Wikipedia

World Trade Center at City Creek

Not to be confused with World Trade Center Utah, a private organization to promote international trade in the State of Utah.

World Trade Center at City Creek (formerly Eagle Gate Plaza and Tower) is a 22-story office tower at City Creek Center in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Opened in 1986, the building was developed by Zions Securities Corporation, a for-profit entity owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

World Trade Center at City Creek
Map
Former namesEagle Gate Plaza and Tower
General information
Address60 East South Temple
Town or citySalt Lake City, Utah
CountryUnited States
Coordinates40°46′8.91″N 111°53′20.55″W / 40.7691417°N 111.8890417°W / 40.7691417; -111.8890417
Year(s) built1984–1986
Topped-outJuly 17, 1985
InauguratedOctober 15, 1986
OwnerThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Height310 feet (94 m)
Technical details
Floor count22
Lifts/elevators11
Design and construction
Architecture firmCooper, Carlson, Duy and Ritchie
DeveloperZions Securities Corporation (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
Main contractorChristiansen Brothers, Inc.
Website
citycreekslc.com/building-wtc
References
[1][2]

The structure's original name was a homage to the nearby Eagle Gate, a historic feature of downtown Salt Lake City. In 2012, the tower was incorporated into the newly built City Creek Center and its name was changed to World Trade Center at City Creek.[3]

Design

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The tower has 20 stories, with an additional 2-story, centered penthouse at its top; the tower's total height is 310 feet (94 m). The east wing starts with two stories and steps up to four stories where it connects with the tower. The façade is dark-rose-colored, granite-textured precast stone with colored glass. The granite was quarried in neighboring Colorado. On the very corner of the property is the tree-shaded plaza, meant to provide a link to the Gardens at Temple Square across the street.[1][2] The base was colonnaded to reflect the design of the nearby Beehive House and Church Administration Building.[4] An original bronze door frame from the Federal Reserve branch building that used to stand on this site was incorporated into the entrance of tower.[5]

The building contains about 16,000 square feet (1,500 m2) per floor, for a total of 385,000 square feet (35,800 m2), of which 30,000 square feet (2,800 m2) was devoted to retail space at its opening in 1986.[2][6]

Below the tower is a parking level, under which is a 1,000,000-US-gallon (830,000 imp gal; 3,800,000 L) thermal water tank. During the night, air conditioning units cool the water, which is then used to cool the building in the day.[7] Additional parking was made available with the construction of Eagle Gate Terrace garage along Social Hall Avenue on the block to the east of the tower.[2]

Location

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The tower sits at the intersection of State Street and South Temple street, a prominent location in the city. The site is the former location of two historic structures: the Gardo House and just to its west, the LDS Church Historian's Home and Office. The Gardo House was demolished in 1921, and replaced with the Federal Reserve's Salt Lake City branch.[8] The Historian's Office was demolished in 1925 and replaced with the Medical Arts Building.[9][10] Both of bank structure and Medical Arts Building were acquired by Zions Securities Corporation and demolished in 1984 for construction of the tower.

History

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Construction

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In July 1984, the LDS Church announced plans to construct an office and retail complex on property it owned at the corner of State Street and South Temple. The tower would be 22-stories high with an east wing that stepped up four stories between State Street and the tower. It would be connected to The ZCMI Center and include parking. The church did not give a cost, but local media estimated the structure would likely cost $30-40 million. Cooper, Carlson, Duy and Ritchie was the architectural firm and Christiansen Brothers, Inc. was hired as the general contractor.[4]

Before construction could begin, the two existing buildings on the site had to be razed. The Medical Arts Building was demolished via implosion in August 1984, whereas the old Federal Reserve bank was torn down with heavy equipment.[11] During demolition of the bank, it took three weeks of battering with a wrecking ball to break up the vault into small enough pieces to be hauled away. The demolition company had not expected the vault to be so difficult to remove and doing so consumed the profit the company had expected for the job.[12]

A topping out ceremony was held on July 17, 1985, when the last piece of steel put in place. The ceremony was watched by participants from the 26th floor of the neighboring Beneficial Life Tower.[13][14]

Opening

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The first tenant to sign a lease for space in the building was Davis Graham & Stubbs, a law firm.[15] Tenants were expected to begin moving in during late June 1986.[7]

Eagle Gate Plaza and Tower officially opened to the public on October 15, 1986, with a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony. The ribbon was cut by Ezra Taft Benson, president of the LDS Church.[16][2][17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Knudson, Max B. (November 1, 1984). "Exclusive leasing agent named for Eagle Complex". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. p. B13. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Weist, Larry (October 15, 1986). "Shimmering new tower opens its doors to S.L. after ceremony". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. pp. A1, A2. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  3. ^ "Eagle Gate Tower renamed World Trade Center at City Creek". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. May 29, 2012. Archived from the original on June 1, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Eagle Gate Plaza, Tower Plans Unveiled". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City. July 7, 1984. p. B7. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  5. ^ Federal Reserve Bank: Salt Lake branch of the Federal Reserve. Salt Lake City. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  6. ^ Rolando, Joe (October 14, 1986). "Dedication Scheduled For Eagle Gate Plaza". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City. p. C1. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Eagle Gate Plaza and Office Expecting First Tenants Soon". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City. June 19, 1986. p. B9. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  8. ^ "Wrecking Gardo House". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. November 24, 1921. p. 2. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  9. ^ "Medical Arts Building Soon To Be Erected". Salt Lake Telegram. Salt Lake City. October 4, 1925. p. 2. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  10. ^ "Historic Building on South Temple to Be Replaced by Skyscraper". Salt Lake Telegram. Salt Lake City. October 30, 1925. pp. 2, 10. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  11. ^ Funk, Marianne (August 20, 1984). "92½ lbs. of explosives, 4½ seconds, and she's down". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. p. B1. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  12. ^ Woody, Robert H. (November 6, 1984). "Demolition Company Didn't Bank On Problem of the Concrete Vault". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City. p. C1. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  13. ^ "Last steel beam is nudged into place at the Eagle Gate Plaza and Tower". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. July 17, 1982. p. B11. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  14. ^ "Topping-Off Gala Hails Eagle Gate Plaza Project". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City. July 18, 1985. p. B7. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  15. ^ "Denver law firm first tenant to sign for Eagle Gate Tower". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. May 6, 1986. p. 6B. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  16. ^ "Pres. Benson snips the ribbon at Eagle Gate's official opening". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. October 16, 1986. p. B1. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  17. ^ "Zions Securities Dedicates 22-Story Office Tower". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City. October 16, 1986. p. B11. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
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