As residents of one of the most savory of Salt Lake's streets--South Temple--we have come to appreciate the importance of good neighbors. Yes, we think we've got it pretty good. We relish the changing of the leaves on this tree-lined street, and we squeal with delight when the buds show their tiny blossoms again, come spring. Well-adorned and buttoned-up structures soar from 1300 E to State Street, and we think our little black brick office is among some of the finest company there is. And while we absolutely favor preservation wherever possible, a well-executed renovation never hurt anybody. Luckily for everyone, the recent unveiling of the Enos A. Wall Mansion--just a block or two west of our HQ--is a little bit of both.

The building, most recently home to the LDS Business College, was gifted to the University of Utah, and will house the college's Center for Public Policy Administration and the Bureau of Economic and Business Research, as well as be home to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. The new Policy Institute is meant to "act as the University of Utah's embassy, to the state and surrounding community," and the space and surrounding buildings will include "areas for training, seminars and lectures, classes, meetings, community dialogue and public gatherings." Renovations initially promised to "fuse modern technologies into the mansion's 1910 elegance", so we naturally were dancing toe to toe with anticipation.

And the wait is finally, officially, over.

The space, which has been under construction since November 2014, is at last complete, and we were lucky enough to be able to skip down from our offices to the official ribbon-cutting ceremony. The building is stunning, and we're elated to see the architecture on our favorite street getting the respectful nod it deserves.

 

"Welcome to the neighborhood!" say we.