In less time than it takes to buy a pair of socks, the barrel-vault roof that covers the City Creek Center mall in Salt Lake City, UT, can completely disappear from view, leaving an open-air concourse spanning two city blocks.
As the only U.S. shopping center with a retractable roof, the downtown mall was built by City Creek Reserve Inc., which is a for-profit company owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With more than 700,000 square feet of retail space, City Creek Center is home to 105 retail stores and restaurants, as well as fountains, two waterfalls, and an authentic re-creation of an iconic waterway that once was part of Salt Lake City.