The City of Tyler cut the ribbon Wednesday morning on downtown Tyler's Fair Parking Garage.
Located at the corner of Broadway and Elm, the garage is named after R.W. Fair whose family donate the land for the project.
The building consists of 22 million pounds of concrete, cast in place to hold 384 parking spaces which will be available on monthly leases as at daily rates. Parking is priced at $1 per hour, $5 per day an $70 per month.
"This is an exciting project," project manager and city engineer Carter Delleney said. "We're excite to open it up for people to use."
Outside, the garage's facade mimics historic Tyler buildings like the Blackstone hotel and Tyler Commercial College.
The garage features a clock donated by the Smith County Historical Society an which also graced the county's previous courthouse dating back to 1909.
"It's not just a parking garage," City Manager Mark McDaniel said. "It's part of Tyler's history."
The garage was predominantly funded through the city's half cent sales tax initiative. It represents the first use of that funding in the downtown area.
"Downtown Tyler is the heart beat and the pulse of this community," former Mayor Barbara Bass said. "We have seen other cities forget about their downtowns and lose their identities. We will not lose our identity."
Parking in the garage is free through September 2.
