The structure, designed by celebrated architect B. Marcus Priteca, was built in the interior of a city block, and reached by long grand gallery extending to Main Street.
The interior lobby was done in an exotic, neo-classical "Pantages Greek" style with ornate plaster work, an inlaid marble floor, and ramps ascending to the mezzanine level.
One of the highlights of the Utah as a movie venue was during the mid-1960s, when the Sound of Music had a run in the theater that lasted two years.
After passing through the hands of various owners, the vacant building was purchased by the Salt Lake City Redevelopment Agency (RDA) in 2009.
In 2019, Salt Lake City signed an agreement with developers Hines and LaSalle to sell the Utah Theatre property.
[2] In early 2021, the developers proposed a 31-story, 400-unit apartment tower at the site that would require the demolition of the Utah Theatre.
[6] On November 10, 2021, the theatre was legally conveyed to Hines in fulfillment of the deal that was made two years earlier.