Plans to improve the block that includes the Kilby Court music venue and Fisher Brewing Company are moving forward, as a handful of buildings within the area are slated for demolition amid a broader acceleration of work that promises to change the look and feel of the Granary District.
Music fans have no need to fret — the Kilby Court music venue will remain untouched. The nearby building demos are part of a larger effort to revitalize the block, as plans have been in the works since the Salt Lake City-based Blaser Ventures bought the venue and surrounding buildings in 2024. Blaser Ventures is a past Building Salt Lake advertiser.
Earlier this month, four permits were filed with Salt Lake City to tear down vacant buildings within the block between 700 South to 800 South and 300 West to 400 West. Three of those buildings are along 800 South — 364 West, 360 West and 344 West.
The fourth building slated for demolition is located at 742 S. Kilby, according to the permits filed with Salt Lake City. Though the permit lists an address on the Kilby street, Brandon Blaser, founder and president of Blaser Ventures, said the building doesn’t front the street, adding the building was damaged in a fire a number of years ago.
Blaser told Building Salt Lake on Friday plans to improve the block haven’t changed since the 2024 purchase, and his company is still focused on preserving the iconic music venue.
“None of the demo permits are for any buildings surrounding Kilby Court (music venue),” Blaser said in a text message to BSL. Rather, he said, the buildings would be removed, “to open the site up for the cross-block access and multi-modal connection to the Pickle and Hide project (and) Kilby Court from 800 South.” Blaser added that one building slated for demolition would be rebuilt in the future.
Blaser said the area’s overall plans includes the adaptive reuse of around 35,000 square feet of space, and plans would ultimately form a pathway between the Kilby Court music venue and Granary Live, a newer, outdoor concert venue that’s located roughly a block away along 500 West.
“We continue to plan on adaptive reuse of as much as possible, rebuild where we cannot save and open up accessibility and connectivity to the broader neighborhood as we have done at Post District, currently doing at Silo Park, and in all of our plans in the balance of our Granary projects,” Blaser said in a text message.
In addition to the buildings along 800 South, Blaser Ventures is already in the process of demolishing another building just to the west, located at 751 S. 500 West. That building, which was still in the process of being torn down as of Friday, was issued a demolition permit on Dec. 12. The building was labeled as the Granary Square warehouse in the permit, which was initially submitted to the city in August.
Blaser is credited with developing much of the projects to the southwest of downtown, building up the Post District, the Silos and the Granary District. Though plans are still in the works, he said he’s excited to release details of what the area will look like in the future.
As for the structures set to be torn down, demolition could begin as early as Feb. 9, according to the permits filed with Salt Lake City. An approximate end date for the demolition would be sometime in early March.
A building being demolished at 751 S. 500 West. Photo by Taylor Anderson
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