Suspense is Building as Old Hotel Utah Gets Major 'Room Service'

Hotel Utah, which closed 31 August 1987, has undergone four major remodeling projects and additions in the past.

Features of the renovation:

• architect: FFKR Architects, Salt Lake City
• A four-level, 350-vehicle underground parking terrace between the hotel and the Church Administration Building.
• The former Gold, Jade and Presidents' Rooms will be available for public receptions and banquets.
• A 500-seat theater will be constructed in the former Grand Ballroom. A movie in the big-screen theater will give visitors to Temple Square a better understanding of church history.
• A Family History center with more than 100 computer terminals will be located in the former Bonneville meeting rooms below the theater.
• Five floors of the structure will be used for church offices, including the Family History Department and Public Communications. Three floors will be left unfinished for future expansion.
• The former Lafayette Ballroom will become a 500-seat chapel to accommodate two LDS wards. Offices and classrooms also will be housed in the building.
• The renovated beehive dome and a new flagpole, completed in 1988, will be remain atop the building's central tower.
• A Church Distribution Center and temple clothing facilities will be located in the basement.
• The 10th floor, constructed as an addition between 1911 and 1912, is being removed and replaced with a lighter and stronger floor to make the building more resistant to earthquakes. A garden restaurant will be located in the south part of the west wing, under a movable skylight. A larger restaurant will continue in the tradition of the hotel's former Roof Restaurant and will feature table as well as buffet service. The east wing of the 10th floor will house assembly and meeting rooms. An observation window will be located near the center of the 10th floor, giving visitors a view of Temple Square to the west and part of the Wasatch Mountains to the east.