Triad Center

History

Ground was broken for construction of the center on June 1, 1982 by Essam Khashoggi, chairman of Triad America. That same day plans for the 10-year-long development were publicly released; these plans called for the construction of a 26-acre (0.11 km²; 0.041 sq mi) complex with a set of twin 40-story office towers, three 25-story residential towers, along with a hotel, farmers' market, ice rink, amphitheatre and a park. The complex was to be located on three city blocks in downtown Salt Lake City, and was planned to contain over 1,940,000 square feet (180,000 m²) of office space and 1,430,000 square feet (130,000 m²) of residential space.

The first phase of construction was to last 18 months and include construction of a broadcast house to hold the studios of KSL radio and television. The second phase was the construction of a 10-story office building, on the northern boundary of the project, known as the North Plaza Office. These buildings would be constructed surrounding the historic Devereaux House, whose restoration was to be included in the project. On July 12, 1984 the broadcast house was officially opened, and the North Plaza Office building would soon be completed.

During in the years following the initial announcement of the development, plans for the remaining phases were scaled back. On June 7, 1985 ground was broken for the first 35-story office building (originally planned to be 40-stories), to be known as 1 Triad Center. 1 Triad Center was the last phase which would go into construction, as financial problems put the remaining phases on hold. Excavation for 1 Triad Center's basement was begun, and steel for the skyscraper was delivered on site, but construction was soon halted. Within a year the entire development was canceled, leaving only the Broadcast House, North Plaza Office, and a parking structure completed. Had 1 Triad Center been completed it would have been the tallest building in Utah.

Present day

The Triad Center is owned by Utah Property Management Associates, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, the for-profit wing of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was purchased by Zions Securities in 2004 from M&S Triad Center, for an undisclosed amount. The center is located across the street from The District and Vivint Smart Home Arena, it is also near the City Creek Center development and Temple Square.

The following are current tenants of the complex:

In August 2010 the Deseret News announced it would be moving its offices to the broadcast house in the center, so they could integrate with KSL's newsroom.

1999 shooting incidents

On January 14, 1999, 24-year-old De-Kieu Duy, entered the center's broadcast house and began shooting. She fired numerous rounds in the building's lobby, injuring the building manager. She then rode the elevator to the upper floors where she fatally shot 30-year-old Anne Sleater, an AT&T employee. Sleater's co-worker, Ben Porter, then wrestled Duy to the ground, ending the shooting spree. Duy was later found mentally incompetent to stand trial and is currently housed in the Utah State Hospital.

Four months later a second shooting, one block away, at the LDS Church Family History Library led to the Triad Center being evacuated. During that shooting, a truck with a suspicious note was found parked near the Triad Center, and fears arose that the shooter or a possible accomplice had planted a bomb in the truck. Later that afternoon, Salt Lake City Police Department detonated an explosive charge attached to the truck, gaining access to its cargo. Inside, two 55-US-gallon (210 L) drums, one empty and one containing gasoline, were found. It was later learned the truck driver and his cargo were not related to the shooting, and was it just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.