NOTE: Here’s an article that is not about any of the "normal" topics of this newsletter: genealogy, history, current affairs, DNA, and related topics. However, it describes news about the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel (and the FamilySearch Library) which has always been a very popular hotel for genealogists visiting Salt Lake City:
The Salt Lake Plaza Hotel has stood for 50 years in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, but it’s going to be closed and razed, according to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ land development company.
The midrise hotel at 122 W. South Temple, one of downtown’s more affordable lodging options, will be demolished, according to a statement Tuesday from the church-owned Property Reserve. The teardown also will include the long-shuttered JB’s restaurant on the corner of West Temple and South Temple.
The plaza will become a parking area to help with traffic for the open house to mark the reopening of the Salt Lake Temple in April 2027.
The 13-story hotel building features 150 rooms, according to the hotel’s website. The building, which opened in 1973, is nestled between Abravanel Hall and the FamilySearch Library, which was previously the Family History Museum.
The decision to demolish the hotel was made due to the “costs to maintain, operate and update its aging structure continue to rise,” the release stated.
Guests will not be able to stay at the hotel after Nov. 1, according to the release.
“Property Reserve will provide financial support and job-searching assistance to hotel employees to help them transition to new employment, as the hotel prepares to close in November,” the release stated. Property Reserve did not respond to a question on how many employees work at the hotel.
The release noted that there will be 7,421 remaining hotel rooms within a mile of downtown Salt Lake City following the Plaza Hotel’s demolition.
The plaza landscaping “will complement” the nearby Temple Square and FamilySearch Library, the release stated. Plans for the parking area after the 2027 open house have yet to be determined.