Old Salt Lake City hotels to get makeover

On 29 November 2011, a new housing development named the Plaza at State Street was announced.  The Cambridge and Regis hotels will be gutted and rebuilt with three floors set back 50 feet to maintain their historic facades.  The city has long insisted that the facades remain in place.  The Rex Theater (located in the Regis building) will be “salvaged and modernized.”  Buildings at 235 (Childrens' Theatre) and 241 South State Street will be demolished and replaced with a 10-story apartment complex that connects to the rebuilt hotels.  Demolition begins in January 2012, with completion scheduled for 15 months later.  The project will provide affordable housing near the new City Creek Center.  Funding comes from 12 sources, including federal tax credits and President Barack Obama’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

Features of the Plaza at State Street:

• cost: $30 million
• seven retail shops and restaurants at street-level
• two levels of underground parking
• energy-efficient: solar panels and Energy Star appliances
• 180 housing units, with 44 at market prices and 136 for low and moderate-income households