Historic 25th Street building is resurrected at site of previously faulty structure

OGDEN — The shell of a five-story building that was demolished before its completion last year is once again taking shape. It will replace the Historic 25th Street structure torn down after builders used faulty materials.

The developer of the new Union Walk apartment building at 144 25th Street, which will contain 55 units, isn’t talking. But those who work in nearby stores and offices are well aware of the new construction, in part because the replacement structure looms over the buildings around it. The shortcomings of the initial structure were the focus of intense debate in the city in 2023 and its subsequent demolition, completed last year, was ubiquitous given the high-profile location of the site.

“That’s the only thing we’ve noticed — we lost our pretty mountain view,” said Lyndsey Favero, who works in an insurance agency across Historic 25th Street from the new building. She and her office mate, Jennifer Miller, used to be able to see Ben Lomond Peak to the north, but not anymore. Dirt started moving ahead of the construction of the new building last fall.

Carl Cox, who operates a jewelry store on the street — a vibrant retail and dining hub in Ogden — thinks the building “will look nice” once complete. Though taller than the one-, two- and three-story buildings around it, Union Walk is to contain a brick facade when complete to help it blend in with neighboring structures. Still, the new apartments will bring people and their cars, and he worries about their impact on nearby parking.

“Parking is a big issue here in the core area,” he said. “So where are the people going to park?”

While reps from the developer of the project, Summa Terra Ventures, didn’t respond to a query seeking comment, Mike McBride, spokesman for Mayor Ben Nadolski, offered some insights. He deferred questions about the timing of the building’s completion but addressed the building materials being used. “The developers are using the correct material, as required,” McBride said.

The first structure — built by contractor Makers Line — had to be torn down because some of the lumber used in it wasn’t sufficiently fire resistant and because of other structural defects. Rich Development, based in Syracuse, is the contractor for the replacement structure.

McBride also said city inspectors have visited the new building as it has come together. The first and second buildings share similar designs, though the facade of the new one has some “improvements” to make it better fit in with the buildings around it. “The building process is going through normal city protocol. There have been multiple inspections, including framing and mechanical inspections. The inspections process will continue throughout the building process as required,” he said.

As for parking, McBride said the developer will pay the city a monthly fee of $2,750 to secure 55 spaces for building tenants in the city-owned parking lot to the north, which is commonly used by those visiting the restaurants and other establishments on 25th Street. The parking plan under discussion takes into consideration “volume needs,” use of the parking area by visitors to 25th Street and other factors.

The Union Walk project is one of several in and around Historic 25th Street meant to bolster activity and enhance the area’s appeal. Union Station and the land around it are the focus of a major planned renovation. A large chunk of an entire nearby city block — called the Wonderblock because it once housed a Wonder Bread manufacturing plant — is being redeveloped with new apartments, parking and commercial space.

Summa Terra Ventures filed suit in 2nd District Court in Ogden against Makers Line in early 2024, seeking at least $9.7 million in damages due to the varied issues with the first building that had to be torn down. The case is still winding its way through court.