Pickle Building rises from rubble and lands new F&B tenants

by Taylor Anderson | Dec 1, 2025

Contractors are well underway with construction on the Hide Building and reconstruction of the Pickle Building, and the combined development has apparently landed its first tenants.

Six months after the Pickle building was razed, Blaser Ventures has begun reconstructing the building from the ground up as part of an effort to virtually recreate the former structure.

The demolition shocked neighborhood advocates, as Blaser had been working to preserve the structure along with the neighboring Hide Building. Both were proposed to be retrofitted as part of a mixed-use project dubbed the Pickle & Hide, but Blaser said structural issues were too severe to save the Pickle.

Instead, Blaser is rebuilding the structure largely in place and using many of the original bricks in an attempt to recreate the historic character in this part of the neighborhood.

The new building was shifted about 4 feet toward the street to comply with existing zoning within the area, and some landscaping was rearranged, city planners told Building Salt Lake.

It’s not clear if Blaser, who is known for typically preserving historic buildings in his developments when possible, will receive the $6 million in tax increment reimbursement funding after the demolition.

Officials with the Salt Lake City Community Reinvestment Agency said Blaser hasn’t submitted an application for the tax increment reimbursement.

Blaser hasn’t responded to numerous requests for comment since BSL first reported about the Pickle demolition in May.

Work is well underway with the adjacent Hide Building, which was preserved. Contractors were installing brick on the western facade of that building’s new addition.

Blaser is a major landholder in the greater Granary District, controlling properties from Kilby Court to Granary Live, as well as the Post District, Silos and other nearby land.

Recent filings show Blaser has apparently landed tenants that will anchor the Pickle & Hide.

The Pickle Building on Nov. 24, 2025.

Landing tenants

Renderings for the Pickle Building project have long suggested that Blaser had food and beverage in mind for a portion of the building, and new documents show he has landed a tenant.

A declaration filed with Salt Lake County shows that Blaser will lease a portion of the Pickle Building to CDO Granary. Business filings in Arizona show that company is owned by Leezie Kim, chief legal counsel for Fox Restaurant Concepts.

Pickle Building rendering by Blaser Ventures.

Fox is the restaurateur behind concepts across the country, including Flower Child in Foothill Village.

The filing doesn’t mention which restaurant could fill the Pickle, though a separate filing includes a map that shows a restaurant called Culinary Dropout anchoring the corner of the Pickle Building on 400 West.

The map shows an Uchi sushi anchoring the 400 West frontage of the Hide Building. The concept started in Austin, Texas, and has been expanding nationwide in recent years.

The map also shows a building between the Pickle and Hide buildings labeled Postino. Postino was also founded in Phoenix and now has locations across the country.

The first declaration includes a list of potential competitors that Blaser has agreed not to lease space to in the Pickle, Hide or several other nearby development sites controlled by Blaser. That list includes: