Fans of Utah Theater have started a campaign to save the aging downtown structure, after Salt Lake City leaders recently opted to explore replacing it with a new skyscraper.
Daunted by an estimated $60 million price tag for restoring the 100-year-old former vaudeville and movie theater, the city’s Redevelopment Agency (RDA) is in talks with two developers — Hines and LaSalle — on tearing it down to make way for a 30-floor tower, mid-block walkway and park at the Main Street location.
The former Pantages Theater, built in 1919, is badly deteriorated. Under the latest RDA plans, some elements of the neoclassical-style venue, including its ornate interior sculptures and original bricks, would be incorporated into the new project, with the rest of the building demolished.