Salt Lake County today announced that it has entered Phase II of design and planning for the comprehensive reconstruction of the Calvin R. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center, marking a major step toward a more modern, connected and visitor-focused destination in downtown Salt Lake.
Additionally, Salt Lake County announced a complete planning, architectural, and construction team to realize the transformation of the Salt Palace Convention Center by 2031. It will prioritize coordinating closely with nearby stakeholders to enrich the broader 50-acre district into a connected walkable vital section of downtown which will ultimately serve as a modernized gathering place focusing on entertainment, sport, conventions, and culture.
“The creation of the Sports, Entertainment, Culture and Convention District (SECC) is a generational opportunity to reinvent a vital section of our state’s capital city,” said Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson. “With strong support from our community partners and world-class project team, we are confident this investment will result in a fundamentally reimagined section of downtown serving local residents, area business as well as visitors to downtown Salt Lake.”
Part of the design concept involves adding a second full-service ballroom to the convention center that enables Salt Lake to host multiple major events simultaneously, something meeting planners have long requested, and competitors already offer. This addition will help to generate an estimated $105 million in additional annual economic impact on top of the $300 million per year that the center already generates in its current form. The facility will retain a similar square footage total while enhancing connectivity between levels to create better attendee flow, reduce congestion, and improve the overall event experience. These improvements position the Salt Lake to support future major events and continue growing as a premier convention destination.
To support the reconstruction, the County has also finalized its project team with the addition of Jacobsen Construction and AECOM Hunt, chosen through a competitive RFP process. Operating as a joint venture, the firms will lead construction for the redevelopment.
The construction firms join local architectural firm MHTN Architects and global firm Populous, which specializes in stadium and venue design. Construction management services are provided by Construction Control Corporation and Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB). The on-going operations of the convention center are provided by Legends Global. These firms together provide the local and global expertise to deliver a revitalized facility aligned with the broader goals of the Sports, Entertainment, Culture and Convention (SECC) District.
As part of the County’s development of a vibrant, connected SECC District and downtown, this team will also join Salt Lake County Arts & Culture to oversee renovation of the back-of-house of Maurice Abravanel Hall, aligning with lead architect Sparano + Mooney Architects, and the Visual Arts Center, home to the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA), joining lead architect Allied Works. Together with the Salt Palace Convention Center, these three buildings and surrounding public space are being designed under a unified project team to enhance connectivity and public impact of the culture and convention components of the SECC District.
Funding for the project is made possible through the Convention Center Revitalization Zone (CCRZ) and tax increment financing mechanisms designed to reinvest in the County’s convention and tourism infrastructure. The selected design concept will ensure the most cost-effective path forward, maximizing the value of public investment while still achieving the features of a world-class facility.
“When conventions thrive, our community thrives,” Kaitlin Eskelson, President and CEO of Visit Salt Lake shared. “Tourism currently injects $6.1 billion into the Salt Lake County economy annually, and this modernization of our convention center improves our ability to better serve residents and visitors by offering a more seamless and connected experience in the area. It will also generate more hotel stays, more restaurant traffic and more tax revenue to reinvest in the County.”
As the project moves into the next phase of design development, additional details and timelines will be released as they become available. Salt Lake County will continue to share updates as the project advances. Additionally, design concepts for Abravanel Hall’s back of house renovation and the Visual Arts Center are also still under development.
