This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Twice a day I pass by the ugliest building in Salt Lake City, the new federal courthouse. Consider that the General Services Administration paid for the Chevron gas station property years ago before they could ever build on the site.
Add to that the premium the government paid for the Port O'Call building. And the worst is the price paid for the Odd Fellows building and the ridiculous cost to move it across the street. No one will buy this building now for a fraction of its cost.
I agree with Rep. Rob Bishop's comment that the new federal courthouse "is the ugliest building in Salt Lake City," and no politician should ever want his/her name attached to a building that looks like a square Kansas grain silo. I suppose that after overpaying for the three other buildings and parcels, there was very little money left to design and build something attractive.
Phillip W. Johnson
Salt Lake City