Salt Lake City—Four million pounds of framework might provide the backbone for Salt Lake’s 111 Main, but the collaboration between public, private and religious entities to build it has laid the foundation for a brighter downtown area, said organizers of the building’s ribbon-cutting celebration Thursday.
Held in the newly completed building’s 35-foot, floor-to-ceiling glass lobby, speakers praised the collaborative efforts that helped the 24-story building to rise.
“It’s an example of how people from very different backgrounds and talents can work together to create a magnificent monument of utility and beauty," said Gérald Caussé, Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “We are happy this project is completed, yes, but we are also grateful for the bonds of friendship that have been forged and will continue to be strengthened in the future."
The LDS church was instrumental in the process, said Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski. Biskupski said the 440,000 square foot office building, which is anchored by Goldman Sachs, along with Bonneville Mortgage, CBC Advisors, Clarity Capital, Dorsey Whitney, Durham Jones Pinegar, Jones Lang LaSalle and the U.S. Attorney General, is part of the continued effort to keep downtown rising.
“Thousands of employees will work in this building. Thousands of employees will walk through this lobby every day. This will translate into thousands of restaurant orders, lots of GreenBikes—and lots of riding—and thousands of shoppers for our retail stores," she said. “When done right, buildings have the power to bring energy to an area."
Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams likened a city to an ecosystem, where office space, retail stores, entertainment venues and restaurants all work together to create a thriving environment.
“[111 Main] is more than an office building; it also means our capitol city continues to be vibrant, alive and an interesting place to work, live and have fun," he said.
The office building, which is almost fully leased, was in a way built from the top down—the hat-truss design means one large column is all the building needs to be stable, even in the event of a major earthquake. It also allowed the building to cantilever over the neighboring George S. and Delores Doré Eccles Theater, which itself is nearing completion.
Mark Gibbons, president of City Creek Reserve, an arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the developer of the project, said the symbiotic relationship between 111 Main and the theater—in addition to fitting next to each other like puzzle pieces, the two buildings share part of a lobby—was emblematic of the relationship between the parties involved. Initially, he said, the two projects had competing interests, which were resolved by working together to join the lobbies and fit the two buildings together hand-in-glove.
“City Creek Reserve’s decision to build 111 Main reflects our continuing investment in Downtown Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City’s decision to bring a Broadway-style theater reflects a catalytic effect," he said. “Simultaneously building 111 Main and [the theater] has been a joint venture in the best sense of the word."