Downtown South Temple Tower gets first-ever office tower to residential transformation

SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City will be home to a first-ever office-to-residential conversion of the South Temple Tower downtown. Construction is set to begin in early 2023.

Construction will include the complete removal of existing office spaces, replacing them with high-quality residential living units during a time when Salt Lake City is starved for much-needed housing, according to a press release from real estate investment firm Hines.

The building, located at 36 East South Temple, was originally built in 1966 and is currently ENERGY STAR certified, meeting strict energy performance standards set by EPA. Hines said the adaptive reuse project will reduce embodied carbon by limiting new construction materials, including the production of concrete, which can be one of the largest emitters of embodied carbon across the industry.

As for the units themselves, Hines said the 24-story multifamily tower will feature studios and one-and-two bedroom units with high-quality interior finishes and many upscale amenities, designed by Hickock Cole.

Hines said the South Temple Tower meets the right requirements needed for conversion from office to residential with emphasis on walkability, natural light, building shape, number of potential units and overall floor plan.

Dusty Harris, senior managing director of Hines and local resident, said explosive growth and a desperate need for housing made this decision a no-brainer.

“Downtown Salt Lake City is experiencing immense growth, with Utah having the second-highest population growth in the country over the last decade, and there is an undersupply of housing,” said Harris.  “As a local resident, I’ve watched the office market shift and the residential market pick up speed since the dawn of the pandemic.  Aligning with the company’s core values, Hines is stepping in to fill a need amongst the city’s residents, by delivering a sustainable high-rise product that will be new and highly attractive for this growing market.”

According to the press release, the structure sits on one of the most desirable streets in Salt Lake City, easily accessible to Temple Square, light rail, shipping and entertainment venues, with an unobstructed view of the city skyline, the state Capitol and the Wasatch mountains.

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