It was moving day last Friday for the handful of tenants who have called 1685 Bonanza Drive work. The non-descript building -- with its brick pillars and green siding -- has housed dozens of businesses over the last 3 decades. It’s being demolished this fall to make way for Park City’s new Arts and Culture District. Leslie Thatcher stopped by to visit some of the tenants for a final time...
All that remains in the building at 1685 Bonanza - besides the deep imprints in the worn carpet - is a stray printer, some drinking glasses, a few dead houseplants, and some very heavy furniture. The tenants at the building range from newcomer Thomas Eddington to Robby and Carol Sletta who have operated their construction company out of the second floor in one of the suites for almost 30 years...
Sletta remembers when the building was built by contractor Skip Schirf and his wife Zizi operated Mountainlands Design upstairs. The town’s hardware store took up the first floor before it later became No Place Like Home, White Pine Touring and more recently Switchback Sports.
“The reason we liked it so much when we first moved in is because Stock Building Supply was just down the street and it was easy for construction Robbie could just swing into Stock and pick up what he needed and go to the jobs but that's all changed.”
For Katie Eldridge of Panic Button Media – a tenant for the last 13 years – while the building is pretty dumpy, it was always improved by its great location and co-tenants.
“It's been a great place to be productive, to have a central location, to have great office neighbors and it's really been great I mean we are we are a bit like family.”
She’s not the only one who feels that way....
“I’m going to miss everyone who worked upstairs. I mean we had quite the family up there.”
The most recent tenant of 1685 Bonanza is Thomas Eddington when he moved his business, Integrated Planning and Design there almost 3 years ago. He says he knew what he was in for...
“I think we're all sad about moving - we certainly are sad about moving – but also, we recognize this was a short-term solution. It was always going to be redeveloped so - looking forward to the next phase of this area of the city.”
Eldridge brought out a bottle of champagne to celebrate - the end of an era... and the end of 1685 Bonanza...
“No one here is bitter. The city has been great communicating with us and we're excited for the future. And definitely me, personally, the arts and culture district is close to my heart. But I think maybe we thought this was happening a little bit later and it's happening now - and the day has come and we're moving out.”
Three – even four of the tenants - will be enjoying each other’s company again as they move to another older building just down the street at 1901 Prospector Ave...
