Photo Friday: New and Old Merge

The Asher Adams Hotel opens with a lavish adaptive reuse of the Union Pacific Depot and a new building with a curving face steps above the Olympic Legacy Plaza at the Gateway. 

Located between the Delta Center and the Gateway, the Asher Adams Hotel, part of Marriot’s Autograph Collection, opens with 225 rooms centered around the dramatic and historical Grand Hall, the former depot for the Union Pacific Railroad. The historical renovation, seismic upgrades and hotel addition project was built by Okland Construction with architecture by HKS Architects. 

The solid and imposing Union Pacific Depot represented the important presence of the railroad when it opened in Salt Lake City in 1909. With its twin front towers, gargoyles, and steep roofline, the design shows influences of the Chateauesque style, a revivalist architectural style based on chateaus from the French Renaissance. It is constructed from reinforced concrete with a stone veneer on the first story and the remaining walls are pressed brick. According to sources I consulted, the railroad replaced the original slate roofing with copper standing-seam roofing in 1978. The depot’s waiting area, baggage rooms, and ticket offices served rail travelers until passenger travel was diverted. Then the building was turned over to the state in 1988, and the tracks were removed. 

The Grand Hall still impresses with its high arching domed ceiling. The tile floors and wainscotting are preserved, and the familiar murals and stained glass are restored. At one end is hotel check-in, and in the center is seating. In a side room is a patisserie called Counterpart. My trusty photo assistant has joyful memories of greeting visitors in the depot and feels nothing was lost and notes that the sound is much improved from the echoes of previous years.  

The Bar at Asher Adams is set in the Grand Hall. At the far end you can see a mural entitled “Driving the Golden Spike,” painted by San Francisco artist John McQuarrie. Above the bar is a second level arcade, which we will visit next.

Upstairs on the arcade is Bar 119, which the hotel terms as “upscale whiskey forward.”

It is from Bar 119 that you have direct views to the art glass with representations of Park City’s Coalition Mine building, a rushing stagecoach, a steam locomotive, and a Pony Express rider. At the far end is a second mural by John McQuarrie, “This is the Place.” 

Walking out of the Grand Hall to the west is a lounge area in the new building that looks out to the Gateway Plaza and Snowflake Fountain. Also, on the main level in the new building are about 10,000 square feet of meeting and conference spaces.

To the south of the Grand Hall on the main level of the former depot is a restaurant, Rouser. It features an open kitchen with charcoal ovens.

Upstairs in the historical portion are rooms and suites with high ceilings and exposed brick. This view is to the Delta Center and downtown. 

This room in the new building has a full balcony that looks out the Gateway’s vibrant night activities.

Here’s a glimpse of the views the new building has to the west. The Gateway comes alive in the evening with firepits, fountains, and busy walkways. 

Like many Utahns, I like to see growth and change, but I appreciate it more when it is accompanied by sensitive preservation. Sense of place, or a place where I still have memories– I’m not sure how to term it–but this is a wonderful balance of past and future. 

See more galleries from Scot Zimmerman here.