SALT LAKE CITY, UT — The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) recently celebrated the start of construction on the HOK-designed $116-million renovation of the Frank E. Moss U.S. Courthouse in Salt Lake City, Utah.

GSA awarded the renovation contract to locally operated Big-D Construction. HOK is providing design services, helping to preserve and restore the fabric of the historic building while transforming it into a modern and engaging office space. Once completed, 12 federal agency tenants will move back into the facility, most notably the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The seismic retrofit, backfill, and renovation of the courthouse, originally built in 1905 in Salt Lake City’s Exchange Place Historic District, will honor the building’s history while updating critical building systems and accomplishing much-needed upgrades to create a sustainable, modern office space.

“We are taking a nearly vacant, underperforming building and making smart investments to improve the work environment for these 12 agencies while keeping the historic aspects that make this building special to the people of Salt Lake City,” said Tanisha Harrison, Public Buildings Service Regional Commissioner.

This project will move agencies out of 12 leased facilities across the city and into this federally-owned space, saving $4.3 million in lease cost avoidance.

The Moss Courthouse renovations are expected to be completed and allow for full occupancy in 2024. The project team is pursuing LEED Gold certification. It is already the first GSA historic seismic retrofit project to achieve “No Adverse Effect” by the State Historic Preservation Office and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.