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F i. i I p J a o. o r y F S t eF Y S o 9 f p r I Olympic Olymp c c centerpiece r The answer in 2005 BY DAN Staff Writer The West Side of downtown downtown with its rusted railways and d' d J dilapidated ed warehouses s has has long been considered the ghettos of Salt Lake City r For many years the mere mention of this part of town evoked visions of prostitutes prostitutes prostitutes and drug users Drunks A in the gutters were as plentiful 5 as as the bars that served them Today with a million shot in the arm ann it stands to be the City's center of commercial activity The Gateway Project an ambitious redevelopment The Plaza By Dan project and just a few blocks west of Main Street celebrated ed its grand opening last month touting 30 acres of parks shops I arid and restaurants Bri studded Brick walkways walkways walkways walk walk- ways lined by hundreds of trees and planters compliment compliment compliment ment an old-fashioned old image of modem-day modem architecture Earth tones of striking contrast contrast con con- contrast bathe the structures as this city within a city meanders meanders meanders mean mean- ders along its three-block three stretch of Rio Grande Street Patrons in plenty walk the streets dodging the occasional construction worker work work- er striving feverishly to conclude conclude con con- clude what few pieces of the maze there are left to com com- Interestingly enough when the construction began The Boyer Company one of the largest developers of corn com commercial mercial re real l estate in the Intermountain Intermountain West had yetto yetto yet yetto to have even one lease signed by a prospective tenant Soon however the lure of over square feet of retail and entertainment entertainment entertainment entertain entertain- ment space had netted such businesses as Abercrombie Fitch Banana Republic and Victorias Victoria's Secret A screen 12 theater of nearly square feet will provide provide provide pro pro- vide the bulk of the entertainment entertainment entertainment entertain entertain- ment and nine service full-service restaurants and a food court will afford the dining In all the new Gateway is expected to be a great monetary success generating generating generating gen gen- 20 million in annual sales and adding as many as new jobs to the Just a short walk from the entertainment venues is the Olympic Legacy Plaza Here the pathways are paved with hundreds of bricks identifying financial donors to the 2002 Olympics For a 50 dollar donation an individual can have his name inscribed on a brick to be paved within the walkway For those who have a little more to give there is the Olympic Wall of Honor a wall covered covered covered cov cov- ered with plaques honoring more substantial donors The Olympic Plaza also holds one of the most popular displays of the Gateway Project The Olympic Fountain A large version of the trademark the Olympic Snowflake this fountain shoots jets of water straight out of the ground in a myriad of patterns Using different water water- pressures the creators of this marvelous wonder can not only achieve different shapes with the water but different sounds as the water impacts the brick flooring Strings of water dance playfully along the fountain taunting spectators spectators spectators tors to cross without gett getting g wet Suddenly all the water stops The crowd goes silent in anticipation Then with the grace of Olympic swimmers and the determination tion of Olympic skiers the jets of water leap in synchronicity synchronicity syn syn- to the Olympic theme song and at times two stories high Other attractions to 1 follow after the 2002 Winter Olympics will be the f Childrens Children's Museum of Utah f and the relocating Hansen Planetarium The new planetarium um urn a 54 square foot facility will still utilize the famous planetarium dome and big screen The exhibition and sales space will consider be ably larger than its former fonner home inside the original public public pub pub- lic lie library located at 15 S. S State Street The Gateway Project is the centerpiece of a much larger renovation project called the Gateway District This district is located between North Temple and 1 1000 So and between W. W and I 15 comprising a total of acres Scheduled to be bee completed sometime in 2005 the district will hold new housing units dozens of retail shops and will be the the main transportation hub for forbus forbus bus commuter rail light rail and Amtrak J J however For now however however- i i i t there ere is The Gateway Project- Project a project aptly named for truly it is a gateway A gateway gateway gateway gate gate- way between the east side and the west Between the old old neighborhood and the new Between the trodden down slums of the to not-to-distant past and the fresh new designs of the to not-to-distant rab fir e j wa yE a E lr s rai s aki r f t r. r st k nr d y r t t Sy s i T Gateway Fountains By Dan |
