A water tower was hoisted on top of a new Lindon building Wednesday that has some very deep Utah roots.

Dave Tuomisto, owner of Timpanogos Harley-Davidson, said the Harley-Davidson brand is nostalgic, and he wanted the building to be so as well. The building is made of 70 percent reclaimed materials and will stand as a monument to Geneva Steel. The building will be finished in June, with a grand opening in July.

"I'm going to show that you can build a big, beautiful building out of stuff that usually goes to the landfill," Tuomisto said.

Tuomisto's grandfather worked at the Geneva Steel power plant, and his mother was a crane operator there for three years during World War II. Tuomisto said Utahns have more history from the factory than they realize, and he wanted to do something to preserve it.

Tuomisto, founder of the Bajio restaurant chain, said one of his customers at the Orem restaurant was working on the demolition of Geneva Steel and got him in to see the factory before it was destroyed. Tuomisto sold the chain and bought the Harley-Davidson shop on 800 North in Orem. When he wanted to use the materials from Geneva Steel to construct a new building in Lindon, Tuomisto was told he had three days to take what he wanted before everything was torn down.

"We would be in there with torches taking down columns of steel, and behind us would be a giant crane tearing things down," he said.

Despite all of the brick and steel Tuomisto was able to salvage, he said some things were lost to demolition before his crews could get to them.

The Timpanogos Harley-Davidson shop uses original brick from the Geneva Steel fire house and doors from the administration building, and the wooden roof and floors come from the factory's roof. What the crew could not get from Geneva Steel came from other old buildings in the state.

When complete, motorcyclists will be able to watch mechanics working on bikes through large windows, which are old train doors. The oldest pieces in the building are sets of trusses from the 1870s, brought in from an old train depot in Ogden. Other sets were salvaged from a Salt Lake City Coca-Cola factory from the early 1900s. The materials give the shop an imperfect, rustic feel, which is just the way Tuomisto wants it.

"I want it to look like a 60-year-old steel plant," he said.

Although old materials are being used, site foreman Kyle Rose said the building will be completely safe. An engineer stops by once a week to oversee the safety of the structure, and Rose said new materials are used where necessary, like some framing and all the heating and air conditioning systems.

Some things have been changed in the engineering for safety, but Rose said the building was already safe and changes are only upgrades. Where engineering plans specify six-inch columns, Rose said 18-inch columns from Geneva Steel are used.

"Everything's been upgraded," he said. "This building is way over-engineered."

The building will help to preserve some of Geneva Steel's history, but the amount of reclaimed materials used is also meant to preserve the environment. Tuomisto said a new building creates the biggest carbon footprint that can be left, and reclaimed materials help to reduce that impact. A lot of effort was put in to reduce energy use, like using a swamp cooler for half of the building and using large windows in the front of the store. On a good day, the lights won't even need to be turned on.

"It's bright enough in here to play tennis," he said.

Tuomisto said the new shop is one-of-a-kind in many ways, and motorcyclists will be attracted from around the country to see it. Where most shops would have only a Subway inside for patrons, Timpanogos Harley-Davidson will feature a gourmet eatery, Marley's, named after his young son. Showers and a lounge will also be featured, and bikers can watch while their bikes get a tune-up for the road.

Utah's backcountry will also be promoted at the shop, where scenic rides can be seen on big-screen TVs. Tuomisto said he hired riders to wear high-definition cameras while driving through the great rides of Utah, such as Highway 128, the Alpine Loop and Indian Canyon.

Rick Story, general manager of Timpanogos Harley-Davidson, said he believes the new shop will bring riders and their business to Utah County. This kind of shop is a new idea for riders, and he said people from all around the country are already talking about it.

On a recent visit to Tennessee, Story said he was approached by dealers asking about the new shop and expressing interest.

"We're calling it a resort," he said. "What it becomes is a destination, like Cabela's is a destination for hunters."

Not only will riders be attracted to the site, but Story believes locals will be interested because of its historical significance. Whether they like it or not, Utahns have all been affected by Geneva Steel in some way.

Story said he worked for 20 years as a carpenter in the central maintenance building, which is where the roof materials for the dealership came from.

"It's nostalgic," he said. "You go in there and see all this stuff [from the steel factory]. They paid my family's bills for 20 years."