12 Million Shopping Center Breaks Ground part 11
August 1965 – $12 Million Shopping Center Breaks Ground in Granger
A Regional Mall Promises to Transform the West Side
It was a warm and hopeful Saturday in August 1965 when dignitaries and developers gathered at 2700 West and 2500 South to break ground on what was touted as a $12 million regional shopping center—a massive retail destination unlike anything the west side of Salt Lake County had ever seen.
After months of legal hurdles and zoning disputes—including a previously denied building permit and a dismissed appeal to the Utah Supreme Court—Valley Centers Inc. finally cleared the path to begin construction. The development team, a joint venture between Frank Campbell of Phoenix, Arizona, and the Salt Lake-based Doxey-Layton Realty Co., wasted no time. The Bowers Construction Company was contracted to bring the vision to life.
Spanning an impressive 650,000 square feet, the shopping center was designed as a straight, cornered mall, offering indoor fountains, bird and fish displays, and what developers described as an engaging, family-friendly environment. Concrete pouring was slated to begin within weeks.
Among the highlights of the announcement was the confirmation that ZCMI (Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution) would anchor the mall with a three-story department store—one of two major retailers committed to the site. This decision signaled a powerful endorsement of the project’s scale and prestige.
Plans called for around 65 businesses within the center, ranging from shoe stores and ice cream parlors to specialty shops that would serve not just Granger and Hunter, but surrounding communities as well.
This groundbreaking marked a turning point in west side development, promising economic growth, job creation, and a new era of shopping convenience. The community could now look forward to a commercial center that rivaled anything on the east side—a symbol of progress and possibility.
While not yet named Valley Fair Mall, the ambitious project broke ground with high hopes and enormous momentum—ushering in a new chapter for what would become one of the west side’s most recognizable landmarks.
— Sheri Kimball Biesinger