MAIN AND REGENT STREET CHANGES

“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” – Daniel Burnham

Identified as a need more than 50 years ago, the development of a large theater to accommodate high-quality touring productions finally gained traction in 2005, with a triumphant grand opening set for October 2016. Originally conceived as a stand-alone project, Salt Lake City viewed a new performing arts center downtown as a catalytic development that would spur private investment nearby. What City residents ended up with is much, much more.

The changes coming along Main & Regent Streets represents a visionary transformation of a pivotal part of Salt Lake City’s downtown into a vibrant entertainment district that grew out of a unique partnership to develop a new publicly funded civic theater and adjoining privately funded office tower. These projects quickly grew to include the reimagining of Regent Street, a narrow and neglected secondary road, from a potential future as a service alley into a lively row of restaurants, shops, and performance spaces linking the City Creek shopping center to the north with the Gallivan Center public plaza to the south. A new art-lined pedestrian walkway now connects Regent Street with Main Street, replacing a narrow, run-down building with an inviting connection into the center of the vibrant new entertainment zone.

The changes are coming soon with new buildings, attractions and infrastructure improvements to open in October 2016!  Included in these changes are:   

George and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater

• 148,000-sq. ft., 2,500-seat performing arts center with support spaces
• Annex space on Regent Street with potential use for retail, studio/black box, rehearsal space, classrooms, offices and storage
• A mid-block walkway connecting Main Street and Regent Street
• Use of approximately 650 parking stalls in the Regent Street parking garage

• Generous lobby and other public areas
• Convenient stage-level loading
• Proximate mixed-use amenities (e.g., restaurants, retail, hotels)

111 Main office tower

• 450,000 sq.-ft., 20- to 25-story state-of-the-art, iconic, office building, targeting at a minimum LEED® certification for shell and core
• Scale and scope complementary to theater and adjacent City Creek Center
• Parking, access, functionality and design integrated with theater from foundation through the façade
• Overall project design will appropriately bridge the gap between City Creek and the rest of downtown
• Office building will drive daytime pedestrian traffic and provide theater audiences at night
• Development represents a significant private investment in downtown

Regent Street transformation

• “Festival” street improvements – covered walkways and pedestrian amenities
• Multi-use plaza
• Cantilevered, “transparent” black box theater

Regent Street garage

• Aesthetically pleasing “re-skinning” of structure
• 10,000 square feet of street-level retail to activate Regent Street
• Parking for 1,000 cars serves 111 Main, theater and other businesses, attractions

Mid-block walkway to connect Main & Regent

• Secure, lighted, art-lined walkway
• Adds easy access to parking for Main Street businesses
• Allows inviting sightlines from Main into the center of the block

Thanks to the our private sector partners, Mayor Biskupski, the Salt Lake City Council, the RDA Board and special thanks to Justin Belliveau and the entire team of the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City (RDA) for having the vision and tenacity to bring this project together.  This is one of many outstanding efforts happening in the City.  Come be a part of the excitement!