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Courtney Orton and Randall Jeppesen reporting A change in city sign ordinances brought the Walker Center Weather Tower down 26 years ago, but now it's back.

Now the sign is illuminating Salt Lake's downtown skyline with colors to represent the type of weather expected.

The 64-foot tower is now flashing blue, which means cloudy skies. It stands on the 20th floor of the newly remodeled Walker Center building on 175 S. Main St.

Salt Lake Mayor Ralph Becker flipped on the switch this morning. Soren Simonsen, a Salt Lake City Council member, said, "I kind of see this as our own little piece of Time Square. Hopefully, it's just the beginning of a trend to come to bring light and vitality and vibrancy to the downtown area."

Planner Susie Petheram said, "The sign tower obviously exceeds normal height limit for most signs in downtown Salt Lake City." Last year, the building was placed on the National Historic Registry, and a special exception request to rebuild it was approved.

A change in the city sign ordinance forced its removal in the early ‘80s. Jim Tozer, with the Walker Center Associates, said, "From the mid-‘50s through the mid-‘80s, that's the way it was in Salt Lake. Everyone in the valley could look out and see what the weather could be."

Jeff Holman, a tenant in the Walker Center building, said, "It's a part of history coming back. I wasn't part of that history previously. I get to see it come around this time."

Some weren't around to see it the first time and were a little confused. Lance Burrell said, "[I] saw this blue flashing light in the distance, [and I] didn't know what it was."

Others were around before the sign was turned off, but had a hard time remembering what the colors stood for. Chris Feinauer said, "As I was walking up, I was trying to remember if blue is good, or blue is bad, but I don't remember which is which."

Walker Center Weather Tower

Blue: Clear skies

Flashing blue: Cloudy skies

Red: Rain

Flashing red: Snow

Blue is good if you like sunny skies. Flashing blue, like today, means cloudy skies. Red corresponds with rain, and flashing red means snow.

Feinauer said, "I'll have to write that down because that's a lot to remember." It's a lot to remember after more than 20 years, but because it isn't going anywhere now, it won't be hard to forget.

Mayor Becker said, "It's wonderful getting this landmark back. It's wonderful for those of us who always remember looking to the Walker Tower sign to know what the weather forecast was, and we'll be able to see this all over the valley."

The original tower was a radio antenna on top of the old Walker Bank. This one was built to be a sign tower so it is much more substantial.

E-mail: corton@ksl.com

E-mail: rjeppesen@ksl.com

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