Salt Palace

The Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center, more commonly known as the Salt Palace, is a convention center in the western United States, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Named after Utah's 11th governor, Calvin L. Rampton, the name "Salt Palace" was previously used by two other venues in the city.

This article is about the convention center in Utah. For the demolished arena of the same name, see Salt Palace (arena). For the former Manchukuo imperial residence, see Museum of the Imperial Palace of Manchukuo.
Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center
Main entrance on West Temple in 2012
Location100 S West Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Coordinates40°46′1″N 111°53′42″W
OwnerSalt Lake County
Capacity10,725 (original)
12,666 (expanded)
Construction
Broke ground1994
Opened1995
Construction cost$93 million USD
Tenants
(of previous building at this location)
Utah Stars (ABA) (1970–1975)
Utah Jazz (NBA) (1979–1991)
Salt Lake Golden Eagles (IHL) (1969–1991)

First Salt Palace (1899–1910)

Postcard of First Salt Palace

The original 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 Salt Palace was a frame structure covered in large pieces of rock salt, which gave it its name. The Palace had a large dome and was lit at night with hundreds of light bulbs. The building held a theater and was the centerpiece of an amusement park that included a dance hall, a bandstand, a bicycle racing track, rides, and other amusements. The Salt Palace and some of the other elements of the park were destroyed by fire on August 29, 1910,[1] and was replaced by the Majestic Hall.

Second Salt Palace (arena) (1969–1994)
Main article: Salt Palace (arena)

The second Salt Palace in Salt Lake City was in use from 1969 to 1994, hosting among other events the home games of the Utah Stars and Utah Jazz basketball teams, and the Salt Lake Golden Eagles ice hockey team. A 1991 concert by rock band AC/DC resulted in three deaths and many injuries when the audience rushed towards the stage and trampled or trapped people.[2][3][4][5] This version of the Salt Palace was demolished in 1994.

Current Salt Palace (Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center) (1995–present)
Conference room hallway in the Salt Palace.

Built on the site of the demolished arena, 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.[6]

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.[7]

FanX, the biannual comic book convention, has been held at the Salt Palace Convention Center since September 2013.

A Republican presidential debate hosted by Fox News was scheduled to take place at the Salt Palace Convention Center on March 21, 2016. The event was cancelled after front-runner Donald Trump said he would not participate and fellow candidate John Kasich said he would not participate without Trump.[8][9]

Architecture
Interior of the east entrance.

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

On May 24, 2012, a 1.65 MW solar array was completed on the roof. Covering an area of 3.85 acres (15,600 m2), 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.[10]

References
  1. "Salt Palace now in ashes". Deseret Evening News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). August 29, 1910. p. 1.
  2. Israelsen, Brent; Bauman, Joseph (January 20, 1991). "Police probe 1 death, injuries at Salt Palace rock concert". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. A1.
  3. Rogerson, Kenneth S.; Adams, Brooke (January 22, 1991). "Concert Stampede Claims BYU Student as 3rd Victim". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. p. B1. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  4. Gross, Jane (January 25, 1991). "Surge of rock fans; then death, grief and anger". New York Times. p. A16.
  5. Funk, Marianne (December 17, 1992). "Families Settle Suits Over AC/DC Concert Deaths". Deseret News. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  6. "Salt Lake City, Utah Tourism". Visit Salt Lake. 1998-07-21. Retrieved 2014-01-16.
  7. ""Salt Palace to add Rampton's name," Deseret News, September 26, 2007". Nl.newsbank.com. 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2014-01-16.
  8. "Fox News to host March 21 Republican presidential debate". Fox News. 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  9. "Debate canceled after Donald Trump says he won't show in Salt Lake City, Kasich too". Salt Lake Tribune. 2016-03-16. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  10. Bella Energy completes largest solar array in Utah
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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