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SALT LAKE CITY — The ribbon was officially cut on Salt Lake City’s newest transformative downtown destination, The West Quarter, on Wednesday.
Jacobsen Construction joined with community leaders and project developers to celebrate the completion of the first phase of The West Quarter campus, located adjacent to Vivint Arena. This phase entailed construction of the dual-branded Le Meridien and Element hotels, as well as The Charles apartment homes — the city’s newest sophisticated hospitality and downtown residential offerings. Jacobsen’s project team achieved substantial completion of these anchor structures of The West Quarter master plan in early 2023.
Salt Lake City Councilmember Ana Valdemoros praised the newly completed buildings, adding that she “gasped” when she saw the final product.
“I am so excited about this project and what it brings to downtown,” Valdemoros said. “As a representative for our city, I am in awe at our significant growth. We truly have it all and I can’t wait for our city to continue to host major events and experiences that keep us on the world stage.”
The newly completed Le Meridien and Element hotels feature 271 total rooms, and The Charles holds 230 apartment homes. Future plans for The West Quarter include an array of dining establishments that will be part of what will be called “Quarter Row,” which will also include retail spaces, as well as additional apartments and hotel space.
“You’re seeing the emergence of the entertainment district of Salt Lake City,” said Ryan Ritchie, principal and founder of The Ritchie Group. “We’re being very bold about this.”
Ritchie noted that the use of pedestrian-friendly spaces — such as curb-less plazas and accessible mid-block areas — are critical to The West Quarter’s appeal.
Community leaders in attendance at Wednesday’s ribbon cutting praised The Ritchie Group and Garn Development for their vision for the west side of downtown Salt Lake.
“It’s individuals and groups like this that make such a big difference in our success as a state and our quality of life,” said House Speaker Brad Wilson of the Utah House of Representatives.
Jacobsen partnered with design teams from Architectural Nexus, Beecher Walker and HKS, in addition to dozens of local specialty subcontractors, to complete these buildings. Work on the project site got underway in December 2019.