In its heyday, Salt Lake City’s historic Japantown was a flourishing community within the city, filled with businesses, restaurants and markets owned and operated by residents of Japanese descent.
The Japanese Church of Christ and Salt Lake Buddhist Temple are essentially all that remains today, after most of it was demolished during the development and subsequent expansion of the Salt Palace Convention Center between the 1960s and 1990s.
However, Salt Lake City leaders hope a massive new mural will at least highlight the history of a neighborhood lost through redevelopment, so it’s not forgotten, as it moves forward with other enhancements to the area. The city announced on Wednesday that it has selected artist Cole Eisenhour to design a mural that will be painted on the side of the 15-story Multi-Ethnic Senior Highrise, 120 S. 200 West, this summer.
It also unveiled a preliminary design depicting elements of the historic neighborhood through kintsugi, a Japanese art form of repairing broken pottery with gold. Eisenhour recently met with members of the region’s Japanese community for feedback that will be used to finalize the design.
It’s funded by the Salt Lake City Community Reinvestment Agency in partnership with the Salt Lake City Public Art Program.
“The goal is to create a visual narrative that reflects both the history and the ongoing story of Japantown. Each element is part of a larger composition that speaks to resilience, identity and community,” said Marcus Lee, a Reinvestment Agency project manager, in a statement.
Salt Lake City has eyed improvements to Japantown’s last remaining block for years. Wednesday’s announcement comes a few months after the Community Reinvestment Agency board of directors, composed of City Council members, approved an $11 million project to enhance 100 South, from 200 West to 300 West.
The project calls for uniquely designed manholes, street lights and entry monuments that would incorporate Japanese cultural designs, while also planting cherry trees that would align the block. The new mural alongside the Multi-Ethnic Senior Highrise is considered its first step.
“I really look forward to seeing Japantown become revitalized, to be a gem cultural location for everyone in the state of Utah and the visitors,” said Jan Aramaki, who represented the block’s two churches, during the board’s meeting in November.
It was unveiled during a tense time for the community. Members of the churches have asked for inclusion while the Salt Palace is redeveloped, so that the future “sports, entertainment, culture and convention district” east of the Delta Center doesn’t negatively affect the remainder of the neighborhood.
Partial demolition of the convention center is expected to begin as early as 2027, with changes to 300 West potentially picking up by then as well.
Meanwhile, Salt Lake City has explored other ways to honor the legacy of Japantown. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s proposal to turn Main Street into more of a walkable promenade includes a nod to the neighborhood within a block of 100 South east of the convention center.
The timeline of that project is less clear, but she’s thrilled that Eisenhour’s mural will serve as the turning point in honoring the historic neighborhood.
“This mural reflects the voices and vision of the Japantown community,” the mayor said on Wednesday. “It honors a history rooted right here in this neighborhood that has too often been overlooked, while creating space for that story to be seen, shared and carried forward.”
