The historic building, at 175 S. Main, is about 50 percent vacant as Vectra Management Group makes it over for new Class A office space.

Rather than leaving ground-level vacancies exposed to gawking passers-by, Vectra has put up banners in the windows, with illustrations of the concept plans, artists' renderings and other information.

"It's pretty attractive," said Raju Shah, a partner in Vectra, the New York City company he co-owns with Salt Lake City native Jim Tozer. "It looks better than a construction site."

The company has installed the banners on its own — it isn't a city requirement — but Councilwoman Nancy Saxton has expressed her interest in making the idea a must for vacant buildings throughout the city.

"It goes along with what I've been looking at for years: to find a way when we have vacant buildings to continue the streetscape," said Saxton.

She said vacant buildings — be they abandoned homes, empty storefronts or office towers undergoing a face-lift — detract from an otherwise clean, attractive city. The mandate to dress up the windows of vacant buildings could be tailored to specific circumstances: the history of an old home, for example, or drawings of a pending project, she added.

Shah agreed that the idea allows developers to capitalize on a building's unique traits.

"Walker Center is sort of the grand lady of downtown," he said. "This building is an icon for Salt Lake City. It brings back good memories for a lot of people. It's our way of restoring that."

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E-mail: dsmeath@desnews.com