Remember this spot because it’s about to disappear
One of the things that’s most interesting to me about cities is the way we perceive them. And I’ve been thinking about that lately as construction on the new Utah Performing Arts Center draws near.
The UPAC and an accompanying office tower are coming to the corner of Main Street and 100 South in Salt Lake City. It’ll probably be an interesting building.
But will we remember what it replaced? I’ve found that in my own experience I often tend to take the built environment for granted, inadvertently assuming that its various pieces are timeless. Then, when it changes, I have a hard time remembering what it used to look like. Cities seem eternal, and so changes are quickly absorbed, forgotten and once again taken for granted.
I wrote about this last year in regard to a new project in Provo and now I’m wondering how long it’ll be before I forget what Salt Lake’s Main Street circa 2013 looked like.
To guard against forgetfulness, here are some pictures of the buildings currently occupying the UPAC site. I’ve heard demolition could begin soon, so our time to document and remember this space is running out.
The new, glass tower will replace this building.
The Performing Arts Center will replace these buildings.
The Performing Arts Center and tower will dramatically change this view of Main Street.
This view also will change, as the building on the right will be replaced by a much larger, glass tower.
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