Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 5

[mstar]

So now the save the Pantages fans are now saying the Hines Tower is ugly??? OMG!!! That tower is going to be gorgeous. Especially compared to the very ugly exterior of the theater. What is so beautiful about the Pantages facade?

[Reeder113]

Originally Posted by mstar

So now the save the Pantages fans are now saying the Hines Tower is ugly??? OMG!!! That tower is going to be gorgeous. Especially compared to the very ugly exterior of the theater. What is so beautiful about the Pantages facade?

Yeah, I don't get it. This whole conversation is so weird, to me.

[TheGeographer]

I prefer the tower over the theatre, but I don’t think it’s anything special. Main Street tower will be an almost 400 foot “tower”. Not horrible, but also not iconic. About average, maybe a little better than average. My favorite part about the tower is the dope mid level outdoor area that I’m sure I’ll never set foot in. Other cities crank out towers like these left and right. I do prefer more density downtown and welcome another building, but will be more excited when SLC finally builds an iconic skyscraper instead of a bunch of 300-450 ft buildings. This could have been the one. I am stoked for another building, just being greedy and realistic when comparing the Main street tower to what I’ve seen other cities of comparable size doing.

[rockies]

Originally Posted by Atlas

New BSL article with a new mass timber proposal near the U:
https://www.buildingsaltlake.com/mas...er-this-month/

I saw on instagram that the developer's similar mass timber project in Cleveland is nearing completion this month so maybe they will turn their attention here soon. It appears that their proposal in SLC would be one of the largest mass timber buildings in the country. I hope it wasn't canceled and I am excited at the prospect of so many people living near stadium station

[SaltCityScrapers]

This Pantages Theater situation reminds me of a hotel from a business trip to San Francisco many years ago. I rented a room in what looked online to be an amazing hotel near Union Square. The photos of the lobby and the hallway to the elevators looked incredible. Built in the 1890s and so stylish, combo of Victorian and Art Deco.

I got there and found out: THAT was the extent of the niceties. The rest of the hotel was a complete garbage heap. Rundown. Falling apart. The lights made arcing noises. The doors wouldn't shut tight. Mold growing on the bathtub. The whole building had a gap an inch wide running through it from the great San Francisco earthquake. The building had cracked and they never tore it down or repaired it!

The Utah Theater had its day to be repaired, 20 years ago. No one did, and it's falling completely apart. Most of "what was" is gone. If you need it replaced, and that is the key word ("replaced"), do it somewhere else. There are better locations complete with accessibility and parking. There is very little left to "restore", and what is there isn't earthquake-proof and is full of asbestos.

It's dead. It died years ago. It's getting torn down. Accept it. Move on. Find a new location and someone with the cash to build and run a brand new theater if you're confident it will succeed.

Just keeping it real. Now try to keep it clean and classy when you attack me for being honest.

[Old&New]

Originally Posted by downtownslcresident

I can’t wait to see you tuck your tail between your legs and quit posting about this damn theater. It’s done dude. Nobody here wants to listen to you anymore. You’re probably the save the pantages guy himself. Get a grip on reality, stalker.

I still wonder who you are... But no, I’m not Michael Valentine. I’m routing for him though. It’s such a cool Theatre. And it is a big part of Salt Lake City History. It’s these buildings that connect us to our past, and give us a glimpse into their lives. It’s important for perspective, a perspective I’d like for you to be able to see one day.

[Old&New]

Originally Posted by SaltCityScrapers

This Pantages Theater situation reminds me of a hotel from a business trip to San Francisco many years ago. I rented a room in what looked online to be an amazing hotel near Union Square. The photos of the lobby and the hallway to the elevators looked incredible. Built in the 1890s and so stylish, combo of Victorian and Art Deco.

I got there and found out: THAT was the extent of the niceties. The rest of the hotel was a complete garbage heap. Rundown. Falling apart. The lights made arcing noises. The doors wouldn't shut tight. Mold growing on the bathtub. The whole building had a gap an inch wide running through it from the great San Francisco earthquake. The building had cracked and they never tore it down or repaired it!

The Utah Theater had its day to be repaired, 20 years ago. No one did, and it's falling completely apart. Most of "what was" is gone. If you need it replaced, and that is the key word ("replaced"), do it somewhere else. There are better locations complete with accessibility and parking. There is very little left to "restore", and what is there isn't earthquake-proof and is full of asbestos.

It's dead. It died years ago. It's getting torn down. Accept it. Move on. Find a new location and someone with the cash to build and run a brand new theater if you're confident it will succeed.

Just keeping it real. Now try to keep it clean and classy when you attack me for being honest.

I think the clean and classy response is best stated as a bulleted list:

1. We’re all aware of the current state of the Pantages Theatre, which is why we’ve been talking about restoration.
2. The expert on Theater restoration Jeff Greene is saying he could restore the Pantages Theatre for 4 million. I already covered his extensive resume in an earlier post. This obviously doesn’t include seismic upgrades which will be an additional 30 million.
3. The Utah Pantages never “had its day to be repaired,” as nobody even tried putting it on the National Register of Historic Places for one, till Michael Valentine and SaveTheUtahPantages came along.
4. The Pantages is already located in the perfect spot for a theater, in the theatre district, right between the Capitol and Eccles theaters, with a direct shot to the regent street parking garage only half a block away, and TWO TRAX stations less than a block away in Either direction.
5. Seems it would be easier for Hines to find another parcel and let the experts restore the theater. I’m sure the city can work out another worth while deal with Hines.
6. You say it’s dead. Experts of theater restorations are saying it can be restored. And now that it has qualified for the National Registry of Historic Places it now also qualifies for 20% tax credits, which can be used to borrow more money if needs be.
7. There is active litigation regarding the Pantages Theatre. So I have legitimate reason to be hopeful.

[Old&New]

Originally Posted by mstar

So now the save the Pantages fans are now saying the Hines Tower is ugly??? OMG!!! …

There are people on this forum who think it’s ugly too. Did you not read the comments on the last page?

[UtahBison]

Oh man, these past few pages have been insane. How do people think the Hines Tower is ugly? I have a question for those who think so, do you also think 95 State and 111 S Main are ugly? They are flat glass buildings with no setbacks or differing materials. I think one person on here even complained about the Hines Tower having an all-glass portion, like, what? And these other towers don't?

To be clear, I also think the 95 State and 111 S Main are beautiful and love that the Hines Tower is something SLC doesn't have yet.

Anyway, all this to say that I like the Hines Tower design and can't wait for the Pantages to be demolished so we can move on.

[EPdesign]

It’s like a bunch of chickens right now.

Now I hope they tare down the theater just so we can move on from this conversation.

[TheGeographer]

From what I’ve read there are some people who are one sided on the issue, and others that are somewhere in between. I’m for the Hines building at this point but have a few criticisms. Critiques are good, they are what make us better and want to do better. The Hines tower could and should be taller considering it’s right in the middle of downtown. There is a housing unit shortage and the city is obsessed with this pyramid idea. Is 400-500 ft their top of the pyramid? If so we’ll always fall short of a true skyscraper. Secondly, the design is slightly better than average. I look at what other cities are doing and not just SLC so my standards are different. Nothing wrong with the rectangle look, they do a good job with the design and materials from the renderings we’ve seen. I’ll stop short of saying it’s absolutely drop dead gorgeous though. To me it will be one of SLC better looking buildings when compared to buildings in SLC. But if you compare it to other cities it is just another tower and not iconic by any stretch of the imagination.

[airhero]

Originally Posted by UtahBison

Oh man, these past few pages have been insane. How do people think the Hines Tower is ugly? I have a question for those who think so, do you also think 95 State and 111 S Main are ugly? They are flat glass buildings with no setbacks or differing materials. I think one person on here even complained about the Hines Tower having an all-glass portion, like, what? And these other towers don't?

To be clear, I also think the 95 State and 111 S Main are beautiful and love that the Hines Tower is something SLC doesn't have yet.

Anyway, all this to say that I like the Hines Tower design and can't wait for the Pantages to be demolished so we can move on.

Sorry guys I know you’re annoyed and I wasn’t going to respond but people have got to stop misrepresenting what others are saying (people seem to be willfully misunderstanding Old&New). I wasn’t complaining about it having an all glass portion. Glass can be great. I said the glass portion was boring and the interface with the deck is bulky and awkward. I thought the design was fine at first glance (not great) but the more I look at it the more I hate it. I thought the city would get something bigger and better out of Hines but instead we’re stuck with a tower that will sort of blend in from the get-go. The design adds little to the city and the height won’t stand out at that location.

95 State and 111 aren’t ugly. They are boring, filler designs. For an (almost) all glass design I prefer 222. Also looking forward to Sundial, insane width notwithstanding. I love 111 architecturally and at street level, though.

[Atlas]

BSL's article today, "Building in historic district torn down without a permit", and someone's response on Reddit about the fine for doing this being like $500 and a slap on the wrist, as well as the Save the Pantages guy's recent meltdown about unauthorized work happening inside the former Ary's Barbershop has me thinking.

Demolition/removal has probably already started on the interior of the Utah Theatre. Hines is probably willing to pay whatever (apparently minor) fines are associated with not waiting for the demo permits to be approved.

[Paniolo Man]

Controversial take:

The main street tower looks good, it's towers like 95 state and CCH that look mediocre to me. They look OK but very plain. Having material variation is what makes Gateway West and Wells Fargo such great towers. I believe that in the future these all glass towers will be viewed the way we today view the brick boxy buildings of the 50s - 70s. 111 pulls it off alright by having a stripe of different color between the floors, it's less of a plain monolith. Main Street tower and Astra are a huge step in the right direction. Hell, I even prefer the look of Liberty Sky over 95 State and CCH.

I'm not demanding that any of you agree with me, just sharing my perspective.

[meman]

I too agree the Theatre Tower is fairly nice looking. I personally cant wait to see it under construction. It will be a good addition to the Salt Lake skyline.

I too will be glad when we can move on from the discussion of the Pantages Theatre because it will be demolished soon.

I too hate to see a once-beautiful theatre demolished but reality needs to be faced that the Theatre is too far gone to be restored.

[SLCPolitico]

Adding my vote to being tired of this endless discussion and hoping the buildings get demolished soon so we can be done with it. I think everyone in the thread is pretty set in their opinions either for or against and the constant re-litigation of the same arguments is exhausting.

[Blah_Amazing]

https://citizenportal.slcgov.com/Cit...howInspection=

Project: The Darlene

Developer: CW Urban

Address: 906 S 200 W

The Basics: 100 residential units. 5 floors. 1,000 sq. feet of groundfloor retail.

This project appears to have replaced the apparently now cancelled plans for 'The Sydney' by Urban Alfandre (128 units & 5 floors).

https://www.urbanalfandre.com/new-index#new-page

[mstar]

Thanks for this update Blah! I wonder if they fixed the soil problems with this property?

[delts145]

Blah_Amazing, I'm a little confused. Could you please clarify the changes in this post from a few months ago? I had assumed from your previous photos and the various information sources that the construction of both the Slate and Sydney, which are neighbors was well underway. Is it that the 'Darlene' is what is under construction and simply replaced the Sydney?

Downtown South - Update, The Slate and the Sydney Projects - Under Construction

August 17th

Originally Posted by Marvland

They are doing a bunch of site work and what looks like footings and utilities (??) right now. Could just be remediation from the former dry cleaners but the whole site is very busy.

Taylor Anderson Reports - Full Article @ https://www.buildingsaltlake.com/bui...s-main-street/

Central 9th continues its rapid march toward urbanization with the latest ground-breaking this week that will continue framing out the neighborhood’s main street along 900 South.

The demolition this week of the former Henries Dry Cleaners comes after years of delay due to contamination and delays from dealing with the state and may have overshadowed progress next door.

The parcels between 200 West and Washington Street (~250 West) has been a crucial underutilized space in what has otherwise become a fast-growing urban neighborhood on the fringe of Downtown. That began to change this week
with the demolition of a burned-out building and ground-breaking of two separate but related projects.

The two projects will not only bring space for hundreds more people living in the small neighborhood, they’ll expand the growing retail and dining space that already makes Central 9th a space worth visiting on par with 9th & 9th and other
small retail-led neighborhoods in Salt Lake City.

The ground-breaking along Washington marks the beginning of the Slate, a mixed-use project that will be the first built and over the coming 1.5 years. It will bring a five-story mixed-use project near the 900 South 200 West
TRAX station.

The Slate will add 150 new units with ground-floor retail space to continue the neighborhood’s build-out. It will be the first of what will become two buildings between 200 West and Washington Street in the next two to three years.

Slate makes up what may become the western boundary of multiple developments between 200 West and Washington Street. East of the alley is the burned-out shell of a former Henries Dry Cleaners...

The Slate - 148 unit mixed-use apartment project adjacent to the Central Ninth TRAX station in Salt Lake City.
19 studio apartments - 115 one-bedroom apartments - 16 two-bedroom apartments - 58 parking stalls - 22 bike spaces - 3,530 square feet of ground-level restaurant and commercial space.


_______
Image by Taylor Anderson @ BuildingSaltLake.com of the development site: Demolition now complete.


September 26th

The Slate - 5 floors & 148 units - under construction

Photos By Blah_Amazing

Downtown South - Update, The Sydney Project

Taylor Anderson Reports - Full Article @ https://www.buildingsaltlake.com/bui...s-main-street/

Next door to the above Slate Project is the Sydney...Urban Alfandre has plans for the parcel that had been held up by the Department of Environmental Quality due to ground contamination caused by the dry cleaner until this week.
Bulldozers this week demolished the cleaner, which had been severely burned at some point over the past year.

Alfandre must remediate the surrounding soil before breaking ground on that 128-unit mixed-use project, known as the Sydney.

Together, both Alfandre properties will frame an activated alleyway and continue the build-out along 900 South near the TRAX station.

The Sydney - 128 unit mixed-use brownfield redevelopment site adjacent to the Central Ninth TRAX station in Salt Lake City.




September 26th

The Sydney (200 W 900 S) - 5 floors & 128 units - under construction (I had initially feared the project was dead, cause the property had been listed for sale)




The Sydney (left) and The Slate (right)

Photos By Blah_Amazing

.

[Comrade]

Originally Posted by Blah_Amazing

https://citizenportal.slcgov.com/Cit...howInspection=

Project: The Darlene

Developer: CW Urban

Address: 906 S 200 W

The Basics: 100 residential units. 5 floors. 1,000 sq. feet of groundfloor retail.

This project appears to have replaced the apparently now cancelled plans for 'The Sydney' by Urban Alfandre (128 units & 5 floors).

https://www.urbanalfandre.com/new-index#new-page

Definitely an improvement*

I say this based on the initial rendering which who the fuck knows if that's what it'll look like.