WEST VALLEY CITY— For over 100 years it as has stood majestically looking over the Great Salt Lake. Throughout those years Saltair has had its moments of life and its moments of silence; now it has begun to breathe again.

Ian Morehouse has now been the sole owner of Saltair for about a month and a half. His goal is to bring excitement back into its walls.

"It's been neglected for the last five years, and we're just trying to get it ready for the public," Morehouse said.

With Morehouse's experience in commercial rental property, he has geared up to make Saltair an entertainment venue through concerts, weddings and private parties.

"Saltair has a lot of potential with being a tourist attraction," Morehouse said. "We want to revitalize the building and bring some life back to it while trying to make a living off of it as best we can."

Under its new ownership, Saltair has already hosted three concerts.

One of Morehouse's goals is to have Saltair as accessible as possible to tourists.

"We're trying to get some fixed hours and have the doors open so the public can come in on a daily basis," Morehouse said.

Once Saltair has become popular among the public again, Morehouse said he thinks there is potential for it and the surrounding area in the future.

"We have 420 acres where we can possibly do some other projects down the road," Morehouse said.

Morehouse said there are campgrounds in the area that can be open to the public again, and eventually build a rodeo grounds.

"In the next five to 10 years it will be a real booming area, and we'll be right in the middle of it," Morehouse said.

Before Morehouse bought Saltair, it was under the ownership of Walter Plumb.

When asked about Saltair, Plumb refused to comment.

His son, Phil Plumb, was also very involved with the management of the building.

Phil Plumb said he took it over when his father went on an LDS mission from 2001 to 2004.

Prior to Walter Plumb's mission, Saltair was not open because of the damage of to the building.

"When he (Walter Plumb) was on his mission, it didn't meet fire code, the windows were all broken and the homeless had been living in the building," Phil Plumb said. "It was a maintenance nightmare."

Phil Plumb said he did a lot of the repair work himself on the building.

"When he got back it was ready to be reopened," Phil Plumb said.

For about a year it has been open to the public for tours along with a gift shop for them to buy souvenirs.

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According to www.geocities.com/pentagon/quarters/7736/saltair.html, Saltair opened in 1893. Dances took place there, and people could float in the Great Salt Lake, sunbathe and ride the roller coaster that was built. It was a popular attraction for Utah.

The beginning of Saltair's downfall was in 1925 when it was burned down in a maintenance accident. It was closed for a year and reopened in 1926. According to the Web site, in 1958 it closed because of its inability to attract the public. In 1970, it burned down again when someone tried to build a fire in the building's ballroom during the winter.

When it reopened in 1983, it offered tours and also had a gift shop.It later closed because of maintenance problems and reopened in 2004 for tours once again beforeit was sold to Morehouse.

For more information on Saltair and the upcoming events, call 602-799-4969.

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