Salt Palace

{{Short description|Convention center in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.}}

{{about|the convention center in Utah|the demolished arena of the same name|Salt Palace (arena)|the former Manchukuo imperial residence|Museum of the Imperial Palace of Manchukuo}}

{{Infobox convention center

| name = Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center

| image = Salt Palace Convention Center 'Salt Shaker' - Salt Lake City, Utah - 21 April 2024.jpg

| image_caption = Main entrance on West Temple in 2024

| location = 100 S West Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.

| coordinates = {{coord|40|46|1|N|111|53|42|W|type:landmark_region:US-UT|display=inline,title}}

| owner = Salt Lake County

| operator =

| built = 1994–1996

| opened = February 1996{{cite news |author=Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board |date=February 10, 1996 |title=The New Salt Palace |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |location=Salt Lake City |page=A10}}{{cite news |last=Rosetta |first=Dick |date=February 11, 1996 |title=A Striking Debut: Bowlers Inaugurate New Salt Palace |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |location=Salt Lake City |page=B1}}

| expanded = 1999–2000{{cite news |last=Edwards |first=Alan |date=June 10, 1999 |title=Firm finds no fault, so Salt Palace job restarts |url=https://www.deseret.com/1999/6/10/19450021/firm-finds-no-fault-so-salt-palace-job-restarts/ |work=Deseret News |location=Salt Lake City |access-date=April 21, 2024}}
2005–2006{{cite news |last=Nii |first=Jenifer K. |date=August 5, 2006 |title=Bigger, better Salt Palace |url=https://www.deseret.com/2006/8/5/19967016/bigger-better-salt-palace/ |work=Deseret News |location=Salt Lake City |access-date=April 21, 2024}}

| closed =

| demolished =

| construction_cost = $93 million USD

| architect =

| total_space = {{convert|987000|ft2|m2}}{{cite web |url=https://www.visitsaltlake.com/meetings/salt-palace-convention-center/specifications/ |title=Salt Palace Specifications |author= |website=VisitSaltLake.com |access-date=April 21, 2024}}

| exhibit = {{convert|515000|ft2|m2}}

| publictransit = Temple Square station

| tenants = (of previous building at this location)

Utah Stars (ABA) (1970–1975)
Utah Jazz (NBA) (1979–1991)
Salt Lake Golden Eagles (IHL) (1969–1991)

}}

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

The convention center was opened in February 1996, after two years of construction. The building was used as the Main Media Center during the 2002 Winter Olympics and is used for regular conventions held in the city, such as FanX, RootsTech, and the Outdoor Retailers convention.

Previous Salt Palaces

= First Salt Palace (1899–1910) =

File:Salt Palace 1910.jpg

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 by 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.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BIJSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=x0cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6382%2C3710354 |work=Deseret Evening News |location=(Salt Lake City, Utah) |title=Salt Palace now in ashes |date=August 29, 1910 |page=1 }}

= Second Salt Palace (arena) (1969–1994) =

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. Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation Tour became the fastest sell-out in Salt Palace history. Tickets for the June 18 concert were sold out in a record 1 hour and 20 minutes after the box office opened. 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.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OD1TAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DIQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1910%2C1182874 |work=Deseret News |location=(Salt Lake City, Utah) |last1=Israelsen |first1=Brent |last2=Bauman |first2=Joseph |title=Police probe 1 death, injuries at Salt Palace rock concert |date=January 20, 1991 |page=A1}}{{cite news |title=Concert Stampede Claims BYU Student as 3rd Victim|first1=Kenneth S.|last1=Rogerson|first2=Brooke|last2=Adams|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/143331/CONCERT-STAMPEDE-CLAIMS-BYU-STUDENT-AS-3RD-VICTIM.html?pg=all|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216223205/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/143331/CONCERT-STAMPEDE-CLAIMS-BYU-STUDENT-AS-3RD-VICTIM.html?pg=all|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 16, 2015 |newspaper=Deseret News|location=Salt Lake City|date=January 22, 1991 |page=B1|access-date=February 16, 2015}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/25/us/surge-of-rock-fans-then-death-grief-and-anger.html?pagewanted=all |work=New York Times |last=Gross |first=Jane |title=Surge of rock fans; then death, grief and anger |date=January 25, 1991 |page=A16}}{{cite news |title=Families Settle Suits Over AC/DC Concert Deaths|first=Marianne|last=Funk|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/265054/FAMILIES-SETTLE-SUITS-OVER-ACDC-CONCERT-DEATHS.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110024450/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/265054/FAMILIES-SETTLE-SUITS-OVER-ACDC-CONCERT-DEATHS.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 10, 2010|newspaper=Deseret News|date=December 17, 1992|access-date=February 16, 2015}} This version of the Salt Palace was demolished in 1994.

Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center (1996–present)

{{multiple image

| direction = vertical

| width = 250

| header = Interior photographs

| image1 = Salt palace hallway.jpg

| alt1 =

| caption1 = Conference room hallway

| image2 = Salt Palace interior.jpg

| alt2 =

| caption2 = Interior of the east entrance

}}

Ground was broken for the current Salt Palace on April 27, 1994.{{cite news |last=Costanzo |first=Joe |date=April 28, 1994 |title=Ground Gives Way for New Salt Palace |url=https://www.deseret.com/1994/4/28/19105876/ground-gives-way-for-new-salt-palace/ |work=Deseret News |location=Salt Lake City |access-date=April 21, 2024}} Built on the site of the demolished arena,{{notetag|The second Salt Palace's exhibit addition—above 200 West and along South Temple—was not demolished, but was integrated into the third Salt Palace.{{cite news |last=Knudson |first=Max B. |date=July 17, 1994 |title=New Facility Will Be a Palace Indeed |url=https://www.deseret.com/1994/7/17/19119875/new-facility-will-be-a-palace-indeed/ |work=Deseret News |location=Salt Lake City |access-date=April 21, 2024 |quote=The finished structure will total 793,298 square feet when connected to the existing exhibit space on South Temple.}}}} the current convention center boasts {{convert|515000|sqft|m2}} of exhibit space, {{convert|164000|sqft|m2}} of meeting space including a {{convert|45000|sqft|m2|sing=on}} grand ballroom, and 66 meeting rooms. The Salt Palace served as the Olympic Media Center during the 2002 Winter Olympics.{{cite web|url=http://www.visitsaltlake.com/salt-palace-convention-center/attend-meetings/ |title=Salt Lake City, Utah Tourism |publisher=Visit Salt Lake |date=1998-07-21 |access-date=2014-01-16}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&p_multi=DSNB&d_place=DSNB&p_theme=newslibrary2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=11BEA82049B2D960&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |title="Salt Palace to add Rampton's name," Deseret News, September 26, 2007 |publisher=Nl.newsbank.com |date=2007-09-26 |access-date=2014-01-16}}

FanX, the biannual comic book convention, has been held at the Salt Palace Convention Center since September 2013. An annual family history and technology conference known as RootsTech is also held in the Salt Palace.

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 Donald Trump said he would not participate and fellow candidate John Kasich said he would not debate without Trump.{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-to-host-march-21-republican-presidential-debate|title=Fox News to host March 21 Republican presidential debate|publisher=Fox News|date=2016-03-14|access-date=2016-03-14}}{{cite web|url=http://www.sltrib.com/news/3669839-155/debate-canceled-after-donald-trump-says|title=Debate canceled after Donald Trump says he won't show in Salt Lake City, Kasich too|publisher=Salt Lake Tribune|date=2016-03-16|access-date=2016-03-16}}

A small public park formerly occupied the southeast corner of the building's lot, but was closed in 2020 to build an attached hotel. The 700-room hotel, known as the Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City, opened in October 2022.{{cite press release |author= |title=Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City Officially Debuts as the First Hotel Connected to the Salt Palace Convention Center |url=https://newsroom.hyatt.com/news-releases?item=124301 |publisher=Hyatt Hotels Corporation |date=October 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021134733/https://newsroom.hyatt.com/news-releases?item=124301 |archive-date=October 21, 2022 |access-date=April 21, 2024}}

= Solar panels =

On May 24, 2012, a 1.65 MW solar array was completed on the roof. Covering an area of {{convert|3.85|acre|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.[https://archive.today/20130127201701/http://www.kwwl.com/story/18616033/bella-energy-completes-largest-solar-array-in-utah Bella Energy completes largest solar array in Utah]