Business View Magazine - October 2016 161
shows, dances, and dance contests, and outside, in
the back, packed crowds watched the world’s fastest
bicyclers race around a first-class bicycle racing track.
But according to Hayes, the Salt Lake City community
also built the hall so that it could display to the world
its success in industry. “It was an expo hall for the min-
ing industry, here in town,” says Hayes.
Alas, the first Salt Palace lasted only ten years. It
burned to the ground in 1910. The city’s second Salt
Palace was a sports and concert arena built in 1969
with seats for 10,725, later expanded to 12,666. It
was the home of the Salt Lake Golden Eagles hockey
team from 1969-1991; the Utah Stars of the ABA from
1970 to 1975; and the Utah Jazz of the NBA from1979
to 1991. In 1994, after the Jazz moved out, it was par-
tially demolished to make more room for an adjacent
exhibition hall that the community built in 1983 in re-
sponse to public demand for more local events.
“Around 1994, there was discussion about building a
new arena for the basketball team and it was about
that same time that Salt Lake County, the owner of
this venue, decided to jump into the convention cen-
ter business,” Hayes explains. “So, in 1996, after the
AT A GLANCE
WHO:
The Salt Palace Convention Center
WHAT:
A full-service convention and meeting fa-
cility
WHERE:
Salt Lake City, Utah
WEBSITE
:
-
convention-center
