Salt Lake City's IBM Tower Gets New Life as Historic Housing Complex

The old IBM Tower in Salt Lake City's Central City neighborhood has been transformed into The Source on South Temple, a mixed-use housing development with over 180 residential units. The building was originally designed by James M. Hunter and Associates in 1961 and features post-tensioned concrete arches, terrazzo flooring, and barrel-vaulted ceilings.

The project, led by Woodbury Corporation, preserved the original structure while adding a new seven-story residential building behind it. The development earned $3.2 million in federal and state tax credits for its historic preservation efforts.

The Source on South Temple features a coffee shop, podcast studio, music room, custom bowling alley decor, and residence entry doors with midcentury sunburst designs. A golf simulator and bowling alley are also part of the amenities.

The project combines historic preservation with modern design and amenities, according to Jeff Woodbury. The development's environmental angle includes preserving and retrofitting the original concrete shell, saving an entire building's worth of structural material from landfills.