"I've always wanted to do the Joe Strummer trick," said Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. before smashing an acoustic guitar against a concrete pillar.

United Concerts, with partner Cumming Investment Co. LLC, will open a concert venue, restaurant and private club in the Union Pacific Depot at The Gateway in mid-January. Named The Depot, it will have a concert capacity of 1,200 and dining for 220.

"There is not a great place to see live music in this size of venue where you can get a drink and where you have . . . dancing and food. There's a real need for it in this community, and there has been for a long time," said James McNeil, president and part-owner of United Concerts, a Salt Lake City-based concert promoter and an owner of Usana Amphitheatre.

McNeil said the building also will be used for conventions, wedding receptions and other events. And he plans to bring in a variety of acts, including comedy, jazz, blues, rock, folk and country.

Planned for the north wing of the historic train station, The Depot will have 37,000 square feet and three floors that are being renovated by GSBS Architecture and Big D Construction. San Francisco-based Lam Restaurant Management will open Butterfly, a California-Asia fusion restaurant on the first floor. Music will be performed on the second floor, with the third floor reserved for balcony seating and a V.I.P. Club.

"The building is gorgeous," said Angela Brown, editor of SLUG Magazine. Brown attended the groundbreaking and said The Depot's size could fill a niche between Salt Air and In the Venue. "It has visibility and good sound. [That's] a winning combination as long as they book well," she added.

Saltair, which has been closed for two years, will reopen Sept. 28 as The Great Salt Air under new ownership, including the owners of Club Suede in Park City and the Lo-Fi Cafe in Salt Lake.

The Great Salt Air's third owner, Tom LaPenna of Arizona-based Lucky Man Productions, said he's not threatened by the opening of the new Salt Lake City venue. He and his partners are investing $250,000 into renovating Saltair, including creating a curtain system so the concert hall of 3,500 can be reduced to a venue of 1,500.

"United Concerts has never been in the club business, and if they feel this is the right time to do it, then more power to them," LaPenna said. "I wish them the best of luck, but at the same time I'm not going to lie down and let them get shows that I'm going after. We're going to be very aggressive."

rwinters@sltrib.com