This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The allure of the Hoberman Arch was the ingenious manner in which it opened and closed and served as a dynamic portal through which performers and athletes passed and were celebrated. As a static piece of engineering design and barricaded so that people cannot pass through, it is less of a thing of beauty and questionable gift to our Salt Lake community.
I can appreciate that the cost of maintaining it as an operating arch, as well as the potential liability in doing so, makes it unfeasible to have it displayed in an effective manner. As such, one questions whether this gift is a sensible use of our public monies or public space. Therefore, let's remember it as was, in operation and beauty in 2002, and let it rest in peace.
John E. Pace
Salt Lake City