Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 3

[gusam26]

Originally Posted by downtownslcresident

i dont know why you seem to think you are center of attention on this forum and that everything revolves around you...

...and i really dont understand where you got the idea that most (if not any) of us are excited that you're back.

actually, I can't stand you. I think most people feel the same.

shrug.

I honestly dont understand why he keeps on coming back

[Old&New]

Originally Posted by brankrom

They didn't "have to" build that parking garage there, its just parking lots and garages is the default land use overlay for SLC. While we're at it...Which garage? There's two of 'em right next to each other nearly empty every day.


There's a large parcel sandwiched between those two garages and the old Arbauch's. It's actually kind of a cool space from the Urban Explorer urban decay viewpoint. I'm not sure what used to be there... maybe an old theater?

You're exactly right; that is the original Pantages Theater (aka the Colonial Theater & Victory Theater). The auditorium portion was destroyed in a fire. It's a shame really; It looked very beautiful. I wonder how much of the lobby is still intact. Has anyone on here had a look-see of what remains?

Living History: 1943 theater blaze took lives of 3 firefighters

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54227194-78/fire-1943-theater-firefighters.html.csp

Here is an early post of mine regarding the theater:

Im not sure if there are any plans for this building at the moment, however, this building used to be a theater. Originally it was the Pantages, until the Pantages moved to their new location on Main Street. This theater then became the Colonial Theater, then the Victory Theater. The theater house burned down long ago, but the foyer still exists. If you look on google maps, you can see a void on the block where the theater house once stood. Here are some photos:























http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm4/results...HS_Shipler%2C%2Fushs-twpc&CISOSTART=1,21

[brankrom]

So 6+ decades of urban decay and eyesores. The Southam Gallery moved from there a few years ago but everything else has been boarded up for as long as I can remember. What land banker owns that property? The map on the assessors website lists all the surrounding owners but not that one...

[UTPlanner]

The owner of the property is vague, International Investment and Development Corp. 4505 S. Wasatch Blvd. SLC, UT 84124.

[Plaid Shirts]

Originally Posted by downtownslcresident

i dont know why you seem to think you are center of attention on this forum and that everything revolves around you...

...and i really dont understand where you got the idea that most (if not any) of us are excited that you're back.

actually, I can't stand you. I think most people feel the same.

shrug.


Anyway, the ESA Hotel really does look a lot better there than I expected it to, as well. Very excited about that. And I am fascinated that I have never seen that building in Exchange Place before! What is that address?

That's fine and okay with me. I am not trying to impress any of you. Also I'm not trying to win the approval of any of you.

[ToysNoiz]

Originally Posted by Plaid Shirts

That's fine and okay with me. I am not trying to impress any of you. Also I'm not trying to win the approval of any of you.

Plaid, if you are going to be on this forum, then you have to get along with people. You don't have to completely agree with everyone, but you do have to be able to cooperate nicely.

[StevenF]

Originally Posted by UTPlanner

The owner of the property is vague, International Investment and Development Corp. 4505 S. Wasatch Blvd. SLC, UT 84124.

Correct name is, International Investment and Land Banking Corp.

[SLCPA]

Anybody wanna take a whack at putting 111 S Main into this picture?

[Old&New]

The Regent Street Parking Ramp looks fantastic from that angle! To think it used to be just some dumb Plumb Alley China Town. Now that's what I call progress!

Now, if we can just figure out a way to get rid of Arrow Press Square...

Speaking of parking ramps, and seriously speaking, I wonder why city leaders back in the day didn't just repaint the lines on the streets and section off half of each street for public parking, and instead favored demolishing so many buildings for parking structures or worse: surface parking lots!?

[ToysNoiz]

Originally Posted by SLCPA

Anybody wanna take a whack at putting 111 S Main into this picture?

Wow, the Regent tower looks really good. If I have some time, I'll place 111 in there.

[DenverInfill]

Hi. I'm enjoying reading about your CC/HQ Hotel discussion. Quick question: The idea of a ped bridge or tunnel over/under a street is often counter-productive to encouraging pedestrian vitality along the street. Are your options--Future Mayor and others--that show a bridge/tunnel connecting the two due to the large block size (and avoiding mid-block crossings which traffic engineers hate) or is it due to something else? Couldn't the new hotel be situated across from a new or existing CC entry and, with the new hotel having an active ground-floor entry, create a nice busy spot at the street level to add to downtown's overall vibrancy?

I ask because in Denver, our 1,100-room Hyatt CC HQ hotel is directly across the street from the CC, but there was never any plans (to my knowledge) of connecting them with a bridge/tunnel. Instead, there's just a very busy ped crosswalk on our 14th Street connecting the two, which adds to the overall street vibe in our downtown.

What are your thoughts about this?

[Plaid Shirts]

Originally Posted by DenverInfill

Hi. I'm enjoying reading about your CC/HQ Hotel discussion. Quick question: The idea of a ped bridge or tunnel over/under a street is often counter-productive to encouraging pedestrian vitality along the street. Are your options--Future Mayor and others--that show a bridge/tunnel connecting the two due to the large block size (and avoiding mid-block crossings which traffic engineers hate) or is it due to something else? Couldn't the new hotel be situated across from a new or existing CC entry and, with the new hotel having an active ground-floor entry, create a nice busy spot at the street level to add to downtown's overall vibrancy?

I ask because in Denver, our 1,100-room Hyatt CC HQ hotel is directly across the street from the CC, but there was never any plans (to my knowledge) of connecting them with a bridge/tunnel. Instead, there's just a very busy ped crosswalk on our 14th Street connecting the two, which adds to the overall street vibe in our downtown.

What are your thoughts about this?

I personally think a pedestrian bridge connecting the CC and a potential CCH is a bad idea.

To answer your question, I think they're just putting the pedestrian bridge in just for fun in the fan made renderings. There is no for sure plan that a CCH will be built in SLC, let alone a bridge connecter.

[Plaid Shirts]

Depending on where the potential CCH is built, who is building it (ex: Omni, Westin, Marriott, etc.), and what SLC government officials have a say in the potential process, a pedestrian bridge is a possibility though. I do not think having large blocks makes a difference if there a pedestrian bridge or not.

[Old&New]

Originally Posted by DenverInfill

Hi. I'm enjoying reading about your CC/HQ Hotel discussion. Quick question: The idea of a ped bridge or tunnel over/under a street is often counter-productive to encouraging pedestrian vitality along the street. Are your options--Future Mayor and others--that show a bridge/tunnel connecting the two due to the large block size (and avoiding mid-block crossings which traffic engineers hate) or is it due to something else? Couldn't the new hotel be situated across from a new or existing CC entry and, with the new hotel having an active ground-floor entry, create a nice busy spot at the street level to add to downtown's overall vibrancy?

I ask because in Denver, our 1,100-room Hyatt CC HQ hotel is directly across the street from the CC, but there was never any plans (to my knowledge) of connecting them with a bridge/tunnel. Instead, there's just a very busy ped crosswalk on our 14th Street connecting the two, which adds to the overall street vibe in our downtown.

What are your thoughts about this?

Although this question was directed to Future Mayor, I'll take a stab at it.

A bridge or tunnel connecting the CC to the CCH will provide, in a sense, continuous convention floor space since the CCH will also have it's own convention space. This would increase the over-all capacity, making it possible to host even larger conventions. Also, Convention Centers with a direct connection to a Convention Hotel have a greater advantage in attracting conventions, or so we've all heard.

There are greater opportunities on the backside of the CC for improving the overall street life and vitality of downtown. The convention center itself has caused a problem for the city in that it has divided the downtown into two, and while inviting on the east side, has turned it's back on the west side. By placing the hotel on the block behind the Convention center, it provides an opportunity to round out the Convention Center, hiding it's backside, re-connecting the east with the west (if placed on RWP) or North with the south (if placed on the old Japan Town corner parking lot).

Additionally, the empty lots near the convention center's east entrance aren't large enough for a convention hotel (which, again, requires it's own convention space).

[Your Boy Blue]

Originally Posted by downtownslcresident

Anyway, the ESA Hotel really does look a lot better there than I expected it to, as well. Very excited about that. And I am fascinated that I have never seen that building in Exchange Place before! What is that address?

I think the actual address is 39 Exchange Place. It's just east of the Boston and Newhouse buildings.

[Your Boy Blue]

Originally Posted by Old&New

You're exactly right; that is the original Pantages Theater (aka the Colonial Theater & Victory Theater). The auditorium portion was destroyed in a fire. It's a shame really; It looked very beautiful. I wonder how much of the lobby is still intact. Has anyone on here had a look-see of what remains?

Ah! I've always wondered what that building was. I used to work a block from there and I always hated that half the buildings on that block are boarded up (still do hate it).

[SaltCityScrapers]

Kind of weak, the lighting's all wrong, I know, I know, but I didn't have too much to work with. The scale and angle is about right though.

[delts145]

^^^
Well, that's a big improvement in the picture.

[SLCPA]

SaltCityScrapers: Good Job, that looks Awesome! Cannot wait until that building is complete.......

[jedikermit]

Yeah, great job on getting that in there--I like the placement and the angle. I do wish the building had some kind of crown or variation on it that made it less of a rectangley box. Right now it looks about the same size and shape as the current Key Bank tower (former Beneficial Life building). It's a healthy enough size, but soooo boring.