn't look farther than your city's corporate base to know if that's a possibility for you; it's not in most cities.

Of course, you could create a regulatory environment that would make it more likely - no more suburban office parks, for example, to push demand to the center. But that isn't going to happen.

So yeah, I still vote never. Because towers have nothing to do with what a city deserves, and everything to do with measureable market factors, all of which point to the era of the big tower in the U.S. being near its end.

Edit: Like the era of building massive subway systems - also never going to happen again.

Last edited by bunt_q; Mar 2, 2014 at 11:52 PM.
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  #80  
Old Posted Mar 3, 2014, 3:26 AM
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^^^^

I agree with all that. And even when there are larger towers, or more interesting towers built, it takes time to see if they're actually a "signature" or not.

An exception might be London, where in the last (15?) years or so, they've added the Eye, the Shard, and uh....that coney swirly building, each of which has become iconic in their own right pretty durn fast. I can't think of anything in that same time period in the US that's doing the same thing, except for NYC's Freedom Tower/One World Trade Center, which of course is going to be an exception to every rule.
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