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Anyone who has visited the heart of Salt Lake in the last several years knows that it has been a construction zone, while the new City Creek Center, directly south of Temple Square has been rising, according to a master plan developed by an LDS Church-owned company with a shopping center developer.
Now, the press has had a sneak peek into the center which is scheduled to open March 22, 2012 , and promises to keep the downtown area around Temple Square a beautiful and inviting place, revitalizing the downtown where the Church is headquartered.
It is important for the Church that the downtown area around the temple remains a gracious place where people love to gather, and because of this concern, according to Ron Loch, vice-president of planning and design, for Taubman, the developers of the shopping center, this center is one-of-a-kind in the country for transforming the main street, at a city’s center into a unique and masterfully-designed development with a vision and unique sense of place.
Taking in the two blocks that used to house the ZCMI Center and Crossroads Mall, the 23-acre project features surprises and delight around every corner in an environment that will invite people to come and linger, giving a sense of community to the downtown.
So come on a photographic tour for yourselves. Welcome to the City Creek Center.
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It has taken eight years of working with an extraordinary team of planners and designers to get to the point where City Creek is near to completion. It has drawn national attention because at a time when many downtowns across the nation are dwindling, Salt Lake is adding a whole new reason to draw crowds.
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The press gathered on the sky bridge that spans across Main Street for a hard-hat tour and first look at the billion dollar, mixed-use project that involves retail space, office space and condominiums.
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Looking north from the sky bridge, visitors to City Creek have a view of the temple and Ensign Peak. The sky bridge connects the block across from the temple where Nordstrom’s will be to the block across from the Joseph Smith Memorial Building which is anchored by Macy’s.
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Looking south on the sky bridge, you can see all the way to the point of the mountain.
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Linda Wardell is the general manager of City Creek Center, one of the largest mixed-use downtown redevelopment projects in the nation.
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Ron Loch is the vice-president of planning and design who has led the team in creating an inviting downtown space.
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Because Utah has beautiful scenery and so many sunny days, the design has been geared to embrace the outdoors with vistas of the mountains that bring the outside in.
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The sky bridge is inspired by plant life, with shadow panes of leaves to resemble canopies of trees.
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Rather than being two solid blocks as the area was before, the new City Creek Center is designed with multiple entries into the blocks, walkways and glass arches that frame the mountains.
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The bridges over the creek that runs through the center are adorned by traditional street lamps to bring a sense of history, legacy and memory.
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Once a city creek ran through this area, so to capture a sense of the past, the entire center has been designed around a “city creek” which winds through the shops and office space.
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Multiple entries into each block provide a sense of airiness and open space.
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The blue box will become a four-sided fire place, a cozy place for friends to gather to talk. Note the proximity of the Church Administration Building (the gray building with the flag on top) and the Church Office Building in the background.
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At a time when the economy is down, the project has provided 1700 construction jobs, 80% of them local.
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The plan for City Creek meshes existing streets and opens up the blocks to be pedestrian oriented.
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Natural rock lines the creek, again to emphasize Utah’s beauty.
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An 18 foot waterfall cascades down rocks besides the stairs, giving a sense of leisure right in the middle of the city.
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The center is designed to bring the natural landscape to the middle of the city and the sound of water to a recreational experience.
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You can come to City Center to shop, to work, or as a destination just to enjoy the unique design.
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Multiple levels and light make the center visually appealing.
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Flowing water is part of the experience. The parking garage below has 5,000 spaces, with room to park a car as large as a Ford Expedition with ski racks. City Center is also located by a Trax station for those who’d like to take the train to come. Biking will be encouraged to the center.
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It’s hard to imagine that right by these beautiful aspen trees there is 700,000 square feet of retail with an additional 60,000 square feet of retail tenants.
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The rocks along the creek are designed for those who want to just sit and enjoy. There will also be many benches and gathering points for those who want to relax.
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Ron Loch says that everything in the center has been custom designed so that each time someone comes they have a different experience. The area will have a cast bronze statue called the stream of life featuring animals of Utah.
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Along the stream are fossilized foot prints of Utah animals. Canopies over the entrances to the stores allow shoppers to be protected during inclement weather and the sidsewalks are heated with a snow melt system. The new Macy’s will have 155,000 square feet on three levels and Nordstroms will have 125,000 square feet on two levels.
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City Center is not like a suburban mall, but is a totally different kind of space. In this plaza across from Temple Square are two fountains, one is interactive for people to play in it.
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Here again is another view of the center’s openness to Temple Square with its multiple entrances. The center will supply 2,000 jobs to Utah when it is opened.
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This is a 40-foot fountain that flutters with the thinnest film of water behind which is fire, which looks, according to Ron Loch, like a jelly fish when the slightest breeze plays upon it. It was designed by the same artist who did the fountains at Las Vegas’s Bellagio Hotel.
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The creek through the center runs on both the Nordstrom’s and Macy’s blocks. The City Creek apartments that overlooks this pleasing design are already 70% full.
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Imprints of animal feet, including bears, eagles, elk and seagulls, adorn the pavement as if they have been fossilized there. City Creek Center also features artwork inspired by Utah’s mountains, canyons, foothills and Great Salt Lake.
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Reflecting the sun, the 1,200-foot re-creation of the creek winds through the center where a food court will offer multiple dining opportunities, including a Cheesecake Factory.
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No need to worry about rain or snow while shopping with these glass canopies. Taubman has announced the first 20 retailers which will be coming to City Creek, including many recognized names that are making their Utah debut such as Coach, Brooks Brothers, and Tiffany & Co.
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Look up in this picture at the retractible roof. It provides a glassed-in environment which can be heated or cooled when the weather is difficult, and can be retracted for those days when the weather is beautiful.
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The entire glass roof can be retracted in only 4-1/2 minutes, silently—or closed again in the same time when a storm comes up suddenly. There is nothing quite like this retractible roof in all the world. Each of the two blocks has its own weather station so that needs can be anticipated.
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City Center was designed to delight the eye and the heart and set an inviting tone for those who visit Salt Lake City.
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With its re-creation of City Creek, the center announces that it plays upon the city’s history and culture.
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The sky bridge across Main Street is a 140 foot clear span with no columns or support.
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The view from South Temple. Welcome to City Creek.
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Water plays and chairs invite relaxation.
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The ZCMI façade, which has been an icon in Salt Lake City, was carefully preserved, taken apart, numbered, and refurbished to re-appear in a more glorious state to be the entrance to Macy’s. The store will feature special holiday window displays here as ZCMI did for so many years.