Downtown Salt Lake City in the 1980s had its share of landmarks, but few were as polished, bright, or utterly of their time as the ZCMI Center shopping mall. (ZCMI was pronounced “zee-see-em-aye”—each letter said out loud.) Opened in 1975 and anchored by the historic ZCMI Department Store, this two-level indoor mall was once a retail powerhouse—and in 1985, it was humming with over 60 stores.
In this post, I’m sharing a scanned copy of the official 1985 ZCMI Center mall directory—a rare piece of Utah retail history and a nostalgic throwback for anyone who spent time beneath those infamous ceiling lights.
Fluorescent glow and downtown flow
If you ever set foot inside the ZCMI Center, you'll remember that ceiling. A vast grid of fluorescent lights bathed the entire mall in an ultra-bright, almost clinical glow—unmistakable, unforgettable, and likely seared into your memory. The combination of tan tiles, glass railings, and a second bank of lights between the first and second levels made everything feel extra luminous. Even on gray winter days, the mall never looked dim.
There was no skylight, no cozy ambiance, and absolutely no place to grab a latte. This was pre-food court, pre-Starbucks downtown Salt Lake. If you were hungry, your options were slim—limited to the classy ZCMI Tiffin Room (tucked inside the department store), the ambiguously named The Restaurant, and Fred’s Hamburgers, a no-nonsense spot near the First South entrance.
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| The front cover of the 1985 ZCMI Center mall directory, showing the historic ZCMI department store facade alongside the sleek modern entrance to “The ZCMI Center.” A quiet collision of heritage and mid-'80s mall branding. |
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| Inside the ZCMI Center: a look at the mall’s ultra-bright interior, glowing under a massive bank of fluorescent lights. The entrances to ZCMI and Castleton’s are visible, capturing the clean, high-gloss look of 1980s retail design. |
What was inside the ZCMI Center in 1985?
The directory reveals a surprisingly well-balanced mix of department stores, local boutiques, chain retailers, and a few unexpected finds:
Anchors & majors:
ZCMI Department Store (multi-level, including the Tiffin Room)
Castleton’s
Mr. Mac
Popular stores in 1985 included:
Deseret Book Company
Toy World
Record Bar
Petrie Stores
Roper’s
Zions First National Bank
You could shop for books, suits, toys, records, shoes, gifts, and hosiery—but finding a snack or coffee was another story.
A downtown duo of vertical malls
One thing that made the ZCMI Center unique—besides the lights—was its location. It stood directly across the street from Crossroads Plaza, another multi-story, vertical mall with its own set of department stores, escalators, and quirks. For a while, downtown Salt Lake had not one but two full shopping centers facing each other like mirror images—each with its own energy and loyal shoppers.
You could buy a suit at Mr. Mac in ZCMI Center, cross the street to Crossroads for electronics or fast food, and still make it back to your office before your lunch break was up. It was all walkable, all connected, and all very downtown Salt Lake.
Just a map? Not really.
This directory isn’t just a store list—it’s a memory trigger. Maybe you remember riding those escalators, or searching for the right door to Mr. Mac (there were two). Maybe you forgot that Castleton's existed at all until you saw the name again. Or maybe you're seeing it for the first time, and wondering what kind of place had 60 stores but no coffee shop.
Whatever brings you here, I’m glad you found this little snapshot. You’ll find the full scan of the 1985 ZCMI Center mall directory below.
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| The back cover of the 1985 ZCMI Center directory, complete with alphabetical store listings, a downtown map, and the era-perfect slogan: “The Center of ATTENTION Downtown.” |
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| The full mall map from the back of the 1985 directory, showing both levels of the ZCMI Center and its layout of over 60 stores. Vertical mall design, downtown flow. |
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