Five world-class architecture firms are competing to design a new 30,000-square-foot Kimball Art Center building at Kimball Junction, a project leaders hope to open by 2030 as the commercial corridor undergoes its largest transformation in decades.

Kimball Art Center Executive Director Aldy Milliken said on KPCW's "Local News Hour" on July 21 that the board narrowed its architect shortlist from 12 firms to five finalists: Snøhetta, Mass Design, Michael Maltsin, Thomas Pfeiffer, and Herzog & de Meuron. Those 12 were drawn from a pool of 35 applicants after eight months of internal visioning work.

"Some of the firms that I would never have thought would be interested in wanting to be in a partnership with us on our new property in Kimball Junction is extraordinary," Milliken said.

The next step is deciding which finalists to invite for competitive interviews.

The center is finalizing a 1.6-acre land purchase in Kimball Junction for the building, according to Milliken. Summit County Manager Shayne Scott signed a development agreement amendment with Six Ridge Partners, formerly Dakota Pacific Real Estate, accommodating up to 30,000 square feet for the arts center just west of the PEAK Center on Landmark Drive, according to a Summit 6 podcast interview with Scott.

Scott described Kimball Junction as "the heart of the basin" and the first exit most visitors take when entering Park City, making it a high-visibility site ahead of the 2034 Winter Olympics.

Fitting into a bigger picture

The new arts center is one piece of a sweeping redevelopment at Kimball Junction. The state approved a Housing and Transit Reinvestment Zone encompassing about 60 acres near the local transit center, according to a Summit County announcement. That HTRZ will bring more than 800 new dwelling units, educational facilities, civic and healthcare services, a new transit center, and a pedestrian bridge across SR-224.

The broader Altus development agreement also reserves two 10,000-square-foot spaces in existing buildings for a potential visitor center and a nonprofit hub. Scott's podcast interview described plans for a nearly 1,200-stall parking garage and a walkable civic corridor connecting the transit center to the arts district.

The Kimball Junction library is moving from the Sheldon Richins Building to the PEAK Center by approximately Sept. 11, and the Richins Building will eventually be demolished to make way for a plaza surrounded by housing and businesses, KPCW reported.

Post-Sundance positioning

The building push comes as Park City's arts sector recalibrates after the Sundance Film Festival held its final local edition in January 2026 and announced its move to Boulder, Colorado, starting in 2027.

Alex Regenold, the Kimball Art Center's director of marketing and communications, told TownLift the new building will bridge indoor and outdoor space and let visitors experience every step of the artistic process, from making art in studios to seeing finished work in galleries. The 2034 Olympics are a key motivator, Regenold said, with leaders asking what visitors will see when they arrive.

Park City Performing Arts has expanded its Concerts on the Slopes series at Canyons Village to 14 shows this summer, up from six shows four years ago, according to Executive Director Ember Conley. The Park City Chamber of Commerce has added new tourism draws including a Chef's Table event with Netflix and two annual Park City Wine Festivals.

What comes next

Milliken outlined a timeline of roughly two years of fundraising followed by two years of construction, putting the opening within five years. A public information event about the broader Kimball Junction development is planned for Saturday, Sept. 12, where officials are expected to share schematics and details on the nonprofit hub spaces.