Rising on schedule
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The shock of demolition and raw excavation has been replaced with the optimism of concrete and steel rising in downtown Salt Lake City.
Workers in orange and green reflective vests swarm daily in and around the City Creek Center project. There is a steady flow of cement trucks and other construction vehicles in and out of the area. Several fixed cranes rise above the skyline.
"Construction at City Creek Center is well under way, on schedule and increasingly visible above ground," according to Dale Bills, a spokesman for City Creek Reserve Inc., an affiliate of the Church.
The project, which according to President Gordon B. Hinckley is to "protect the environment of the Salt Lake Temple," is about 2½ years along since the beginning of demolition at the end of 2006. It primarily covers the blocks directly south of Temple Square (the former Crossroads Mall) and the Church Office Building (the former ZCMI Center).
Elements of the new City Creek Center will be opening as they are completed over the next three years, concluding with the retail center in 2012. The development will include retail, residential and office components.
Commenting on the project's progress, Brother Bills said, "On the ZCMI block, the new food court will open this summer. A redesigned lobby in the KeyBank Tower at 36 South State Street will be completed later this year along with new office space on the lower floors of the building where ZCMI parking used to be.
"On the Crossroads block, two 10-story condominium buildings on South Temple are nearing their full height. New urban homes at what we're calling Richards Court will be ready for occupancy in the first quarter of 2010. …
"Over on West Temple, assembly of the steel framework for the retail center has begun just south of Tower 1. Tower 1 is another residential building that will rise throughout the year toward its 30-story full height."
Approximately 600 new residences will surround six acres of walkways, landscaping and water features spread across the two blocks. Anchor stores and a two-story, open-air galleria will provide shopping opportunities. A retractable glass roof will protect shoppers during inclement weather.
To preserve the aesthetics of the development, garages for 5,000 parking spaces are underground.
Renderings, plans and other information about the City Creek Center are included on the Web site www.downtownrising.com/city_creek/
Reason for City Creek Center
President Gordon B. Hinckley twice in general conference made reference to what has become the City Creek Center development in downtown Salt Lake City.
He said in the April 2003 general conference:
"I call attention to that which has received much notice in the local press. This is our decision to purchase the shopping mall property immediately to the south of Temple Square.
"We feel we have a compelling responsibility to protect the environment of the Salt Lake Temple. The Church owns most of the ground on which this mall stands. The owners of the buildings have expressed a desire to sell. The property needs very extensive and expensive renovation. We have felt it imperative to do something to revitalize this area. But I wish to give the entire Church the assurance that tithing funds have not and will not be used to acquire this property. Nor will they be used in developing it for commercial purposes.
"Funds for this have come and will come from those commercial entities owned by the Church. These resources, together with the earnings of invested reserve funds, will accommodate this program."
Then in the October 2004 general conference, he said:
"We are now working on a major undertaking in Salt Lake City. It is imperative that we preserve the environment around Temple Square. This makes necessary a very large construction project. Tithing funds will not be used for this construction. The income from Church businesses, rents on the property, and other such sources make this possible."
