Connections help us to make sense of life and our place in the world. We connect with our family, friends, colleagues, and even strangers. Connections aren’t limited to personal interactions; they can be found all around us. For example, understanding and maintaining elements of our history as we progress helps provide context and continuity. The practice of adaptive reuse in the architectural community is an excellent example.
The University College of Estate Management in the UK defines adaptive reuse as “the process where existing buildings are reused in a different capacity to their original purpose. Buildings that undergo this process are usually at the end of their lifespan. Reusing them allows elements of their appearance, design, cultural heritage and historic significance to be maintained, while serving a new function and preventing them from being demolished in processes that consume a significant amount of energy.”
The Union Pacific Depot is transformed into the Asher Adams Hotel
The Asher Adams Autograph Collection hotel is an adaptive reuse of a historic railway station. It connects past to present, people to the city, and to each other. The Union Pacific Depot in Salt Lake City was built in the early 1900s to connect the San Pedro, Los Angeles, Salt Lake, and Oregon Short Line railways to a central location. This enabled passengers to travel directly from Salt Lake City to southern California, rather than connect via Sacramento. The station went out of use in 1986, and Union Pacific donated it to the State of Utah in 1989. The state sold it to the Boyer Company in 1999 and it was subsequently used as an event center and featured various stores. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
The adaptive reuse of the Union Pacific Depot was conceived in 2018 by developer The Athens Group, in collaboration with architect HKS, general contractor Okland Construction, tile installer Metro Surfaces Tile & Stone, and others. Asher Adams combines construction of a new 212-room tower and the renovation of the existing station to create 13 rooms. Construction began in 2022, and the hotel opened in November 2024.
The Asher Adams hotel is named after John R. Asher and George H. Adams, two cartographers from the 1800s who were known for creating high-quality maps that included railroads in painstaking detail.
The original depot houses the lobby, restaurants, and meeting spaces. The Grand Hall lobby preserves striking murals, arched windows, stained glass and other features. The layout of seating, front desk, and bar evokes the look and feel of the railway station as well. The restaurants and bars are all inspired by rail cars, maintaining the theme throughout the depot.
Much like the original Union Pacific Depot, Asher Adams is a hub within downtown Salt Lake City itself. It’s central to attractions like the Delta Center (home of the NBA’s Utah Jazz and the NHL’s Utah Hockey Club), Abravanel Hall (home of the Utah Symphony and art event center), the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, City Creek retail center, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple Square. Asher Adams provides a luxury lodging experience for travelers that connects them to the past while embracing what Salt Lake City has to offer today.
How did Schluter Systems support the project?
During initial project conversations, Scott Schilling, Schluter Systems Regional Commercial Manager, learned of a keen interest in the Schluter Shower System – a single-source, cost-effective, flexible alternative to the products specified on the project, which included waterproofing elements from multiple manufacturers. Schluter Systems was able to provide an integrated solution including the Schluter®-KERDI bonded waterproofing membrane and Schluter®-KERDI-DRAIN. Schilling communicated to HKS and Okland Construction that the system would adapt to the existing conditions and help them maintain the aggressive schedule. Chris Hill, Schluter Systems Territory Manager in the greater Salt Lake area, showcased the system flexibility and helped ensure the installation teams were trained on the proper installation through multiple site visits.
Andy Kulik, Project Manager for Salt Lake-based Metro Surfaces Tile & Stone Tile, said the system was easy to install, reliable, and increased productivity. Metro Surfaces’ systematic approach to the project ensured quality would not be sacrificed to speed. This was essential given the scope (225 rooms) and timeline. They used separate crews for the waterproofing and tile setting, water tested each shower and supplied the waterproofing products in kits for each unit.
Matt Cederholm, Okland Construction Project Manager for Asher Adams, echoed Kulik’s perspective that the Schluter Shower System minimized risk – one contact, one system, one warranty. He also shared that the flexibility of the system to accommodate various drain locations was a significant contributor to the success of the project. The original specifications called for a preformed shower pan that couldn’t be modified, requiring drains to be placed in untenable positions. For example, the renovation work in the station itself required navigating existing conditions including structural beams running underneath the shower locations and the radial nature of the new building.
The Schluter®-KERDI-DRAIN adaptor kits were also key to connecting the bonded waterproofing system to the previously-installed clamping ring drains, allowing the team to bypass expensive tear-outs and increase the speed of the project completion. Finally, the installer sourced custom foam trays to provide the slope, shower-specific drain locations, and support underneath the waterproofing system.
Schluter Systems’ design elements in the tiled showers complemented the overall aesthetic. In the historic rooms, a brushed gold finish was selected for the drain grates to match the plumbing fixtures, mirrors, and drawer pulls. Similarly, a brushed brass finish was selected for the drain grates in the new tower rooms, while a matte black finish was chosen for the Schluter®-QUADEC profiles on the outside corners of curbs to blend into the surrounding tiles. The ability to finish and protect tile edges in a way that suits the design made the application and installation much easier for the tile contractor.
Something old, something new
Schluter Systems is grateful to have contributed to the success of such an interesting project from a functional and design perspective. Schilling and Hill were honored to support the adaptive reuse, each finding it one of their most exciting and successful projects. Everyone we spoke to expressed similar sentiments, particularly being able to create something new and valuable to the city that maintains the history and beauty of the original structure.
In a time when so many things are designed for obsolescence and are disposable, it’s exciting to see a project with the goal of building on history and creating something new and long-lasting that connects people to the past and each other.
Sean Gerolimatos
Sean Gerolimatos is the director of research and development for Schluter Systems LP. He has been with the company since 2003. Gerolimatos has served as a member of the Tile Council of North America's Handbook Membrane Committee, the National Tile Contractors Association's Technical Committee and has written articles for numerous trade publications including TileLetter. Gerolimatos's academic background is in civil engineering. He has a bachelor's degree from Clarkson University and a masters from Cornell University.
