Dennis Romboy writes: "It’s hard to spot the small, red brick Japanese Church of Christ in downtown Salt Lake City. But in the shadow of the massive Delta Center, tucked behind the vacant Struve Building and all but surrounded by a parking garage, the century-old chapel stands as a testament to a mostly forgotten community. For the people who worship here, Japantown — what’s left of it — needs divine intervention.
"An ambitious new project threatens the future of the Japanese Church of Christ and the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple down the street, the sole remnants of what once was a thriving Japanese American community. The two buildings sit in the path of a plan to remake downtown Salt Lake City.
"Smith Entertainment Group, which owns the Utah Jazz and the new Utah Hockey Club, intends to put $3 billion into a sports, entertainment, culture and convention district covering a three-block area east of the Delta Center. The proposal includes reconfiguring the arena entrance to face east, pedestrian plazas, taking 300 West underground between 100 South and South Temple, and building one or more residential towers and a hotel. The project, which aims to better connect the east and west sides of downtown, could impact the Salt Palace Convention Center, Abravanel Hall, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and Japantown Street."
Read more about the uncertain future of the Japanese Church of Christ and the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple.
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