Emporium to plaza
On Jan. 27, the Emporium on Main Street was demolished, as part of Mayor Holly Daines’ plans for a new plaza on Center Street.
Daines has been actively involved in the renovation since she was first elected in 2017.
The Emporium was a controversial topic during the recent elections but Daines said she is excited for the project to finally be set in motion.
She said it’s important to her to have Main Street walkable and convenient for pedestrians.
“With our big blocks in Utah it’s a little forbidding for pedestrians to go all the way around the block, so we started thinking ‘what if you opened up that block?’”
Before the project could kick off, the Historic Preservation Committee had to approve the demolition of the Emporium.
To determine the historical significance of a building it is given a rating between A-D. “A” or “B” is considered contributory, and “C” or “D” are considered noncontributory.
According to HPC Emporium Demolition Docket, the Emporium was built to replace the JCPenny in 1977 and in 1999 the building was evaluated through the reconnaissance level survey, or RSL, as a “D” rating.
The rating was due to the building being constructed outside the historic period, condemning all notions of the Emporium being a historic landmark.
The demolition of the Emporium will be complete around May of this year and the construction of the plaza will begin, with hopes it will be finished before next Thanksgiving.
“The plaza will include a mechanical skating rink that will be open from Thanksgiving to probably the first of March,” Daines said. “That will make it lively during the wintertime, and in the summer, there will be a kind of fun water feature splash pad that will be programmed with lights and music. For another fun summer feature, we have a stage that will go in and they’ll be offering free concerts.”
While the plaza is being constructed, the neighboring buildings Plaza 45 and the 41 North Main building will undergo restoration and be transformed into restaurants to accompany the plaza.
“That’s one thing that makes downtown lively,” Daines said. “To have a variety of dining establishments,” Daines said.
The plaza is a $4.3 million project with $2.1 million raised from private donors. $250,000 was donated by the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation and the concert stage will be named in their honor.
The Jim and Carol Laub Family Foundation donated $1 million toward the plaza and another $200,000 was donated by the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation.
“We raised $2,150,000 for the project which just shows you what generous people we have in our community and that people are so excited to see things happening,” Daines said. “And due to the donors and the Logan Redevelopment Agency the funds for the plaza are not coming from the general taxpayer dollars fund.”
Daines said her goal is for Main Street to be a hub for Utah State University students and members of the community.
Spencer Johnson, a freshman at USU said he and his friends never spend much time on Main Street but expressed his excitement for the installation of the plaza.
“Part of our goal is our plan to revitalize downtown,” Daines concluded. “And make it more attractive, more pedestrian friendly and more of a benefit for our citizens.”
-Brielle.Carr@usu.edu