HOLLADAY, Utah -- A big party to celebrate a new development at the old Cottonwood Mall property was centered around the demolition of an old restaurant in Holladay.
This area has been abandoned for more than a decade, and as the old TGI Friday’s crumbled Friday, Helen Paul couldn’t help but remember what the area used to be like.
“When I was little it was just swamp land and there were just horses and cows and things out here,” she said.
She watched what is now being destroyed, be built.
“Then they started building the mall about the time I got married,” Paul said.
The mall and restaurants like the one being torn down used to be the busiest place in town.
“It was very exciting to have a mall here,” Paul said.
But then the area went bankrupt.
“It's about time we turn this dirt patch into something beautiful,” said Clark Ivory, CEO of Ivory Homes.
With music and food, hundreds celebrated the new Holladay Quarter. Soon this empty parking lot will be retail shops, restaurants and luxury condos.
“It's going to be a place for people to come to gather to enjoy Holladay, to enjoy one another; we think this will be a gathering place,” Ivory said .
Bringing life back to the area, this project is a long time coming. It started off controversial but a lot of changes have been made for residents. Some are still concerned about how tall it will be, but overall people are excited for something to be done here. The old Macy's building will be torn down next.
