Jordan MillerSalt Lake County plans to purchase a historic downtown building.
The Axis Building, located at 175 W. 200 South, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was previously home to the Smith-Bailey Drug Co. when it was constructed in 1908. The building is directly south of the Salt Palace, and will be used as office space for Visit Salt Lake and Legends Global, which promote Salt Lake County tourism and the convention center itself.
(Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)
The Salt Lake County Council cleared the way for the $23 million building purchase during a meeting last week. The county plans to borrow money for the purchase, then repay it with revenue from the transient room tax, a tax imposed on hotels, motels and other visitor accommodations, Associate Deputy Mayor Arlyn Bradshaw said during the meeting.
The Smith-Bailey Drug Co. began as a “small pioneer drug firm” that quickly expanded across the southwest. The building’s architecture is an example of the “commercial style,” an attempt at fireproof construction developed after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, according to documents from the National Register of Historic Places.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Axis Building at 175 W. 200 South on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
The county’s purchase will be included in the Salt Palace’s renovation budget, so no additional funds — or property tax revenue — will be used to buy the building, Bradshaw said. The property will include a parking garage with 292 parking spaces, which will replace some of the stalls lost in the county’s sale of the parking garage on 300 West to Smith Entertainment Group.
Salt Lake County tourism saves each taxpayer about $1,700 a year, Bradshaw said. And the purchase will leave more space for convention center bookings — which could bring more taxpayer savings, Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Axis Building, center, seen in front of the Salt Palace Convention Center on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
“This is just one of those situations where the planets and stars aligned really well,” Wilson said.
The Salt Palace renovation is currently in the design phase, and construction is expected to begin next spring. The project should wrap up by January 2031. Plans call for the convention center to serve as a media center and potential curling site during the 2034 Winter Games.
