Utah Theatre

Utah Theatre was a landmark entertainment venue at 148 South Main Street in Salt Lake City, Utah. It opened in 1918 as the Pantages Theater, part of Alexander Pantages’s theater circuit, and was designed primarily for live vaudeville. The building was among the most elaborate and costly venues in the chain, with an opulent interior influenced by the theater’s so-called “Pantages Greek” style. Architect B. Marcus Priteca designed the structure, which stood inside a city block and connected to Main Street through a long ceremonial gallery. Its lobby featured ornate plasterwork, an inlaid marble floor, ramps leading toward the mezzanine, Alaskan marble, and faux tile. The auditorium included marble columns, gilded opera boxes, and a Tiffany skylight. Seating capacity was approximately 1,700 on the main floor and 600 in the balcony. During the 1920s the theater hosted vaudeville and visiting performers, including Babe Ruth in 1927, Abbott and Costello, Will Rogers, and other touring entertainers. It later entered the Radio-Keith-Orpheum system and was known as the RKO Orpheum for much of the 1930s. By 1937 it had adopted the Utah Theatre name, which remained its best-known identity. As entertainment patterns changed, the venue was converted from a primarily live-performance house into a movie palace. One of its notable film engagements was a two-year run of The Sound of Music during the mid-1960s. In 1968 the auditorium was divided into upper and lower screening areas. The balcony became a second auditorium in a “piggyback” arrangement, and an escalator was installed from the mezzanine to the upper seating area. The remodeling removed the original proscenium, box seating, and portions of the decorative interior, reflecting a widespread effort during the 1960s and early 1970s to adapt large historic theaters to multiplex-style operation. The Utah Theatre ceased functioning as a movie theater in 1988. A local dance company used the building until 1992, after which it was sold and passed through several owners. The property remained vacant for years before Salt Lake City’s Redevelopment Agency acquired it in 2009. In 2019 the agency agreed to convey the property to developers Hines and LaSalle for a proposed residential project. The agreement included affordable-housing and publicly accessible green-space commitments, while requiring extensive historical documentation of the theater. A proposed 31-story, 400-unit apartment tower announced in 2021 would require demolition, prompting preservation campaigns and debate over renovation costs and the building’s future. The theater was legally conveyed to Hines on November 10, 2021. Demolition began on April 19, 2022. Historical documentation included a virtual reconstruction, and the developer indicated that selected artifacts, especially the Tiffany skylight, could be preserved or reused. By June 2023, construction of the replacement development had been delayed, leaving the project’s completion uncertain. The physical theater is therefore defunct and demolished, although its name remains associated with Salt Lake City’s theatrical and architectural history.

The building opened in 1918 as the Pantages Theater, named for theater entrepreneur Alexander Pantages. Designed by B. Marcus Priteca, it was built as a highly ornate vaudeville venue in the interior of a Salt Lake City block, with a long gallery providing access from Main Street. Its interior combined marble, decorative plaster, faux tile, gilded details, opera boxes, and a Tiffany skylight. The auditorium seated roughly 2,300 people across its main floor and balcony, making it one of the most imposing entertainment spaces in the city. The venue’s early identity was tied to touring vaudeville. During the 1920s it presented performers and public figures traveling through the national theater circuit, including Babe Ruth, Abbott and Costello, and Will Rogers. During the 1930s it became associated with Radio-Keith-Orpheum and operated under the RKO Orpheum name. The theater was subsequently converted toward motion-picture use, reflecting the broader shift from vaudeville programs to cinema as the dominant mass entertainment format. By 1937 the building was known as the Utah Theatre. Its movie-palace period included a particularly successful engagement of The Sound of Music, which ran for approximately two years in the mid-1960s. In 1968 the building was remodeled into two vertically arranged auditoria. The balcony became a separate upper theater, reached by an escalator from the mezzanine. This conversion improved the building’s suitability for contemporary film exhibition but removed significant original features, including the proscenium, box seating, and portions of the historic ornament. The Utah Theatre ended movie operations in 1988. A local dance company occupied it until 1992, after which the property changed hands several times and eventually became vacant. Salt Lake City’s Redevelopment Agency purchased the property in 2009. In 2019 the agency approved a conveyance to Hines and LaSalle tied to a future residential redevelopment. The arrangement included a commitment that at least 10 percent of the proposed housing would be affordable and that publicly accessible green space would be built and maintained. The redevelopment concept presented in 2021 called for a 31-story apartment tower with approximately 400 units. Because the tower’s footprint required removal of the theater, the proposal produced a preservation controversy. Supporters of saving the building challenged the city’s stated rehabilitation estimate of $60 million to $80 million and argued that the theater’s architectural and cultural value warranted further study. The transaction nevertheless proceeded, and legal conveyance to Hines occurred on November 10, 2021. Demolition began on April 19, 2022. The sale agreement required historical documentation, resulting in a detailed virtual reconstruction and the recording of the building’s architectural features. Hines also discussed retaining selected artifacts, including the Tiffany skylight, for incorporation into the replacement project. By June 2023, the planned development had been delayed. The developer cited major market changes while maintaining that it remained committed to the project, but the lack of visible construction created uncertainty about its eventual completion. The original theater no longer survives as an operating venue or intact building.

• 2023

  Replacement project remains delayed

  [1]Utah Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The planned residential redevelopment has not advanced as expected by June 2023.

• 2022

  Demolition starts

  [1]Utah Theateren.wikipedia.org

  Demolition begins on April 19.

• 2021

  Residential tower proposal announced

  [1]Utah Theateren.wikipedia.org

  Developers propose a 31-story, approximately 400-unit apartment project requiring demolition of the theater.

• 2021

  Property legally conveyed to Hines

  [1]Utah Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The legal transfer takes place on November 10.

• 2019

  Redevelopment agreement signed

  [1]Utah Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The city agrees to convey the site to Hines and LaSalle subject to affordable-housing and public-space commitments.

• 2009

  Redevelopment Agency acquires property

  [1]Utah Theateren.wikipedia.org

  Salt Lake City’s Redevelopment Agency purchases the vacant theater property.

• 1992

  Dance-company use ends

  [1]Utah Theateren.wikipedia.org

  A local dance company’s use of the former theater ends, after which the property changes ownership.

• 1988

  Movie operations end

  [1]Utah Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The building ceases operation as a movie theater.

• 1968

  Auditorium divided into two screening levels

  [1]Utah Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The balcony is converted into a second auditorium, with an escalator added and portions of the original decoration removed.

• 1937

  Utah Theatre name adopted

  [1]Utah Theateren.wikipedia.org

  After its period as the RKO Orpheum, the theater takes the Utah Theatre name.

• 1927

  Babe Ruth appears at the theater

  [1]Utah Theateren.wikipedia.org

  Babe Ruth is among the notable public figures reported to have appeared at the venue during its vaudeville era.

• 1918

  Pantages Theater opens

  [1]Utah Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The venue opens in Salt Lake City as a grand vaudeville theater associated with Alexander Pantages.

A grand Salt Lake City entertainment landmark that transitioned from elite vaudeville presentation to movie-palace and later divided-screen cinema operation.

• Live entertainment · 1918

  Vaudeville programs

  The original Pantages Theater was built primarily for touring vaudeville. Its large auditorium, formal gallery, mezzanine, balcony, and stage infrastructure supported multi-act bills and appearances by nationally known entertainers. This programming defined the venue during its first decade and helped establish it as a major Salt Lake City entertainment destination.

• Cinema exhibition · 1930

  Movie screenings

  After the decline of vaudeville, the venue operated as a movie palace and later as a divided two-auditorium cinema. Film exhibition became its principal business for much of the twentieth century, including a reported two-year engagement of The Sound of Music in the mid-1960s.

• Film engagement

  The Sound of Music engagement

  The Sound of Music was one of the theater’s most prominent cinema engagements. Its run lasted approximately two years during the mid-1960s, illustrating the venue’s importance as a large-format movie destination before the later conversion into vertically arranged auditoria.

• 2021Save the Utah Theatre preservation effort

  Salt Lake City, Utah

  Preservation supporters organized opposition to a redevelopment proposal that required demolition of the historic theater. The effort focused on the building’s architectural significance and questioned the city’s estimated rehabilitation cost.

  Outcome. The campaign did not prevent transfer of the property or demolition, although historical documentation and selected-artifact preservation were incorporated into the redevelopment process.

  Source

• 2022

  Demolition proceedsOther

  Background

  The theater had been legally conveyed to Hines and the approved redevelopment plan required removal of the structure.

  Action taken

  Physical demolition began on April 19, 2022, while the building’s history was preserved through documentation and a virtual reconstruction.

  Aftermath

  The historic venue was lost; Hines indicated that artifacts such as the Tiffany skylight could be reused in the replacement development.

  Source

• 2021

  Developers choose tower plan requiring demolitionStrategy

  Background

  Hines and LaSalle proposed a 31-story apartment tower with approximately 400 units at the theater site.

  Action taken

  The development plan retained the broader housing and public-space objectives but called for removal of the existing theater structure.

  Aftermath

  The plan prompted preservation opposition, formal historical documentation, and continued public debate about adaptive reuse versus replacement.

  Estimated rehabilitation cost. $60 million–$80 million (2021 proposal context)

  Source

• 2019

  Redevelopment Agency approves property conveyanceStrategy

  Background

  Salt Lake City sought a future use for the vacant theater property and negotiated a residential redevelopment agreement with Hines and LaSalle.

  Action taken

  The agency agreed to sell the property for no purchase price in exchange for commitments involving affordable housing, public green space, and historical documentation.

  Aftermath

  The agreement enabled a later residential tower proposal but also generated controversy because the project required demolition of the historic theater.

  Source

1. 1Utah Theateren.wikipedia.org