Downtown Ogden taking off

OGDEN — The two blocks formerly occupied by the Ogden City Mall have been empty for more than half of this decade, except for dust and dirt. Now, in place of the dust of its predecessor, The Junction promises to be a boon for the city, Ogden leaders say.

From 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. today, you can get a sneak peek at the $19.5 million Salomon Center at The Junction, a high-adventure recreation center with a surf-simulating Flowrider, vertical wind tunnel and climbing wall, as well as bowling and glow-in-the-dark miniature golf. An $18-million Megaplex 13 movie theater is The Junction's other anchor.

Tickets cost $35 online at www.envisionogden.org or $45 at the door.

For Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey, The Junction represents more than just a good time. The 125,000-square-foot Salomon Center is named for a ski-product brand made by Amer Sports Corp., which in July is moving its North American headquarters to the former American Can Co. complex in Ogden. The Megaplex belongs to Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller.

The two entities have been key for the blocks' redevelopment, after many lean years.

The Junction is projected to provide more than $2.8 million in revenue to Ogden by the end of this year. By 2010 — with the addition of office space, a Children's Treehouse Museum and condominiums — the two-block area known as The Junction is projected to provide $4.5 million in annual revenue to the city.

At the height of its success in the 1980s and 1990s, the Ogden City Mall was generating nearly $1.6 million in annual revenue for Ogden city, according to the city's Web site.

But it's been a long time that those blocks have been empty.

When Godfrey was campaigning for office in 1999, there were two vacancies in the Ogden City Mall. Nordstrom had left for more lucrative climes, and J.C. Penney announced it would leave following the Christmas season.

When he took office, the first thing Godfrey did was meet with Meier & Frank executives, who had just purchased ZCMI, to ask them to keep their store in the mall.

"We'll help the mall. Please stay," Godfrey told them. The answer was no.

"We went to every developer in the state and nationally we could," Godfrey said.

Everyone had the same message. "Too bad. It's a really beautiful mall," they told him. "It's a shame you're going to have to tear it down."

In 2001, the city bought the land for $6 million and started tearing down the mall. By 2002, the mall was gone, reduced to dust except for part of the parking garage on the west side.

The city will continue to own most of that property when The Junction is complete, Godfrey said. According to the city's Web site, that same land is projected to be worth $182 million by 2010.