| Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center | |
|---|---|
 The Salt Palace's main entrance on West Temple |
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| Location | 100 S West Temple Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 |
| Coordinates | 40°46′1″N 111°53′42″W / 40.76694°N 111.89500°WCoordinates: 40°46′1″N 111°53′42″W / 40.76694°N 111.89500°W |
| Opened | mid-1990s |
| Owner | Salt Lake County |
| Construction cost | $93 million USD |
| Capacity | 10,725 (original) 12,666 (expanded) |
| Tenants | |
| (of previous building at this location) Utah Jazz (NBA) (1979–1991) Utah Stars (ABA) (1970–1975) Salt Lake Golden Eagles (IHL) (1969–1991) |
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This article describes a convention center in Utah. A one-story building made of locally mined salt blocks in Grand Saline, Texas is also called the "Salt Palace".
The Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center, more commonly known as the Salt Palace, is a convention center in Salt Lake City, Utah and is named after Utah's 11th Governor, Calvin L. Rampton. The name "Salt Palace" has been the name of two other buildings in that city.
Contents |
First Salt Palace (1899-1910) [edit]
The original historic Salt Palace was built in 1899 under the direction of Richard K.A. Kletting, architect, and owned by John Franklin Heath. It stood on 900 South, between State Street and Main Street in Salt Lake City. The original Salt Palace contained a dance hall, theatre, and racing track. It was destroyed by fire on August 29, 1910, and was replaced by the Majestic Hall.
Second Salt Palace (arena) (1969-1994) [edit]
The second Salt Palace was an indoor arena in Salt Lake City. It was built on land that was once the "Little Tokyo" area of the city. Construction was pushed by Salt Lake's bid committee for the 1972 Winter Olympics, Gen. Maxwell E. Rich, president of the Greater Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, Gov. Calvin L. Rampton, and Salt Lake Tribune publisher John W. Gallivan.[1] The Salt Palace was completed in 1969 at the cost of $17 million,[1] the 10,725 seat[1] arena, later expanded to 12,666 seats,[2] was the home of the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association from 1970 to 1975, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles hockey club from 1969 to 1991, and the Utah Jazz from 1979 to 1991. In 1994, three years after the Jazz moved into the Delta Center (now EnergySolutions Arena), the Salt Palace was demolished. A convention center of the same name stands on the site today.
Basketball: Utah Stars to Jazz [edit]
When the Los Angeles Stars of the American Basketball Association (ABA) moved to Salt Lake City following the 1969-70 season, the Salt Palace had a major tenant. The Stars were a major success initially, defeating the Kentucky Colonels in the ABA Finals and capturing the ABA Championship in 1970-71, behind Finals MVP Zelmo Beaty.[3] The Stars set an ABA attendance record in that season (6,100 per game), and would continue to draw well and field excellent teams in the following seasons. The team reached the ABA Finals again in 1973-74, before losing to the New York Nets and Julius Erving.[4] However, the franchise declined with a 38-46 season in 1974-75, despite drawing 8,500 fans per game. Financial problems plagued owners of the franchise and the team was folded on December 2, 1975 (4-12 record) after the franchise could not make payroll. On May 19, 1976, the ABA Spirits of St. Louis announced that they planned to relocate to Salt Lake City and the Salt Palace as the Utah Rockies for the 1976–77 season.[5] However, negotiations for the ABA-NBA merger were completed and the Spirits/Rockies were disbanded in the merger.[3] The fan support that the Stars received established Salt Lake as a basketball city, setting the stage for the NBA's New Orleans Jazz to relocate and become the Utah Jazz in 1979.[6]
Capacity over the years for basketball:[7]
- 10,725 (1969-1970)
- 12,166 (1970-1978)
- 12,666 (1978-1982)
- 12,690 (1982-1986)
- 12,212 (1986-1988)
- 12,444 (1988-1989)
- 12,616 (1989-1991)
Tragedy [edit]
On January 18, 1991, three teenagers were killed at an AC/DC concert at the Salt Palace. The concert was general admission only and when AC/DC took the stage, the crowd rushed towards the stage, trampling the three. Security tried to get the band to stop playing but failed to tell the band that people were being trampled for nearly twenty minutes, although the band stopped playing as soon as they discovered what had happened.[8] Blame was pointed at several different groups, including the fans, the band, the security personnel, and the Salt Palace's festival seating arrangement.[9] The families of the victims sued AC/DC, as well as other groups associated with the concert, in connection with the deaths, although eventually settled out of court.[10]
Current Salt Palace (Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center) (1995-Present) [edit]
The current convention center boasts 515,000 square feet (47,800 m2) of exhibit space, 164,000 square feet (15,200 m2) of meeting space including a 45,000-square-foot (4,200 m2) grand ballroom, and 66 meeting rooms. The Salt Palace served as the Olympic Media Center during the 2002 Winter Olympics.[11]
In honor of the "founding father" of Salt Lake's convention and tourism business, as well as Utah's proactive economic development efforts, the Salt Lake County Council voted to officially change the name of the Salt Palace Convention Center to the Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in the fall of 2007.[12]
Architecture [edit]
The trusses that support the roof were designed by roller-coaster designer Kent Seko. Many of the convention center’s most striking visual features were achieved through the use of Hollow Structural Steel (HSS) in exposed applications by its architects, Atlanta-based Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates working with a local firm, Gillies Stransky Brems Smith Architects.
Solar panels [edit]
On May 24, 2012, a 1.65 MW solar array was completed on the roof. Covering an area of 3.85 acres, at the time it was the largest solar array in Utah. It is expected to provide 17% of the electricity used by the Salt Palace.[13]
References [edit]
- ^ a b c Continuum Magazine - Opening Bid - Winter 2001 - University of Utah
- ^ History of the Delta Center
- ^ a b http://www.remembertheaba.com/TeamMaterial/UtahMaterial/AmigosStarsYearly.html
- ^ http://www.remembertheaba.com/Utah-Stars.html
- ^ http://www.remembertheaba.com/TeamMaterial/StLouisMaterial/MavsCougarsSpiritsYearly.html
- ^ http://www.hornetsreport.com/HRClassic/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=230
- ^ 2011-2012 Utah Guide
- ^ Concert stampede claims BYU student as 3rd victim Deseret News. January 13, 1991.
- ^ S.L. County finds no negligence in concert deaths Deseret News. February 9, 1991.
- ^ Families settle suits over AC/DC concert deaths Deseret News. December 17, 1992.
- ^ http://www.visitsaltlake.com/salt-palace-convention-center/attend-meetings/
- ^ "Salt Palace to add Rampton's name," Deseret News, September 26, 2007
- ^ Bella Energy completes largest solar array in Utah
External links [edit]
| Preceded by Louisiana Superdome |
Home of the Utah Jazz 1979 – 1991 |
Succeeded by Delta Center |
| Preceded by Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena |
Home of the Utah Stars 1970 – 1975 |
Succeeded by last arena |
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