Historic downtown Salt Lake Streets to return as pedestrian walkways

SALT LAKE CITY (Deseret News) — Water circulated through the reflecting pools Tuesday, and for the first time in a long time, something was moving on Richards Street.

The historic thoroughfare between Main and West Temple has been closed since the 1970s, a casualty of the now-demolished Crossroads Mall. But as construction continues at the LDS Church's City Creek Center, a trio of old streets — Richards, Regent and Social Hall Avenue — will make a comeback downtown as pedestrian pathways.

"They are legacy streets of years gone by," said H. David Burton, presiding bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, during an Envision Utah fundraising breakfast Tuesday.

And if the 23-acre development is to be a successful part of the city's future, these thoroughfares of the past will play pivotal roles, officials said.

"What we've learned about downtowns is that, for them to be vibrant, they have to be walkable," said Robert J. Grow, chairman of Envision Utah's board of trustees.

That has proven to be a difficult task given the city's massive blocks and wide streets, which were built under the direction of early LDS Church leader Brigham Young.

Original Article