From Deseret News archives:
A class job: Salt Lake's new Walker Center just like old except better
Fortunately for tenants in the newly renovated Walker Center, the building's new owners strayed from their commitment to staying completely true to the historic aspect of the Walker Center and the multimillion-dollar project includes both modern men's and women's facilities, along with state-of-the-art HVAC and electrical systems.
The underlying goal of the project, however, was to "take a historic building, probably the most historic building south of the temple, and convert it back into its heyday from the outside and convert it into class A office space on the inside," said W. James Tozer Jr., a principal in Vectra Management Group, which formed Walker Center Associates to buy the building in April 2006 for an undisclosed sum.
After more than a year of construction, and some $15 million in project costs, Walker Center principals hosted an open house Thursday afternoon in advance of an evening Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce event.
"This is not what you'd call a traditional bank," Far West president and CEO Bob Daugherty said while leading a tour of the new space.
The branch has a "tech center" for customers to conduct online banking and surf the Web while looking out onto Main Street. Meanwhile, tellers or "personal bankers" as they're called at Far West and an on-site mortgage lender will offer more personal service.
The renovation project also included restoration of the Walker Brothers Bank vault, which is guarded by the original 5,000-pound door.
"It was really important to us to keep everything as original as it possibly could be, so we took extra time and effort to do that," said Nicole Sherman, executive vice president for Far West Bank.
Ultimately, the Walker Center will house 30 to 40 tenants over 16 floors. Only 750 feet of finished space is still not leased, Tozer said. Parts of the building remain under construction, including ground-level space that will ideally house a retail outlet such as a restaurant, said Chris Kirk with CommerceCRG, the building's leasing agent.
"It's inviting from the street," Kirk said. "This is really the core for downtown."
The Walker Center also features a two-story lobby and a 419-stall parking garage with a sixth-floor skybridge that provides direct access into the building. It will also, eventually, include a replica of the building's historic 64-foot weather tower that has served as a weather indicator for downtown residents for nearly three decades.
Installation of the tower has been postponed several times, but Tozer said the current plan is to place it atop the building beginning Dec. 1 and complete electrification as quickly as possible.
"We're hoping we can turn it on by Christmas," he said. "We're all looking forward to that."
E-mail: awelling@desnews.com
Recent comments
Might just have to do with the efficiency of the private sector...
MudDuck | May 9, 2008 at 11:07 a.m.
So the walker center gets a complete renovation for $15 million but...
Dutchman | Nov. 16, 2007 at 3:33 p.m.
- RSL regroups, dominates 2nd half 12:05 a.m.
- Mormon guitarist overcomes blindness 12:04 a.m.
- Thankful for the small and simple things 12:04 a.m.
- Michael Otterson: A constitutional right 12:04 a.m.
- Detmer helps confirm teammate 12:04 a.m.
- Thanksgiving reunions full of memories 12:03 a.m.
- How a seer stone helped in translation 12:03 a.m.
- 'Savior of the World' in Spanish 12:03 a.m.
- Memories, joys from Thanksgiving trips 12:03 a.m.
- Today in the Bloggernacle 12:03 a.m.
- BYU records with win
- Glenn Beck to enter politics?
- Jazz outlast Pistons in overtime
- Cougars turn focus to dreaded rivals
- Cougars put the fun back in football
- Former BYU professor remembered
- Kirilenko heating up for the Jazz
- Police link alcohol to murder
- Wendover airfield's legacy lost?
- Florida No. 1, TCU 4 in AP Top 25
- Buttars wants to limit gay rights laws
202 - Glenn Beck to enter politics?
188 - Palin plans tour stop in Utah
178 - BYU records with win
129 - Palin's book shows she's unqualified
125 - RSL wins MLS Cup on penalty kicks
123 - Officer cleared in Cardall Taser case
103 - BYU cuts Women's Research Inst.
100 - Jazz finally win in San Antonio
98 - Utes knock off rival Aggies
93
There's a lot of reason to leave your plastic home as you shop:
I don't pretend to be an expert on global warming. I've met with...
I cried tonight. Seeing Andy Williams and Javier Morales fight. Seeing the...
Neither BYU or Utah would have a defensive shot against Boise. Boise State...
As an anecdote, the only time I remember people LEAVING Utah County in droves...
Until he's gone, we won't return to the BCS? He brought us there once, and...
1984. Little brother up north still envies BYU's National Championship...
And Jordan Wyn is that much better? He has been putting up big numbers...
Interesting how Utah's economy was arguably at its worst in the past 50 years...
until the SEC elites stop playing cupcake OOC teams at home they'll get no...
Great game great great!!! Most exciting soccer I have ever seen. Good job!!!!
The only thing that could have made the game any better is if Andy would have...


