Happy Birthday, Government Center!

Artist’s rendering of the planned Salt Lake County Government Center. Shown in light tan are the planned North and South buildings and parking garage. The already existing senior housing buildings are in dark brown.

2017 marks the 30th birthday of the Salt Lake County Government Center. Located on State Street at 2001 South, the Government Center consists of the North and South buildings and houses most of the agencies within the County.  In December 1986, the North building was officially opened, and later in 1987 the South building was finished and opened for business, completing the construction of the new Government Center.

Salt Lake County had previously jointly occupied the Salt Lake City and County Building at 451 South State Street with the Salt Lake City government.  Many Salt Lake County agencies (including Human Resources, Facilities, and Real Estate) were also housed in the old County Hospital complex buildings, and other programs were scattered throughout the valley.  The property at 2001 South State Street had been owned by Salt Lake County since 1885, with a poor farm, infirmary, hospital, nurses school, and other medical and indigent services buildings occupying this site through the years.  When the University of Utah took over the hospital services from Salt Lake County, many county agencies moved in to the empty building spaces, even making office space within the room previously used as the hospital morgue.

As the old hospital buildings continued to deteriorate, a new Government Center was planned.  This center would gather most county agencies and services within one location, and provide safe and healthy spaces for county employees and Salt Lake County citizens to conduct business.  Commissioners Bart Barker, Tom Shimizu, and Michael Stewart were instrumental in the realization of the Government Center.

Demolition of Salt Lake County Hospital building in preparation for building the new Government Center.

Salt Lake County Hospital building (on right) prior to demolition, with the North Building of the new Government Center completed (on left).

Official groundbreaking ceremony for the new Government Center. Photograph courtesy of Bart Barker.

To mark this 30th birthday, the Archives created a small exhibit of images and records highlighting the history of the Government Center, and Mayor Ben McAdams interviewed Records Management and Archives Director Maren Slaugh about this exhibit and the archives program.

The exhibit of County Government Center history on view in the South Building. July 18, 2017.

For additional information about Salt Lake County history or the Government Center, also check out these pages on our website.

Left to right: former Commissioner Shimizu, Mayor McAdams, former Commissioner Barker at the opening of the history exhibit. July 18, 2017.