Utah Pickle Co. building wins $50,000 restoration grant through nationwide vote

A Salt Lake City project is among 11 historic sites nationwide to win funding through a popular vote.

The $50,000 preservation grant to restore the former Utah Pickle Co. building was secured in a contest put together by American Express, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Main Street America. The 11 projects will receive a total of $1.5 million through the “Partners in Preservation: Main Streets” grant campaign. Projects from 25 cities competed for the funds.

Salt Lake City asked for residents, business owners, patrons and visitors to vote online in an attempt to secure $150,000 in grant funding for the project.

{mprestriction ids="1,3"}Built in 1894, the former Utah Pickle Co. warehouse is at 741 S. 400 W. in the city’s Granary District, which recently received Utah’s first neighborhood business district “Main Street America” designation.

“This campaign was a city-wide effort, and the fact that Salt Lake City came out a winner — due to popular vote — shows how engaged and excited our residents are for this proposed project,” said Mayor Jackie Biskupski. “Our city, and the Granary District, has so much history and a great story to tell. I’m thrilled we’ve secured this funding to save a piece of that unique history as Salt Lake City continues to grow, develop and thrive as a city for everyone.”

The proposed Granary District project from Ori Media includes the expansion of the local creative business collective Studio Elevn into a restored and revitalized Utah Pickle Co. building to provide the Granary District with event space, a media production studio, flexible office spaces for local artists and entrepreneurs, and a community garden to transform a part of 400 West between 700 South and 800 South into an aesthetically beautiful, community destination that will help revitalize the district through increased street activity, business growth and local spending.

“As the Studio Elevn expansion into the Utah Pickle Co. building is now one step closer to being a reality, I’m looking forward to cementing the Granary District as a center for creative business in the city,” said Michael Ori, president and founder of Ori Media. “Every dollar towards the preservation of such an iconic building ultimately benefits everyone who see the potential of this district.”{/mprestriction}