Salt Lake City Zim's building getting a new life

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
The Zim's building at 150 S. Main St., one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, originally opened in 1896 and is now being renovated.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Eiya Jennifer McDaniel, a design and colorist specialist, shines a light into a small room with windows in the basement of the Zim's building at 150 S. Main St. Zim's, one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, originally opened in 1896 and is being renovated. The basement where carriages were once manufactured reveals some of the most interesting details of its historic past.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Soren Simonsen, principal architect on a project to renovate the Zim's building at 150 S. Main St., leads a tour of the renovation work in progress. Zim's, one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, was originally opened in 1896 as a manufacturing building for carriages and farm equipment with retail sales on the ground level.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Soren Simonsen, left, principal architect on a project to renovate the Zim's building at 150 S. Main St., leads a tour of the renovation work in progress. Zim's, one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, originally opened in 1896 as a manufacturing building for carriages and farm equipment with retail sales on the ground level.

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Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Zim's building at 150 S. Main St., one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, originally opened in 1896 and is now being renovated. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Eiya Jennifer McDaniel, a design and colorist specialist, shines a light into a small room with windows in the basement of the Zim's building at 150 S. Main St. Zim's, one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, originally opened in 1896 and is being renovated. The basement where carriages were once manufactured reveals some of the most interesting details of its historic past. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Soren Simonsen, principal architect on a project to renovate the Zim's building at 150 S. Main St., leads a tour of the renovation work in progress. Zim's, one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, was originally opened in 1896 as a manufacturing building for carriages and farm equipment with retail sales on the ground level. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Zim's building at 150 S. Main St., one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, originally opened in 1896 and is now being renovated. The basement where carriages were once manufactured reveals some of the most interesting details of its historic past. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Zim's building at 150 S. Main St., one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, originally opened in 1896 and is now being renovated. The basement where carriages were once manufactured reveals some of the most interesting details of its historic past. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Zim's building at 150 S. Main St., one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, originally opened in 1896 and is now being renovated Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Zim's building at 150 S. Main St., one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, originally opened in 1896 and is now being renovated. All the original windows will remain after being refurbished. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Soren Simonsen, left, principal architect on a project to renovate the Zim's building at 150 S. Main St., leads a tour of the renovation work in progress. Zim's, one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, originally opened in 1896 as a manufacturing building for carriages and farm equipment with retail sales on the ground level. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Zim's building at 150 S. Main St., one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, originally opened in 1896 and is now being renovated and modernized. The five-story, 58,000-square-foot building is the future home of Impact Hub Salt Lake. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Zim's building at 150 S. Main St., one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, originally opened in 1896 and is now being renovated. The original freight elevator is still being used today. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Zim's building at 150 S. Main St., one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, originally opened in 1896 and is now being renovated. Hints of the buildings historic past can be seen behind walls. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Zim's building at 150 S. Main St., one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, originally opened in 1896 and is now being renovated. The basement where carriages were once manufactured reveals some of the most interesting details of its historic past. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Zim's building at 150 S. Main St., one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, originally opened in 1896 and is now being renovated. All the original windows will remain after being refurbished. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Zim's building at 150 S. Main St., one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, originally opened in 1896 and is now being renovated. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Zim's building at 150 S. Main St., one of Salt Lake City's oldest commercial buildings, originally opened in 1896 and is now being renovated. The basement where carriages were once manufactured reveals some of the most interesting details of its historic past.

The Salt Lake Tribune

· August 17, 2014 11:25 am

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The building at 150 S. Main is known to many old-timers as the former headquarters of Zim's hobby and craft store. Now the 1896 structure, originally home to a buggy and farm equipment store, is getting a makeover.

The building's facade will get a face-lift and the interior will be transformed into a multi-tenant office building, according to developer Soren Simonsen, president of Impact Hub. His design team is preserving many original features of the five-story, 58,000-square-foot building, including its historic atrium and mezzanine.

"Historic buildings have many benefits," Simonsen said, "including cultural, environmental and economic — and this project embodies all of those."