Cheap and functional. Architect Lee Knell aimed for modest objectives in 1961 as he sketched designs for a turtle-shaped ice skating arena on Freedom Boulevard in Provo.

"The idea was to build the thing as cheaply as possible," he said in retrospect. "People still want to know how we did it."

To do it, contractors heaped 40,000 cubic yards of dirt fill and sculpted it into a smoothly rounded dome with smaller mounds rippled around the perimeter. They braced it with a grid of steel bars that, if placed end-to-end, would stretch 21 miles. Then they sprayed on about four inches of concrete. Sprinklers moistened the roof for a month to prevent curling, and after the concrete shell dried, contractors spent three weeks scooping out and hauling away the dirt.

"We sort of made up the design off the top of our heads. We made a model of the thing in our backyard the same way, with the pile of dirt and all," Knell said, preferring the technical term "triaxial ellipsoid" over the popularized "Turtle" title. "We didn't have any doubts at all because we did it according to sound engineering principles."

Nonetheless they proved the roof's sturdiness by stacking on semitrailer loads of cinderblocks, matching the weight of about 8 feet of wet snow. The building was solid and ready for fixtures and furnishings at a cost of roughly $75,000.

When the Winter Garden ice rink debuted during Brigham Young University's 1963 Winter Carnival, its fantastically tiny budget and peculiar shape generated worldwide publicity. LIFE Magazine flew in a photographer to capture its appeal.

"We had a lot of curiosity from all over the world," Knell said. "We expected that because it hadn't been done before."

Form follows function, and the massive dome served ideally as an ice arena. The rink, featuring circular fireplaces for warming stations and a concession stand built into a rounded nook, accommodated about 1,000 skaters. The arena seated twice as many to watch BYU hockey games.

But the rink closed after less than five years. Paul Ream converted the cavernous space into the largest grocery store in Utah.

"That was really the beginning of an era of the big grocery stores; before that they were just small corner mom-and-pop shops," said Jason Ream, Paul's grandson and an owner of the Ream's store chain.

It operated for 36 years before the family closed it and opened the new University Parkway store.

When the family first discussed razing what had become known as the "Ream's Turtle," it incited an uproar among locals who pleaded for its preservation. But renovating the building proved too cost-prohibitive. Other than a gas station and salon, the property has lingered mostly vacant since Ream's moved out in May 2003.

"We looked at every and all possibilities, and there just was none. It just wasn't feasible" to keep the Turtle standing, he said. "So we looked for the next highest and best use for it."

Now more than 40 years after its conception, Knell's "triaxial ellipsoid" is coming down Feb. 13 to make way for student housing.

"It's done its job and did it well. It was a good rink. It was a good store," said Knell, who also designed the Provo City Center. "It was the cheapest building built anywhere, any time."

Demolition of the Turtle will cost more than its construction. Crews will use a wrecking ball to punch holes around the lower perimeter until it collapses. Razing could consume a few days, then contractors will haul away the rubble.

In its place Provo architect Ken Harris has designed a student housing village featuring 162 condo-style apartments, underground parking, recreation/fitness and social facilities and a 12,000-square-foot retail center. The Lodges at Alpine Village is BYU's first attempt of "charter-housing," meaning BYU and Timpanogos West Development and Management will jointly manage it.

Though Provo's general plan recommends mixed-use student housing projects in more urban areas like downtown or south of BYU, city planners and developers believe the proximity to BYU and public transportation make the Turtle site ideal for this project.

"We're excited for a new project on the property, and we're excited about our new store," Jason Ream said. "It's the end of an era but the beginning of a new one."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.