Renovated S. L. 'Grand Dame' Brings Out the Oohs and Aahs

On Thursday, the Utah Heritage Foundation hosted an open house and dinner to celebrate the reopening and renaming of the former Hotel Utah. This was one of a series of open houses conducted for invited guests before the public tours.

Hotel Utah was known as Salt Lake's “Grand Dame.” Renovation included complete replacement of plumbing, heating, air-conditioning, sprinkler, and telephone systems. Sheer walls were added to the structure's frame to provide earthquake security.

“Our written instructions when we began planning the hotel's reconstruction was that we make it a building for the public, a building the public can enjoy - as they did in the past.” (Roger Jackson, FFKR Architects)

“The Hotel Utah is special to so many people because it seems everyone has a favorite memory of the building. No other structure in the state has touched so many people. The building truly is the architectural crossroad of our state society.” (Michael Leventhal, Utah Heritage Foundation, Executive Director)