SALT LAKE CITY, Utah—Sandstone bricks, identified as the original paving bricks that built roads in Salt Lake City in the early 1900s, will pave the pathways of the Olympic Legacy Plaza at The Gateway in downtown Salt Lake City. The commemorative bricks with a personalized etching are available for a $50 contribution.
The announcement of the Official Olympic Legacy Brick Program was made today in Salt Lake City at The Home Depot with Mark Lewis, Salt Lake Organizing Committee senior vice president of marketing and licensing, and Kem Gardner, president of The Boyer Company and developer for The Gateway. SLOC also previewed its float for the Days of ’47 Parade on July 24 that will showcase the commemorative brick and volunteer recruitment programs. Athletes riding on the float include five-time Paralympic gold medalist Chris Waddell and 1998 short track speed skating Olympian Rusty Smith.
The methods for ordering Olympic Legacy Bricks, include:
Internet: Go to the SLOC website at www.saltlake2002.com
Mail: Send order form and payment to Olympic Legacy Brick Program, P.O. Box 2002, Suwanee, Georgia, 30024-0975
Facsimile: Send order form and credit card information to (678) 475-5891
Telephone: Place credit card order by calling toll free (877) 995-2002
The sandstone bricks will carry an inscription of up to two lines to honor individuals and special dates, celebrate events, or recognize organizations, with a maximum of 17 characters per line. The sandstone bricks may be personalized using a variety of characters including: capital letters (A-Z), numerals (0-9), Roman numerals (III, V, X), ampersand (&), period (.), dash or hyphen (-), colon (:) and semi-colon (;).
Three 2002 Games sponsors—The Home Depot, McDonald’s and Delta Air Lines—will assist in the marketing and selling of the bricks regionally and nationally with order forms in its stores or restaurants and additional advertising support. SLOC will also distribute Olympic Legacy Brick brochures at the U.S. Olympic Spirit Stores and in its mobile merchandise trailers.
The first 1,000 contributors to the commemorative brick program will receive a limited-edition ³Olympic Legacy Brick² lapel pin courtesy of The Home Depot. The open period for contributions to the Olympic Legacy Brick program will conclude in July 2001 due to construction of the plaza. Contributors will receive a letter confirming their donation and a certificate displaying the sandstone brick inscription.
‘This commemorative brick program allows individuals and organizations to etch their names in history at the Olympic Legacy Plaza through a personalized brick,’ said Mitt Romney, SLOC president and CEO. ‘It’s a chance to inscribe your name in the Plaza, contribute to the Olympic Winter Games and leave a personal legacy at a permanent city landmark. A limited number of sandstone bricks will be available so we urge people to act quickly on this unique opportunity.’
‘We believe The Gateway’s shops, restaurants and galleries will create an exciting social and commercial hub for Salt Lake City,’ Gardner said. ‘These century-old sandstone bricks will add to the atmosphere by forming a picturesque pathway around the Olympic Legacy Plaza and serve as a permanent tribute to the Games and its participants.’
The Olympic Legacy Plaza, in the heart of The Gateway on Rio Grande Street between 400 West and 500 West, will commemorate the athletes, volunteers and contributors of the 2002 Games with a fountain and a Wall of Honor. Pathways of Legacy Bricks will wind throughout the Plaza.
In the early 1900s, Salt Lake City was well on its way to becoming a center of commerce and culture. Trains from the East ferried supplies and new settlers to the Union Pacific railroad station downtown. Descendants of Utah’s first pioneers built homes around the valley and began to pave the streets around the station with sandstone bricks. Over time, these historic streets were lost when new concrete was laid over them. However, sandstone bricks from one of the original roads near the Union Pacific Depot were recently uncovered during the construction of The Gateway complex.
Source: SLOC