The First Security building was built in 1919, "one of the finest representations of the World War I era in Utah," according to the Heritage Foundation statement. Carved lions' heads peer from atop the building, and below, it is adorned with ornate buffalo and Indian head medallions, as well as two rows of classical columns.

The Heritage Foundation is not the first to raise the question of preserving the building's history. Philip F. Notarianni, director of the Division of State History, has said he wants to see the building saved, and when the plan was presented to the City Council last week, Councilman S�ren Simonsen said, "I think it's unfortunate that the architectural heritage of these blocks is being completely lost in this development."

Developers and the church have suggested the possibility of preserving the facade of the building while tearing down the building itself. But the foundation called that "a compromise that pleases nobody."

The 20-acre City Creek Center, announced to much fanfare last week, will combine housing, retail and office space, all connected by indoor-outdoor pedestrian walkways, a series of water features meant to replicate City Creek and six acres of open space.

City Creek Center will be built entirely by investments from the LDS Church's real-estate arm, Property Reserve Inc., and its partners, including Utah-based Cowboy Partners, which will oversee much of the residential development, and Michigan-based mall designers Taubman Centers Inc.

Estimates have put the total cost of the project around $1 billion, though the church and its partners have not publicly disclosed an amount.

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E-mail: dsmeath@desnews.com