New market space, restaurant part of plan for new history-themed Salt Lake City trail
by Carter Williams ksl · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- The Pioneer Trail project in Salt Lake City also aims to transform historic buildings and other spaces.
- Project leaders want to add a new restaurant, debate hall and bookstore at Council Hall.
- The first phase of the project, costing $15M, is expected to be complete by end of 2027.
SALT LAKE CITY — The group behind a new history-themed trail now being constructed near the Utah Capitol says it envisions transformations to historic buildings along the path, which can bring new restaurants and events to Capitol Hill.
Construction of the first phase of the Pioneer Trail began last month, targeting the State Street section at the hill between North Temple and the Utah State Capitol. Roadwork on the segment is expected to be completed by mid-November, with new landscaping along the road and the traffic circle completed by the end of the year.
New gardens will eventually run along State Street, with stone benches at the corner of every intersection by spring 2027, said Ryan Beck, chairman of the Pioneer Trail Foundation board, as he pointed to conceptual renderings of the plan in a Utah Legislative interim meeting on Tuesday.
"(They) will sort of improve that experience for pedestrians and beautify it," he said. "And then we're improving the (300 North) roundabout to (match) the design of the rest of the trail, and also more of keeping with the beauty of the Capitol."
Improvements to City Creek and Memory Grove parks are planned along the way.
However, not all of the work during the $15 million initial phase focuses on the path. The project includes ways to better activate some of the historic buildings along the way, he told members of the Utah Transportation and Infrastructure Appropriations Subcommittee.
For instance, he said the group has been in talks with Milo Carrier, owner and chef of the revered Salt Lake City restaurant Arlo, to establish a new ground-floor restaurant at the historic Council Hall building (300 N. State).
One of its second-story rooms is to be converted into a "debate hall" for conversations on political topics, aligning with the building's history as Salt Lake City's former city hall. The other is being designed to be a new bookstore focused on the history of the U.S. and Utah.
The group expects the building's renovations will be complete by the fall of 2027, before those might open. The building previously housed the state's tourism office.
A "market plaza" is also being designed for the parking lot between Council Hall and White Memorial Chapel, which calls for space for local vendors along with new trees and other vegetation. It will allow for new summer and Christmas market opportunities, beginning as early as mid-2027, when it's expected to be completed.
None of the existing parking stalls will be lost in the redesign, Beck said.
"Our hope is that (by Christmas 2027), that section of the Capitol Complex will be fully activated," he said, adding that the group wanted to get the bulk of the work completed before the Salt Lake Temple reopening next year.
There are currently no new plans for White Memorial Chapel, 150 E. 300 North, which is open for private events, but that could be something considered in the future.
Beck provided the update after the Utah Legislature approved $10 million earlier this year to help complete the first phase, even though it created some controversy among state leaders during the legislative session.
Members of the committee appeared content with the project after hearing it met the needs of emergency vehicles and that local leaders had been consulted on the plans.
This is the Place Foundation committed $5 million in "catalytic funding" for the concept, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox noted last year. At least half of that has already been raised by the philanthropic community, Beck said, noting that fundraising efforts are still ongoing.
The project draws inspiration from the Freedom Trail, a path that links historic sites in Boston. It aims to provide a unique view of Salt Lake City's history for residents and visitors alike, while also preserving it as Utah's capital city grows.
"We've invested billions of dollars ... in the commercial core of this city over the last five years, and we're asking for tens of millions of dollars for the cultural soul of the city," Beck said in May, after receiving state support.
The trail will eventually start at Abravanel Hall, at the northeast end of the new "sports, entertainment, culture and convention" district that's being developed between West Temple and the Delta Center. A planned walking path within the district will lead to the trail, he said.
It will continue along South Temple past Temple Square before turning north toward the first phase at State Street.
Timelines and costs for the additional phases weren't immediately clear.
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