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Show Lakeside Review, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 1981 ADVERTISEMENT 90 Builder Revels in American Heritage Shopping Malls There are two things that George build shopRiemer loves to do zenship. His appreciation of the American system includes a keen awareness of the value of profit in the free enterprise system. However, he insists profit is not the only important element of the American culture and free enterprise. But without profit, Riemer says, those other elements cant come into being. Riemer says those other elements of free enterprise require that not only should a profit be made from an undertaking such as the Newgate Mall but that in designing and constructing Newgate he create something worthwhile for the community. This was the major factor influencing Riemers insistence that ping malls and extol the American heritage. He does both quite well. As president of C & R Developers Inc., he has been the major force behind the planning and construction of the Newgate Mall. As a refugee from Communist Hungary, Riemer has a deep appreciation for the American heritage of individual freedom and pri- vate enterprise. Having lived in both a Communist and American culture, Riemer has a first hand, personal comparison of the two. Riemer said the design and construction of his malls particularis a reflection of his ly Newgate appreciation for his American citi selection of Peter Skene Ogden as the design and decor of the Newgate Mall reflect the heritage and the subject for a sculpture for a culture of the Ogden area. centerpiece for the mall. He talked to numerous people The central theme of the mall decor is based on the historic role and did considerable research before selecting the early day Ogden played in the nations railfor whom Ogden is roading history as the Junction xplorer named. City. Wall murals depict the drivThis gives the community someing of the Golden Spike at Promontory in 1869 and other scenes from thing that Riemer believes is Ogdens early days. Other murals worthwhile and unique. depict other elements of the heritAlthough Ogden is named for age of the area. Peter Skene Ogden, I couldnt find Riemer doesnt impose his own a statue of him anywhere, he said. concept of a communitys heritage A native of Hungary, Riemer on that community. To assure his sense of the local culture fits, studied civil engineering at the Riemer talks to a lot of local people Building Technical College and Technical University in Budapest. before finalizing his design conAfter graduating, he held structurcept. This was particularly true of his al design responsibilities on a vari- - Angeles, Calif, family that agreed to be his sponsor if he could escape from Communist dominated Hungary. This he did, arriving in Los Angeles in January 1957. Riemers first job was with Victor Gruen whom he considers the nations foremost shopping center architect. Gruen developed the concept of the enclosed mall, Riemer said. He spent 16 years with Gruen during which he was responsible for the design, construction and development of 24 regional shopping centers throughout the U.S. Among these were the ZCMI Center, a $60 million downtown shopping mall and office tower in Salt Lake City. trapper-e- fessionally satisfying. To begin with, there were 16 pieces of property that had to be acquired and meshed into an adequate master plan for site development. The number of individual pieces of property was not in itself unusual. Some projects involve a lot more Uieui that, Kelley said. But the developers for the original Newgate shopping center in the middle 1950s had prepared a master plan which wasnt totally car-- . ried to fruition. That master plan included a number of easements for street and utilities such as water, sewer, etc., some of which werent developed. Each of those easements had to be cleared and in a fairly brief time period, said Kelley who noted one , yesterday. Enhancing the time schedule was the fact that the site not only included an already developed area but also incorporated some rough pasture land and hillside. of the pressures of the entire NewAlmost before Kelley completed that assignment, the developer was gate project was a tight timetable. asking for a design for the installaTo begin with, Kelley had to lo- tion of water, sewer and other y of the utilities as well as construction of cate the exact easements which wasnt all that roads in the mall site. In accomplishing this, Kelley and then easy in every case prepare the legal descriptions and had to coordinate roads and both private and public data to have them legally vacated. utilities As the acquisition team for the with three cities and three public developer obtained an option or utility companies, telephone, electitle to each piece of property, Kel tric and gas. right-of-wa- ly 40s. Kelley agrees it was a pretty complicated task but shrugs off the difficulties as an intriguing challenge whose successful completion can be personally and pro ley and his crew would commence their part of the job. This required a considerable degree of cooperation and coordination between the engineer and the property acquisition team. Complicating this task was a need that the activity not become public which itself was no mean feat. The site acquisition and initial engineering plan took just over a year. Then the project engineer did run up against a tough time problem. A site grading plan was needed . Riemer joined with 1974, Christiansen Brothers of Salt Lake City to form C & R Developers Inc. In addition to Newgate, C & R has. been involved in the development and construction of five malls in California, Idaho and Montana." The Newgate mall is a joint venture with Homart Development Co., the real estate arm of Sears, . Roebuck & Co. Riemer doesnt readily talk about his escape from Hungary other than to say being a refugee can give you a strong belief in the American heritage and a deep sanitary engineering structures and industrial buildings. In 1956, Riemer met a Los Project Engineer Worked Out All the Kinks What does a project engineer do? That question brings a chuckle from Charles R. Kelley who was the project engineer for the multimillion dollar Newgate Mall. Kelley chuckles because there is no single, easy answer to the question. Sure, the job description is the same for any project the project engineer is responsible for design, supervision of construction and the administration of the contract for site development. But there are a number of factors that can influence the difficulty and complexity of a project engineer. And while the Newgate Mall will be a well planned, well constructed facility when it opens Friday, the job of the project engineer wasnt the easiest ever undertaken. In realty, being project engineer for the Newgate Mall was the most complicated job Kelley has handled during an engineering career that began on the war torn islands of the South Pacific during the ear- In ety of projects including bridges, U-FIN- WOOD ISH FURNITURE 1150 W. RIVERDALE RD. (N. of Bailey's) Our Story is Unfinished... NON-SWIVE- L STARTING AT SWIVEL STARTING AT ... $41.69 STORE HOURS Improving existing facilities proved wise Renovation and expansion of older as was existing shopping centers done in the Newgate Mall could become a major new wave of the future in mall construction. That is the opinion of the president of one of the partners in development of the $60 million Newgate Mall opening Friday at 36th and Wall. ' Spiraling construction costs and market saturation have slowed the building booms of the 60s and 70s, said Edwin Homer, president of Homart Development Co., a joint venture partner with C & R. Developers Inc. on the Newgate Mall. As a result, there is renewed interest in redeveloping existing centers both in downtown and outlying metropolitan areas, Homer said. He noted Homart and C & R are partners in two current projects involving the expansion and renovation of existing centers Newgate in Ogden and the El Cerrito Plaza in El Cerrito, Calif. Homart is the construction and real estate arm for Sears, Roebuck & Co. Homer said Homart strategy for the future includes moving into the development of middle market centers. -- - This is prompted primarily by a decreasing number of prime sites for regional malls, Homer said. We are targeting middle markets with prime trade area populations of 50,000 to 150,000 for future development, he said. Homer said the smaller centers permit both developers and tenants to deal more successfully with the increasing costs of operations. This permits smaller stores to decrease rental and operating costs. Intensifying competition for sites and money .has prompted Homart to accelerate its joint venture activities. Homer said Homart now is a joint venture partner in 10 centers and has more than double that number in the predevelopment stage. More and more, Homart is retaining management responsibilities of the centers we open, he said. Homart will manage the Newgate Mall in Ogden. Homer said Homart also is moving into the development of peripheral land around its shopping centers. Were recognizing the increased value of the land surrounding our projects and are developing it according Peter Skene Ogden statue unique touch ly, he said. This periphery land is developed into financial, recreational, medical, re- staurant, service and convenience - facilities. This satisfies the needs of shoppers as well as increases sales volume, Homer said. He said merchandising techniques and promotion for each Homart center is based on the needs of the specific target market, the mall tenants and the peripheral land users. Specific attention is given to achieving a compatible tenant7shopper merchandise mix which also is architecturally harmonious, he said. There is a commitment to the surrounding community in each Homart project, Homer said. Every effort is made to improve the environment by preserving the best of existing landscaping and by enhancing it with abundant new plantings, This commitment is carried into the interior as well through appropriate architectural design and decoration, Homer said. Ogden, 1 Riemer said. t BOXING GAME Reg. LrrP.aniC5 MATTEL ELECTRONIC Win! Free $100 Gift Certificate. Register Now! GAMES Motherhood Shop opening nearby. You can dress fashionably and comfortably throughout your pregnancy and well show you how to put it all together. See our exclusive basketball lit F00TBALL 1 nl Ii ; : 4 ft simulated game sounds! SOLD fOOTBALLi You call the plays Lucky you! Theres a $39.99 Electronic POCKET trapping. present. Riemer said Ghiglieris work shows the true strength of the character of his subjects and their will to survive against any odds. Visitors to the Newgate Mall will see that touch in Lorenzos sculpture of Peter Skene ELECTRONIC Grand Opening Special shopping facility. That centerpiece is a bronze statue of Peter Skene Ogden atop his horse in a pose reminiscent of a picture the early day explorer might have presented at the end of a days The unique centerpiece is the creation of Lorenzo Ghiglieri, an internationally known sculptor of western themes with a universal appeal. Ghiglieri will join Riemer in unveiling the unique work during a ceremony following the mall ribbon cutting Friday. Riemer is president of C & R Developers Inc. of Encino, Calif., developer of the Newgate Mall. Riemer said he wanted to set the mall off with a centerpiece that was unique and distinctive to the Ogden area. I was searching for an art object preferr-abl- y a person that would go well with the area, Riemer said in explaining the process that led to the selection of a statue of Peter Skene Ogden. He said several early day figures were suggested, including church leaders, but that he became intrigued with Peter Skene Ogden for a number of reasons. First, Riemer said, Ogden had a universal community appeal, not designating any one group. And he gave the city its name. I read all kinds of biographies of the man and became even more impressed, Riemer said. And I havent seen a single statue of him, Riemer said. After considering a number of artists to do the sculpture, Riemer decided to offer the commission to Ghiglieri whose subjects have been the people and creatures who have inhabited the Northwest from prehistory to the Lifelike action. Graphic color display. You control all strategical and directional movements. Over 100 million computerized plays. One or two players. Highest quality electronic components. No TV set needed. 4 "C" batteries not included. The Newgate Mall, he noted, reflects If there is one thing George Riemer is more proud of than the design of the Newgate Midi it is the centerpiece of the multimillion dollar 39.95 REG. Ogdens unique railroad history. or 2 players. ll I Th letr with LAST YEAR FOR 39.99 $499 tru lit action, super sound effects, and millions of computerized plays. Battery pot included. SOLD LAST YEAR FOR SALE 29.99 888C PRICE BABY CRAWLS MAGITR0N designer dresses and sportswear by Joyce Ewing Bradley. We also carry sleepwear, lingerie, nursing bras and accessories. 'A-- , ' An . vn, ft T ' W. bfU. 4, . m - SALE PRICE -'- Vwrfc, Reg. L. Drawing to Be Held 9.99 Reg. SALE PRICE October 31st n MamemiciDi) AkitcmitvftSlKips Over 340 locations 'OvV across the country NEWGATE MALL LEFT OF CENTER COURT 1 y &. Clotty Shops Wb fostio your fun seriously. Newgate Mall Ogden ! ' of American citizenship. Riemer has been a U.S. citizen for 18 years. Asked about reports the area may be overbuilt with shopping facilities, Riemer smiles and says competition is a part of the American heritage. But Kelleys part of the project is just about wrapped up. All Ive got left do now is complete the final estimates of work done by the various contractors for a final payment, he said. Kelley organized his own engineering firm Kellco Engineers in 1972 shortly after resigning as Ogden City Manager. He had held that post for 6 years. A native of Cache County, Kelley graduated from South Cache High School and received a degree in civil engineering from Utah State University. He first put his engineering skills to the test as an engineering officer serving with the Naval Air Corps in the Pacific during World War II. His was the unit that went into the islands with took boxes to build strips for planes to land. Kelleys last assignment was building barracks for occupation troops in Japan at the end of the war. Returning home, Kelley worked for the Utah Department of Highways for a while and then spent a few years handling private construction projects throughout the West. He came to Ogden in the 60s, first as Ogden City public works director and then city manager. ; R) 24.99 ' |