Smelting the Future from the Past

Murray strategically places a new City Hall to anchor a city center and foster economic development.
By Henry Tanaka

The smokestacks that presided over Murray City are long gone and a number of new buildings have taken their place. A lot has changed in Murray City over the years. Although what's more impressive is what has been preserved for decades. You’ve seen Chief Wasatch, the giant Native American statue that presides at the mouth of Murray City Park serving as a sort of whimsical leviathan, and we've all stopped for a moment to admire the doggy in the window who is perpetually listening to the Victrola at Day Murray Music. Its apparent that Murray City has a quaint, and industrial pioneering history as well as a “Sweat of your brow” work ethic. Murray City residents and leaders want to preserve and keep telling the story by using this City Hall project as a new historical marker between what was and what will be. 

"We really wanted to tell the story of how Murray was formed, with the railroad being so close, the smelting, and the brick factory, it's a rich history," said David Brems, Architect and Design Principal at GSBS. The new 85,000 SF building, located at 10 East and 4800 South, uses a wide range of different materials—inside and out—to tell a mineral-rich story of how Murray City came to be such a contender in the Salt Lake Valley. Exterior brick pillars are reminiscent of the smokestacks that stood not too far away from City Hall where Murray workers operated the smelting site. The copper dias radius that makes up the council chambers is an homage to the copper smelting Murray was forged from among other Blue-Collar services. 

Close to the main entrance of City Hall are located Bioswales and an amphitheater that complement the sleek new exterior of the project. "Hanauer [Sreet] was actually built to be another thoroughfare to alleviate some traffic from state street and offer direct access to the front of the building," said Valarie Nagasawa, Architect and Principal-in-charge for GSBS.

The running brick pattern on the exterior is iconic for the city and offers the historic aesthetic while also being energy efficient. Open areas are filled with natural light offering a well-lit corridor in any direction you choose in the building—coupled with LED lights throughout the building to lower energy consumption. There is a UV tint to the windows to reflect some of the sunlight to control heat gain on the south face of the building and blinds to mitigate glare for south-facing offices. 
Ballistic glass was used as part of the risk assessment as well as other portions of the building that have some bullet-resistant materials built into. The west side is for police department and has more secure points of entry.

Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) with a walnut veneer was used on many interior spaces, providing a very earth-tone feel. The importance of open space and transparency can be seen between each granite stone step leading up and down three stories of stairs. The east side of the building is open and designed for the public. You can access public planning to get your building permits and access the mayor’s office.

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

Since Murray City has its own power company, the north parking lot was made for residents to park quickly and access the public utilities office which is just inside the building so people can pay their utilities while out running errands in the city. “It’s all meant for the public to have as their own municipal space to conduct business,” said Nagasawa. 


The first and third floor have a common area for city employees and Murray citizens to come together in collaboration. Each landing is adorned with MDF slats and foliage to add to an atrium feel around the gathering space with tempered glass railing to extend the space visually. 


"Standing in the space is almost reverent," said Johnny Hollingshead, Project Manager for Layton Construction.  When talking about the council chambers that are adorned with wood veneer from floor to ceiling in the background of the gathering space. The council bench is built to encompass and address the room in a municipal crescent for the people to bring their first amendment rights to this 450-person maximum occupancy room with the overflow on the other side of a sliding glass wall. 


“The center of the building was a really important piece for overspilling at city council meetings so that people in the building could still be a part of the discussion and see what's going on,” said Brems.


There are quite a few historic single-level buildings peppered around the neighborhood, but nothing that pulls focus to a single area. Murray City Hall is meant to serve as a new beacon in the community. “The public wanted something that was going to revitalize this part of town. Something that would add some gravity to centralize the city, since there really hasn't been a City Center,” said Hollingshead. 


Ben Rodes, Landscape Architect, at GSBS oversaw the landscaping that went into this new public land. Part of his focus was to design a space that instilled pride of ownership in Murray residents as a place they can all come together. As such, outside you’ll find a poured concrete amphitheater for community gatherings and a small green lawn strip for community members to enjoy. 


Drought season and desert living were factors in the design so any rain and snow from the Utah weather has a place to flow through in the Bioswales encompassing the grounds of the building. A Bioswale is an eco-friendly, all-organic water filtration system that allows stormwater runoff to reach the ground slower and filters not only by rocks and wood chips but also by letting it seep further into the ground allowing the plants in the Bioswale to absorb it further and filter useable substances from it like nutrients, as well as inorganic and organic materials.   


“One inch of rain on the Murray City Hall plaza becomes more than 600 gallons of runoff. The first inch of stormwater runoff generally carries 90% of the pollution.”  said Patricia Simms, Marketing Content Specialist, at GSBS. An estimated 70% of water pollution comes from stormwater runoff in lakes, rivers, and creeks. You’ll see this landscaping technique placed in a sickle shape around the building and laid at its brick base. Bioswales in communities are a perfect setting for all-natural filtration systems like this as they are practical and help set the tone of green space mixed with functional community consciousness.


From top to bottom, inside and out Murray City Hall has set a new standard for its community. All of which includes the preservation of its history. The design and construction teams are proud of the thoughtfulness that went into every detail of the building. “We helped create something that will insight growth in the community and stand for the next hundred years or more; The heart of a city” said Brems. In continued efforts to maintain the integrity of the city, Murray has a city historian working with the citizens to act as a sort of liaison for how the architecture and look of the city can stay humble to its foundrymen roots and still progress with the same type of gusto it took to create the city in the first place. In whatever way Murray citizens choose to explore the city’s potential and extract their future from its past—Murray City Hall is going to be at the center. 


Murray City Hall

Construction Cost: $30 Million

Delivery Method: CMGC

Square Feet: 85,400 SF

Levels/Stories: 3 stories


Project Team

Owner: Murray City

Owner’s Project Manager: MOCA Systems, Inc.


Design Team

Architect: GSBS Architects

Civil: Ensign Engineering

Electrical: Spectrum Engineers

Mechanical: Colvin Engineering Associates

Structural: Calder Richards Consulting Engineers

Geotech: GSH

Landscape: GSBS Architects

Interior Design & Furniture: GSBS Architects

Experiential Graphic Design: GSBS Architects


Construction Team

General Contractor: Layton Construction Company

Plumbing: Harris Mechanical

HVAC: Harris Mechanical

Electrical: Rydalch Electrical

Concrete: AK Masonry and Concrete

Steel Fabrication: AMFAB

Steel Erection: J&M Steel

Masonry: AK Masonry & Concrete

Drywall/Acoustics: KCG Services & K&L Acoustics

Painting: Fisher Painting

Tile/Stone: Dowland Tile

Carpentry: Granite Mill 

Flooring: Flooring Services

Waterproofing: Hooley Caulking

Excavation: Siri Contracting

Landscaping: Stratton & Brat

Southern Utah Special

By Bradley Fullmer • April 30, 2026
The new St. George City Hall is a shining example of a collaborative process between owner, architect, and general contractor, producing a world-class facility that will serve the community for the next 40-plus years.  By Bradley Fullmer

One of a Kind

By Bradley Fullmer • April 30, 2026
After more than a half century designing buildings, 73-year-old Jim Child remains a fixture in Utah’s architectural community, with a genuine passion for his craft that inspires those around him.  By Bradley Fullmer

Sustainability Gold

By Taylor Larsen • April 30, 2026
Three Salt Lake City projects showcase the immense talent of the local A/E/C industry to achieve supreme levels of sustainability through adaptive reuse, turning drab offices into vibrant housing. By Taylor Larsen

A Mammoth Undertaking to Build on Utah's Hockey Culture

By Taylor Larsen • April 30, 2026
Design and construction teams working at “ludicrous” speeds delivered more than the Utah Mammoth’s new practice facilities, but also a fitting tribute to Utah’s strong hockey culture.

Rock Solid Industry

By Bradley Fullmer • April 30, 2026
The passage of HB 355 in 2025 provided stability for Utah's construction aggregate producers. The question moving forward is: How long will the finite supply of materials last at existing operations along the Wasatch Front?

Soaring High in Tooele

By B. Garn • April 30, 2026
The new Deseret Peak High School delivers out-of-this-world design for a welcome addition to the growing Tooele Valley. 

Ahoy!

By Taylor Larsen • April 30, 2026
The eight-year odyssey to deliver Cyprus High was worth the voyage, as designers and builders created a stellar learning environment for Magna’s growing community.

Trending on Trail, Rail, Highway, and… Skyway?

By Taylor Larsen • April 30, 2026
Engineers note the emerging trends among Utah’s different transit modes and how evolving technology and partnerships set the state up for success.  By Taylor Larsen

Making Hay Under a Shining Sun

By Bradley Fullmer • April 30, 2026
UC+D profiles four new firms who aim to make a name for themselves in an A/E/C market that refuses to slow down. By Bradley Fullmer

Dixie Rising

By Bradley Fullmer • April 30, 2026
Led by the City of St. George, Washington County has experienced explosive growth of more than 50% over the past 15 years, ranking in the top 5% of all U.S. counties and fueling strong demand for commercial construction projects.  By Bradley Fullmer