The museum was founded in 1931 as the Art Barn Association and was run by volunteers. A local activist and art enthusiast Alta Rawlins led the effort to establish the organization. It was located near the University of Utah campus. In 1958, it was renamed the Salt Lake Art Center and moved to its current location on Temple Street in 1979. It adopted its current name in 2011 to better reflect its focus on contemporary art.&nbsp;

The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art offers temporary exhibitions featuring works by contemporary artists from the state, region, country and around the world.

Website

The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art presents temporary exhibitions of local, regional, national, and international contemporary artists. The museum does not house its own collection. Its mission is to help the public engage and better understand the world around them through the art exhibitions and the various educational programs it offers. These include workshops, tours, family art-making projects, and the art truck, which goes to schools.   

Utah Museum of Contemporary Art

This walking tour includes a variety of landmarks, museums, and buildings along a short walk that begins at Salt Lake's Rio Grande Depot. The tour includes both historic and contemporary landmarks related to the city's development, including structures that were built in that 19th century. When the tour gets to Main Street, be sure to follow the route carefully to avoid the light rail streetcars that were part of the city's plan to prepare for the Olympics. This tour includes a few historic sites on the south end of Temple Square, and if you would like to visit more of these sites related to the history of the LDS Church, be sure to review the Temple Square tour on Clio. This tour makes a loop and after a dozen historic downtown buildings turns back toward the starting location with final stops at the Walker Center, Capitol Theatre, and Peery Hotel. 

<p>The presence of the Rio Grande Depot acts as a tangible monument of the conflict between George Gould and Edward Harriman and the highly competitive forces – both organizational and personal – that powered American railroads in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. At the time, Utah was a key battleground for determining which of their transcontinental railroad networks would win out. Gould - who was responsible for the Denver and Rio Grande (D&amp;RG) - had extended his reach to Salt Lake City with the intention of breaking up Harriman and the Union Pacific’s (UP) monopoly on the Utah market. He also wanted to fulfill his vision of creating a second transcontinental line connecting the Mountain West with the Pacific Coast, something that the old Union Pacific-Central Pacific route had accomplished earlier in 1869.</p>

<blockquote>It was onto this stage – dominated by a virtual UP monopoly – that the Denver and Rio Grande strode. To Union Pacific administrators, the D&amp;RG was a late-coming intruder that had to be kept at bay. In Ogden, the UP won an injunction against its upstart competitor, barring the Rio Grande from completing a route into the city. According to historian Robert Athearn, D&amp;RG employees “took matters into their own hands” cobbling together units of ties and rails then spiriting them into the forbidden city under the cover of a rainstorm. They had been able to complete nearly 200 feet of track before Union Pacific watchmen discovered the scheme and dispatched an engine to rip up the illegal tracks with a chain.&nbsp;1</blockquote>

<p>While the competition that took place within Salt Lake City was not as physical, it was no less intense. The tactics employed by both sides of this freight war were sly and cutthroat. When the UP reduced its fares in an attempt to freeze out the D&amp;RG, they responded by offering free rides. Citizens of Utah welcomed this war between the railroads, benefitting from it many ways. Not only did the price of their fares lower drastically, but many closed mines were allowed to resume work thanks to the new demand for coal and resources. Construction within Salt Lake City and other parts of Utah also increased as a result of the rivalry between Gould and Harriman, providing jobs for architects and laborers.</p>

<p>In response to UP’s construction of the Salt Lake City Pacific Depot, the D&amp;RG began calling for a union depot on the city’s west side. The project faced a lot of opposition because it meant that roads would have to be closed and new tracks would need to be laid. Many citizens believed that their properties would depreciate in value as a result and were concerned about the local implications of such a project. In the end, however, the prospect of big business won out and construction of depot was given the green light.</p>

<p>Progress on the depot was fraught with bumps and hurdles along the way. A main point of frustration came from Henry Schlacks, a designer of Gothic Midwestern churches, who had taken on the role of architect for the Rio Grande Depot.</p>

<blockquote>Schlacks' relationship with the Denver and Rio Grande over the Salt Lake City depot was a complicated one, and sometimes devolved into full-blown antagonism, particularly when the subject turned to money. Not surprisingly, this unfortunate reality retarded not only the architect’s submission of his plans, but the depot’s construction as well […] The architect learned rather quickly how communication regarding a complicated project can breakdown --- and how reluctant the railroad was to part with its money. The first instance of miscommunication had to do with the scope of the project and Schlack’s payment for it. DRG officials claimed it was their understanding that Schlacks would take care of the entire project – from drawing up plans to the final supervision of the project – for 3 percent of the project’s total cost.&nbsp;1</blockquote>

<p>This constant disagreement and continual limitations placed on Schlacks' vision may very well have resulted in the mixture of Renaissance Revival and Beaux-Arts styles that replaced his original “French Renaissance” imagining. Though gross overspending and massive debts eventually lead to Gould’s loss in the war with Harriman, the Rio Grande stands as a beautiful and fascinating reminder of a bygone era when trains trailed chugged forward as the main mode of transportation.&nbsp;</p>

The Rio Grande Depot was constructed in 1910 by architect Henry Schlacks. At a cost of $750,000 to build, this depot was the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad’s attempt to outshine and surpass nearby Salt Lake City Pacific Depot during a bitter war between rail tycoons, George Gould and E. H. Harriman. From 1986 to 1999 the depot served as Salt Lake City’s Amtrak station, after which the tracks near the depot were permanently removed. The building itself now serves as the location of the Utah State Historical Society, housing their Division of Utah State History and the Utah Department of Heritage & Arts. Located in the grand lobby is the Rio Gallery, a free service to Utah artists and surrounding communities. 

Rio Grande Depot (1910 – 1999) – Utah State Historical Society

<div>The Children’s Museum of Utah was founded by parents, community leaders and educators in 1978. Their primary goal was to create a museum where children could come explore exhibits and be interactive with them. Their belief was that children learn better by being hands on. In 1983, the museum opened its doors to the public. Originally, the Children’s Museum of Utah was located in former Wasatch Warm Springs which was two miles to the north of downtown Salt Lake City. The museum opened with only eight exhibits. By the year of 1998, their exhibit expansion had grown to 140 exhibits and 15,000 square feet.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In 2002, the museum made the decision that they needed a much larger building. In 2005 the museum broke ground in Salt Lake City. When the doors opened in 2006, the museum name was formally changed to the Discovery Gateway Museum. The Discovery Gateway Museum now offers a 60,000 square foot, world-class facility.</div><div><br></div><div>On the second floor of the museum, kids can play music on a giant marimba along with keeping a machine humming. Behind this exhibit, there is a children-sized town. This exhibit allows children to go to the supermarket, a restaurant, as well as shop at a store. On the third floor, children can interact with the story factory, playing, drawing and creating animated films.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Workshops are offered for children of ages birth to twelve. Along with the workshops, classes are offered weekly such as music in motion, story time, and science matters. The museum also offers annual events such as summer camps and Breakfast with Santa, which attracts children from all over the state. They can come make crafts with the elves and eat breakfast with Santa.&nbsp;</div>

Discovery Gateway Museum, formerly known as the Children’s Museum of Utah, is located in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. It offers a wide range of interactive exhibits for children of all ages. Along with over 140 permanent exhibits, it offers a new and exciting exhibit every few months. Also, daily classes are offered at their Curiosity shop which works with the children’s fine and gross motor skills. The museum also offers a chemistry program to all fifth graders in the state of Utah. 

Discovery Gateway Museum

<p>Originally called the Union Station, it was jointly constructed by the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad and the Oregon Short Line, both later wholly owned by the Union Pacific, at an estimated cost of $450,000 ($12,760,000 in today's dollars). The platforms behind the station ran north-to-south, parallel to the first main line built in the Salt Lake Valley, which predated the station building. South of 1300 South this is the route used by the UTA TRAX Blue Line and Salt Lake City Southern, while north of North Temple (100 North) it is used by the <i>FrontRunner</i> line and Union Pacific. Trains from the west used a line south of 900 South in Glendale to approach the north-to-south platforms. The Salt Lake and Ogden (Bamberger) Interurban line also stopped nearby. When Amtrak was formed in 1971, it took over the remaining passenger services at the station, but after Rio Grande joined Amtrak all trains were moved to its station three blocks south.</p><p>From 1977 to 1986 the depot served as Salt Lake City's Amtrak station, but was then replaced by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Depot. It was served by the <i>California Zephyr</i>, <i>Desert Wind</i>, and <i>Pioneer</i> trains, with the latter two having been discontinued in 1997. The <i>California Zephyr</i> runs once daily between Chicago, Illinois and Emeryville, California (in the San Francisco Bay Area). The former <i>Desert Wind</i> ran daily from Chicago to Los Angeles) and the former <i>Pioneer</i> ran daily Chicago to <i></i>Seattle. In 1999 Amtrak moved to the Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub.</p><p>According to <i>The Railway Gazette</i> (1907) the structure's plans came from the office of J.H. Wallace, Assistant Chief Engineer of the Southern Pacific, under the direction of D.J. Patterson, Architect for that company. It served the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake and the Oregon Short Line when it was completed in 1909 and became wholly owned by Union Pacific in the 1920s. Initially, both railroads' initials were prominently displayed on the front of the building, but the "Union Pacific" shield or related logo has graced the depot for most of its history.</p><div><div>&nbsp;The sandstone building is in French Second Empire style, and includes a terazzo floor and stained glass windows. One ceiling mural by San Francisco artist Harry Hopps depicts the driving of the Golden Spike north of Salt Lake City at "Promontory Summit" signifying the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869. Another mural by San Francisco artist John McQuarrie shows the 1847 arrival of Mormon pioneers to what is now Salt Lake City.</div></div><p>Several side rooms were originally used for separate male and female waiting areas. The depot once housed an emergency hospital, lunch room, baggage rooms, and offices for both of the original railroads. Most of these features are gone now, but the building was extensively renovated in the 1970s to repair damage. Additionally, the original slate roof was replaced by copper plates due to leaking problems.</p><p>The main lobby, no longer used by Amtrak (which has relocated the Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub), serves as an entrance to the Gateway District development. Most of the building is not used for its original purpose, but Union Pacific uses some of the space for offices and training areas.</p><p>In January 2006, three floors opened as a restaurant and music venue, fittingly called The Depot. The Depot brings a wide variety of musical talent to Salt Lake City.</p><p></p>

The Salt Lake City Union Pacific Depot is a building on the western edge of downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Built in 1908-09, it dates back to the more prosperous era in the history of American railroad travel.

Salt Lake City Union Pacific Depot

<p>Vivint Smart Home Arena (or Salt Lake Ice Center) is an indoor arena located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The place is the home of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA).&nbsp; According to Utah tourism department, the arena was opened in 1991 and was known as the Delta Center. In October 26, 2015, the arena was renamed as a part of a ten years naming contract with Provo, Utah based home security system provider Vivint. The arena has 19, 911 regular seats, 56 luxury suits, and 668 club seats.&nbsp;</p>
<p>During the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, due to International Olympic Committee policies about having corporate sponsorship for venues, the arena was known as the Salt Lake Ice Center. The facility hosted the 1999 US Figure Skating Championships. During the 2002 Winter Olympics, the arena was the home for the figure skating and short track speed skating competitions.&nbsp;</p>
<p><span>Vivint Smart Home Arena is well known for being on of the hardest places to play for visiting teams for NBA players. According <i>Sports Illustrated</i>, the arena is considered “the most intimidating arena in the NBA” and many commentators referred to the arena as the “Decibel Center.” During the 1997 NBA Finals a decibel meter installed at floor level indicated reading of over 110 decibels, close to the noise generated by a jet takeoff. As a result, the arena has a reputation being one of the loudest places in sports.&nbsp;</span></p><div><br></div>

Vivint Smart Home Arena (or Salt Lake Ice Center) is an indoor arena located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The place is the home of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA).  According to Utah tourism department, the arena was opened in 1991 and was known as the Delta Center. In October 26, 2015, the arena was renamed as a part of a ten years naming contract with Provo, Utah based home security system provider Vivint. The arena has 19, 911 regular seats, 56 luxury suits, and 668 club seats. 


Salt Lake Ice Center or Vivint Smart Home Arena

The&nbsp;Devereaux House&nbsp;in&nbsp;Salt Lake City, also known as the&nbsp;Staines-Jennings Mansion, was built in 1857 for William Staines. It was designed by&nbsp;William Paul, a local architect. The house was expanded by&nbsp;William Jennings, mayor of Salt Lake City from 1882 to 1885, again using Paul as the architect. Devereaux was a social center for the Salt Lake City area, hosting distinguished visitors.&nbsp;Brigham Young's son&nbsp;Joseph Angell Young<span>&nbsp;owned the house for a short time.<br></span><p>The house was the first to be built on a scale that could be described as a "mansion" in the Salt Lake Valley. It was a social center for the area, and was the scene of a meeting between Brigham Young&nbsp;and Governor&nbsp;Alfred Cumming&nbsp;to resolve the&nbsp;Utah War. The house was purchased for $20,000 by Young's oldest son,&nbsp;Joseph Angell Young&nbsp;in 1865. Young sold the house for $30,000 in 1867 to local entrepreneur William Jennings who added to the house. Jennings, believed to be the Salt Lake Valley's first millionaire, named the house "Devereaux" for a family property at&nbsp;Yardley, Birmingham&nbsp;in England. Jennings lived there with his wives Jane and Pricilla, who had eleven and fourteen children respectively. Jennings was appointed a calling as a general authority for the LDS church as a member of the Council of fiFITY in 1880.&nbsp;Jennings was visited at the house by Secretary of War&nbsp;William Seward&nbsp;and General Philip H. Sheridan in the 1860s, and by General William Tecumseh Sherman in the 1870s, whose visits implied a tolerance of Mormon polygamy in Utah by federal officials. Following Jennings' death in 1886 the house passed through several hands, and was at one time an alcohol treatment facility, the Keely Institute. At a later time it accommodated offices for a mining company. Also hosted by the Jennings, were Presidents Grant and Hayes and their wives.</p><p>The house is Victorian in character, with evidence of French-influenced detailing. It is built of brick with cement plaster overlay. A mansard roof&nbsp;forms the third floor. A wide porch wraps around the south and east sides.&nbsp;The grand house and its large yard have been preserved in the middle of the city without a perimeter fence, so the yard has the appearance of a park. William Jennings expanded and landscaped the grounds.&nbsp;The house is surrounded by larger and newer structures including&nbsp;EnergySolutions Arena, the&nbsp;Triad Center, and the&nbsp;Salt Lake City Union Pacific Station&nbsp;and the surrounding&nbsp;Gateway District&nbsp;development.</p><p>The interior features a large stair hall with a drawing room to the left and a library to the right. To the rear of the parlor lies a banquet room, and a dining room is behind the library. The second floor has many bedrooms, and the attic houses servants' quarters and a billiard room. The house was noted for the high quality of its woodwork and appointments.</p><p>The house was restored in the 1970s and served for a time as a wedding venue.<br></p><p>The mansion is also believed to be haunted.&nbsp;</p>

The Devereaux House, also known as the Staines-Jennings Mansion, was the home of Salt Lake City's reported first millionaire and mayor of Salt Lake City, William Jennings. 

Devereaux House (Salt Lake City, Utah)

<div>Eighteen days before Brigham Young's death, in 1877, he announced plans to replace the Old Tabernacle (built 1851-52) with a new Assembly Hall in Temple Square to accommodate overflow from conferences in the Tabernacle. Despite Young's passing, construction quickly commenced.&nbsp; Obed Taylor designed the 12 x 68-foot Gothic-Victorian style hall, and William Folson managed the project. Irregularly shaped granite blocks used in the building arrived from the same quarry used in the construction of the Salt Lake Temple. <br><br>The entire undertaking took three years to complete (1877 - 1880), helped in part by a call to all Church of Latter-Day Saints' (LDS) members to dedicate at least one day of work towards the project. However, the building's dedication did not occur until two years later, in 1882, under the direction of LDS President Joseph F. Smith. The Assembly Hall became the second permanent structure still standing on Temple Square after the Tabernacle, completed in 1867. It served as an alternate location for many Church meetings including General Conference of the Church.</div><div><br></div><div>Structural weaknesses of the building's tower and roof trusses forced the LDS church&nbsp;to engage in a comprehensive renovation project of the Hall between 1979 to 1983. As well, the project including the addition of a new 3,489 pipe organ and hundreds of small speakers; the refinishing of all the pews and floors; and the replacement of the twenty-four spires with fiberglass moldings.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Today, the Assembly Hall serves as an overflow facility for General Conference of the Church, held twice per year. It also serves as the primary location for the Temple Square Concert Series held on Friday and Saturday nights throughout the year, featuring local and international artists.</div>

Brigham Young announced the plans to build Assembly Hall, the second permanent structure built in Temple Square after the Tabernacle, at a priesthood meeting on August 11, 1877, eighteen days before he died. The Assembly Hall on Temple Square was then built between 1877 and 1880, though it was not officially opened until 1882. To defer costs, every member of Church of Latter-Day Saints was asked to contribute at least one-days’ work towards the completion of the Hall. 

Assembly Hall

<div>The Base and Meridian marker and plaque marks the center of Salt Lake City's urban grid system. Not surprisingly given the centrality of the LDS (Church of Latter-Day Saints) Temple, Temple Square serves as the starting point of the grid system. That urban planning system has a history that predates the city by thousands of years and has been around in a variety of forms from the great cities in Africa and Europe such as ancient Rome. The Salt Lake City system begins at Temple Square, a reminder of the significance and centrality of the LDS in the founding and development of Utah and its largest city.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Created by LDS settlers, the Salt Lake City grid emerged as part of a grander plan to turn the new city into a spiritual utopia. LDS founder, Joseph Smith, developed the Plat of Zion, which provided details regarding road sizes, lot arrangement, and how many people would reside in each block. (The original document is on display at the Church History Museum, located in Temple Square.)</div><div><br></div><div>The original Plat of Zion allowed for equally sized, but especially large blocks -- 660 feet wide -- set at right angles. The only exception involved blocks found in the city's center, where Joseph Smith imagined twenty-four temples would be located. The spacious city blocks had a purpose: Smith envisioned a city as populous as New York or Philadelphia and include modern infrastructure, education, and community, but without sin or crime because it would be less crowded. Smith hoped to build a city where each church member would own a house on a plot of land sizable enough to support gardens and fruit trees.&nbsp;</div><div><br>Joseph Smith never had the opportunity to turn his utopian vision into a reality, however, as an anti-Mormon mob killed Smith in 1844. As a result of his death, church leadership fell to Brigham Young, who led LDS members to the Salt Lake Valley; they established Salt Lake City in 1847.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Brigham Young mostly believed in the spirit of the Plat of Zion but understood that it might not be that pragmatic to adhere fully to Smith's utopian ideal. For instance, instead of building twenty-four temples, Young started with one. Young also felt that a modern city could not rely on a home economic model, so Young planned for commercial and industrial districts.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Neither Young or Smith, in the mid-nineteenth century, could have foreseen the development of the automobile or the modern skyscraper, let alone the declining influence of Mormons on secular politics and culture. Nonetheless, the Base and Meridian center point is a lasting example of how LDS members traversed the U.S. and then settled, founded and built Salt Lake City.&nbsp;</div>

This small marker at the corner of South and West Temple, just outside the Temple Square area, holds tremendous historical significance to the history of Salt Lake. When Joseph Smith and his followers arrived in the Wasatch Valley, they planned to create a utopian society based on their religious beliefs and their faith in education. The later included support for the idea of a planned city based on a grid system and designating certain areas for public use. That system is (mostly) in existence today. Smith died before making the trek to the American West, but Brigham Young followed the plan with some pragmatic revisions. The "0,0" point (established in 1847) is designated by this marker which became the basis of Salt Lake's streets and addresses. This commitment to urban planning serves as a reminder of the influence of early church leaders both logistically and culturally. 

Base and Meridian

<div>The Zion Cooperative Mercantile Incorporated (ZCMI),&nbsp; often regarded as America’s first department store, was founded by Brigham Young in Salt Lake City in 1868 and then constructed a central, downtown location in 1876.&nbsp; By 1880, ZCMI boasted of 156 stores spanning 24 Utah counties and 126 cities. The downtown ZCMI store stood three stories high and enjoyed an interior chiefly lit by skylights in addition to this unique cast-iron facade. Restored and re-applied to the building where it originally stood, the facade now greets visitors as they enter the modern-day Macy's storefront.</div><div><br></div><div>During the 1870s, conflicts arose among Mormon and non-Mormon businesses, resulting in the creation of ZCMI. The cooperative&nbsp;worked as early Mormon settlers invested in a cooperative merchandising effort to manufacture, acquire and sell goods to one another and share in the profits. Rather than employ the use of cash registers, customers followed the honor system and placed money in large, Black kettles that were emptied and counted once they were full. to steal from the cooperative was nearly unthinkable for members owing to their deeply-held religious beliefs and the fact that many customers were also investor-owners.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Non-Mormon businesses regularly compared the ZCMI cooperative program to an unfair retail monopoly. Indeed, a few early founders of <i>The Salt Lake Tribune</i> lost their church membership after siding with Gentile (non-members) in a local dispute. At this time, church leaders made it clear that they would excommunicate those who did not actively support the store.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In 1973, plans to create a mall near ZCMI resulted in a plan to restore the decaying facade. Steven T. Baird, a young preservation architect, was commissioned to complete the project. Regarded as the first restoration of a cast-iron facade in American history, Baird's research on classic architectural cast iron architecture inspired several other inner-city developments. The project's success allowed Baird and his team to develop Historical Arts &amp; Casting, Inc., a firm dedicated to keeping alive the history, tradition, and craftsmanship of architectural cast metal ornament.</div><div><br></div><div>In 1999, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) sold off its majority stock in ZCMI. For a short time, stores operated under the Meier &amp; Frank name but later switched to Macy's. In 2007, the ZCMI cast iron facade was disassembled and stored before demolition and excavation for a new twenty acre commercial and residential development, City Creek Center, which was financed by the LDS (Mormon) Church. The Macy's store existed as part of that project, and the facade was placed on its storefront. Though the chain of stores is no more, its legacy remains with the restoration of the facade, notably as the ZCMI name remains atop the ornate feature.</div>

Brigham Young formed ZCMI (Zions Cooperative Mercantile Association)  in 1868. this mercantile grew to 156 stores across 24 Utah counties. This large downtown store was completed in 1876 is considered by many to be the first true department store in America. The ornate building was adorned by a decorative cast-iron facade that was restored in the 1970s. The LDS church sold its interests in the store in 1999 to Macy's. In 2007, the facade was restored once again, this time being removed, restored, and placed on the Macy's storefront in nearly the same location as it stood a century prior. 

Zions Cooperative Mercantile Association (ZCMI Building, Salt Lake)

<p>The Hotel Utah, built between 1909-1911, exists on the same lot that once served the Church of Latter-day Saints (LDS) as one of many nineteenth-century locations used as general tithing offices, bishop storehouses, and LDS offices. Replacing some older buildings with the hotel marked a change Salt Lake City as it moved away from its early settlement period, dominated by the LDS church, and more focused on city growth that included a focus on consumerism and tourism, although the LDS remained integral in that urban development. </p><p>Architects for the modern Italian Renaissance building was the firm of Parkinson and Bergstrom of Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, who created a first-class, ten-story structure complete with ornate decor and a host of modern comforts and amenities. The construction took two years, from 1909 to 1911.  </p><p>While the Hotel Utah provided first class accommodations for tourists and helped alleviate feelings of civic inferiority among Salt Lake City residents, its construction also noted a change in LDS philosophy. The chief stockholders in the company were also high ranking LDS officials who viewed their investment as a symbol of Mormon progressivism, whereas in the past, it was believed LDS members hesitated to champion urban progress for fear of losing its influence on the city. Indeed, stockholders also included non-LDS members such as the Utah Hotel operating company, whose president was the non-Mormon mining magnate Daniel T. Jackling. </p><p>The construction of the Hotel Utah also played a pivotal part in the West's labor history, including unions. On two separate occasions, dynamite bombs were exploded in attempts to delay work on the building. The controversy centered on efforts by the Jones Construction Company and the American Bridge Company to maintain an open shop despite demands by the local structural Iron Workers Union that only union men be hired to erect the steel frame.</p><p>The first bomb resulted in minor damage that and little, if any, delay in the construction schedule. Two men, Frank Wilson and James Delaney, were arrested and charged with the crime. Wilson denied any responsibility for the dynamiting but did admit he had been approached by members of the Structural Iron Workers Union and asked to participate in the bombing. In a trial held in February 1910, James Delaney was convicted of a minor crime and subsequently sentenced to six months in jail. A jury found Frank Wilson not guilty and did not find any link to the Structural Iron Workers Union.</p><p>A second, more "successful" bomb exploded during the morning of April 18, 1910, damaging steel beams and shattering glass windows within a one-block radius of the hotel. Again, many suspected the local Structural Iron Workers Union planned the bombing, but no arrests were made. However, several months later, the president of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers, and his brother, were arrested for the bombing of the Los Angeles Times Building on October 1, 1910, which killed twenty people and injured seventeen more. The investigation into that bombing revealed that they were also behind the two Hotel Utah bombings. </p><p>Upon completion, the hotel served Salt Lake City as one of its premier hotels. During its seventy-six years as a hotel, it received international awards and recognition for its world-class service. Numerous celebrities and dignitaries stayed in the hotel, including U.S. presidents. </p><p>Though the hotel ceased operations in 1987, a comprehensive remodeling project allowed it to re-open in 1993, this time as the Joseph Smith Memorial Building that served both community and church functions consisting of ballrooms and wedding venues, music events and theater productions, a genealogy research center, restaurants, LDS offices and a chapel. </p>

Originally the Hotel Utah, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building was later named in honor of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter-day Saint Church. It is located on the corner of Main Street and South Temple in Salt Lake City. It is now a social center with three restaurants: The Roof Restaurant, The Garden Restaurant and The Nauvoo Cafe. It is also a venue for events complete with 13 banquet rooms, catering services, event coordinators and a full-service floral department: Flowers Squared. Several levels of the building also serve as administrative offices for LDS Church departments such as FamilySearch. On January 3, 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Hotel Utah.

Joseph Smith Memorial Building (formally Hotel Utah)

<p>Brigham Young was the son of John Young and Abigail “Nabby” Howe. He was born  Whitingham, Vermont, and began his young career as a traveling carpenter and Blacksmith. He converted to the Mormon faith in 1832.  Young would then go on to perform missionary work in Upper Canada. He helped establish a religious community in Kirtland, Ohio, and aided in organizing the exodus of Latter-day Saints from Missouri in 1838. After the 1844 murder of Joseph Smith (who was the founder, and First president of the Church), the question of succession brought Brigham Young’s name to the forefront. Young was named the second President of the Church three years after the death of Smith. Unfortunately, Young inherited all the trials and tribulations of his predecessor.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some of the earlier, Mormon practices were frowned upon. There was widespread acceptance of slavery and polygamy within the church This garnered a negative reputation among Gentiles (a name for non-members of the church). Young and his constituents were forced to relocate to the Salt Lake Valley due to conflicting beliefs between Mormons and Gentiles. At this time, Salt Lake Valley was apart of Mexico, but Young organized an exodus. This exodus would first take 2,500 Mormon pioneers to Nebraska from 1846 to 1847. Then the pioneers would move on to the Salt Lake Valley. At the time of their arrival on July 24, 1847 (now recognized in Utah as “Pioneer Day”) the area had come under American Control as a result of their war with Mexico.</p><p><br /></p><p> Young initially petitioned for Congress to create the State of Deseret from those lands gained by America during the Mexican Cession. This resulted in the Compromise of 1850 that drew out the boundaries of Utah Territory. On February 3, 1851, as colonizer and founder of Salt Lake City, Brigham Young was officially selected as the territory’s first governor and superintendent by President Millard Filmore. President James Buchanan would later install a non-Mormon governor after being made aware of the reports of widespread and systematic obstruction of federal officials in Utah. </p><p><br /></p><p>Along with his choice of new governor, Buchanan also sent troops to garrison forts in the new territory. When Young received word of these actions, he retaliated by calling on his militia to ambush the federal force. What resulted was the Utah War (1857 – 1858), where Young managed to hold the U.S. Army at bay for an entire winter before eventually relenting and agreeing to step down as governor. He was later pardoned by President Buchanan and continued to serve as President of the Church until his death in 1877.</p><p><br /></p><p>Constructed in the year preceding the Utah Wars, the historic Lion House originally served as a more private residence for Brigham Young and his family than official residence, the Beehive House. It is also where the Young Ladies’ Department of the Ladies’ Cooperative Retrenchment Association was founded in 1870. In 1931 that same association received approval from the First Presidency to use the Lion House as a social center for girls and women after the departure of Latter-day Saints' University's domestic science department from the location. </p><p><br /></p><p>The Lion House overcame the threat of demolition in the 1960s and, after going through a series of renovations and restorations, it was eventually reopened as a restaurant and reception center. The Lion House Pantry has gained international fame for their rolls and has even appeared in an episode with Bobby Flay’s on the Food Network.</p>

The Lion House was constructed in 1856 for Brigham Young. Young was the second President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was also the first Governor of Utah Territory. Young was the father of 57 biological children. He also adopted and fostered children. The Lion House was built to home Young and his large family. The house adjoins the historic Beehive House on the west, which acted as the official governor’s residence. During the 1920s, Lion House served as the location of the domestic science department of Latter-day Saint’s University. Today, the ground floor houses a functional, cafeteria-style restaurant known as “The Lion House Pantry.” 

Lion House

<div>The eye-catching Beaux Arts structure opened in 1905 as the Salt Lake City library. Typical of the era, the library owes its existence to the philanthropic efforts of mining millionaire John Quackenbos Packard, who donated the land and money for the project. When the library moved in 1964, the building transitioned to the Hansen Planetarium, who remained there until 2003. After remaining unoccupied for four years, the building was renovated (and historically restored) from 2007-2009 by the O.C. Tanner Company, who now use it as its headquarters.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Salt Lake City's first public library opened in 1898 on the top floor of the Salt Lake City and County Building.&nbsp; However, that space quickly proved ineffective due to its small size. Consequently, a group of women known as the Ladies Literary Society persuaded mining millionaire John Quackenbos Packard to donate land and money to build a new library, which cost $100,000 (or more than $2.5 million in today's economy).&nbsp; Indeed, Quackenbos' actions not only resembled a wave of American millionaires engaged in philanthropy but a growing trend of donating money and resources towards the construction of libraries.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>A striking example of Beaux Arts architecture, the 20,000 square foot, three-story tall library included a two-story entrance pavilion consisting of limestone and a building filled with ornate details.&nbsp;</div><div><br>The building functioned as a library through October 1964 when the library moved to a new facility. In its wake, the building transitioned to a planetarium, named the Hansen Planetarium in honor of George and Beatrice M. Hansen (Beatrice had donated $400,000 to the city to build the planetarium in memory of her deceased husband). The planetarium boasted of the highest per capita attendance of any planetarium in the nation. The Clark Planetarium, located in the Gateway in Salt Lake City, replace the Hansen Planetarium in 2003, leaving the building unoccupied.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br></div><div><br></div><div>After four years of lying vacant, the O. C. Tanner Company bought the building in 2007 for $1.2 million and then spent two years and $24 million (including $9 to $11 million of community funds) renovating and restoring the building. The business opened its doors in September 2009.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><br><br>

Built in 1904, the magnificent Beaux Arts Building emerged as a result of philanthropic efforts, common in cities as the nation moved from the Gilded Age to the Progressive Era. The building first served the community as the Salt Lake City Public Library and then the building was renovated in 1965 to become the Hansen Planetarium. Finally, in 2009, the building became home to the O.C. Tanner Company Headquarters. 

Salt Lake City Public Library (A.K.A. Hansen Planetarium and O.C.Tanner Building) 

<div>The three-story stone and brick J. A. Fritsch Block opened for its doors in 1890 as an office building for the 'Fritsch Investment Company, an early investment business founded by Francis and John A. Fritsch, Utah immigrants of 1889. In the 1930s, Guthrie Bicycle Company -- Utah's oldest bicycle company -- moved into the building and remained there until 2011. As well, The block is architecturally significant as it was designed by the Carroll and Kern architectural firm, Utah's most prolific during the "Utah Building Boom during the late 1880s and early 1890s.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>From 1820 to 1870, over seven and a half million immigrants came to the United States. About a third of those immigrants arrived from Prussia and other lands that became modern Germany, including Francis Fritsch. Born in Germany in 1835, Francis Fritsch&nbsp;emigrated to Wapakoneta, Ohio, in 1850. In 1889 he moved to Salt Lake with his son, John.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The father and son founded the Fritsch Investment Company with the Fritsch Block serving as the company's headquarters. In 1912 the family expanded the company by incorporating a new Fritsch Loan and Investment Company. John died climbing Mt. Rainier in 1916, but Francis remained active in the business until roughly 1920.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In addition to the Fritsch businesses, numerous artists maintained residences and studios in its rooms. Also, stores, offices and even boarding houses and small hotel operations operated within the Fritsch Block. But, by the late 1920s, financial difficulties forced Fritsch Loan and Trust to sell the building. Lorus Manwaring, Sr., purchased the building and established it as the home of his Guthrie Bicycle Company, which had previously operated from a building located at 228 East 2nd South. Manwaring leased the upper floor as hotel space for a few years and maintained his bicycle business downstairs.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>From about 1935 to 1945, Manwaring lived in an upstairs apartment that had remodeled, including updating and the electrical wiring (he then updated the wiring throughout the building).&nbsp;Though he passed away in 1966, his son took over the business, who subsequently handed it down to his son-in-law in in 1970.&nbsp; The Guthrie Bicycle shop remained in the building until 2011.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The building also serves as a physical reminder of a time when Salt Lake City enjoyed a construction boom, with the Carroll and Kern Firm (who built the Fritsch Block) a significant part of that story.&nbsp; Although the firm was only active for two years, they built 45 buildings in that time, nearly twenty more than it closest competitor during that same period and far more than most every other firm during that span.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>At that time, Utah on its way to statehood (the divisions between the Mormon Church (LDS) and the Federal Government eased in the wake of the "Mormon Conflict"), but also silver mining had helped make the town an attractive to many. Indeed, in the 1880s and 1890s, the decades after Brigham Young's death in 1877, several church leaders including John Taylor, George Q. Cannon, and Joseph F. Smith, took ownership or invested heavily in nearby silver mines.</div><div><br></div><div>All told, the Fritsch Block is more than just an old building; it's the physical manifestation of numerous histories converging at Salt Lake City during the 1890s. A few include German immigration; Salt Lake City urban history; the rise of the bicycle's popularity; and the personal accounts of the Fritsch family and their tenants.&nbsp;</div>

Built in 1890, this historic Salt Lake building served as the home to the Fritsch Investment Company. The building is likely best known, however , as the home of the Guthrie Bicycle Company from 1931 to 2011. Established in 1888 as the Meredith Brothers and later expanded with the investment and management of James William Guthrie, Guthrie Bicycle is the oldest bicycle shop in the country. In its early years, the company produced its own bicycles, including the High Wheelers that were popular for a short time in the late 19th century. In addition to the bicycle shop on the first floor of the building, numerous artists maintained studios on the upper floors of the building in addition to a host of storefronts, offices, and even boarding houses. The building also arrived during a Salt Lake City building boom. In the end, it stands as a reminder of many histories, ranging from immigration and architecture to urban and cultural history.

J.A. Fritsch Building and the Guthrie Bicycle Company of Salt Lake City

<blockquote>Commonly referred to as "the oldest profession," prostitution holds a long and intriguing position in Utah history. The general feeling at the beginning of the 20th Century considered it as a "necessary" evil that could never be eliminated but merely controlled. Laws existed mostly to satisfy middle-class morality, but normally, it was confined to a specific part of town called a "red-light" district where it could be observed and controlled.&nbsp;1</blockquote>

<p>One of the first streets to be cut through Salt Lake City’s large city blocks in 1871, Commercial Street had become that center of vice and “necessary evil<span>.” <span>By the 1880’s the <i>Salt Lake Tribune </i>referred to the street as “a resort of gamblers and fast women” and, according to the <i>Deseret News</i>, the occupants of Commercial Street were “the demi-monde, the male parasite, the dope fiend, the gambler and the beggar.”&nbsp;</span></span>In 1893, Gustav S. Holmes finished construction on the first of two houses of ill repute that would occupy what is currently 167 and 169 Regent Street. Stephen Hayes completed his building of the second house in 1899. Similar in style, the second floor of each structure was referred to as a “parlor house,” named for the common parlor where prostitutes would ordinarily receive their customers. These large center rooms were surrounded by smaller rooms just big enough for a bed, washstand, dresser, and a chair or two.</p>

<blockquote>Parlor houses along the street housed legitimate businesses; usually liquor or tobacco stores, and held "female boarders" in the upper parts of the houses. Miss Helen Blazes and Miss Ada Wilson were each madams of these types of establishments. Police regularly conducted raids on the establishments, fining, arresting, and even sometimes conducting physical examinations of the women.&nbsp; By 1908 a formal registration system existed where police kept track of the names and addresses of madams and their houses and in turn, the madams supplied current lists of their girls. Each month, the girls paid a ten-dollar fine which supplied much of the city's revenues.&nbsp;1</blockquote>

<p>In 1903, local civic and religious leaders began to fight back against what the lurid behavior that soiled their main districts decreased the value of their properties, demanding for a purge of Commercial Street and its sordid establishments. Then-Salt Lake City Mayor, John Bransford, with the aid of the city council adopted a “stockade” policy in 1908. It was their intention to build a compound where women could still practice their trades with discretion. Bransford is quoted as saying: “I propose to take these women from the business section of the city and put them in a district which will be of the best, if not the very best, regulated districts in the country.”&nbsp;1</p>

<p>Mrs. Dora B. Topham, better known as the notorious “Madam Belle London” of Ogden’s “Electric Alley,” was asked by the men on the city council to form a corporation, buy a block of land on Salt Lake’s Westside and establish a stockade. In the summer of 1908, Topham created the Citizen’s Investment Company and purchased land between 500 and 600 West and 100 and 200 South because of its “suitable location” for their purposes.</p>

<blockquote>There were railroads on three sides of it, it divided two school districts (so children wouldn't have to walk past it), and because, "the 'foreign element,' (Greek and Italian workers) had so destroyed the area that establishing prostitution there would not harm it any further and could even be rationalized as catering to the immoral foreigners.&nbsp;1</blockquote>

<p>For the first time, a single person (Topham) dominated the business of prostitution in the city instead of having a network of brothels ran by individual madams. Many didn’t quite know how to take the new change. The West Side Citizen’s League was formed to abolish the stock, but many found it to be a practical way to deal with prostitution. On December 18, 1908, after the completion of the stockade, city police told those women working in the parlor houses that they had until 4 in the morning the following day to vacate their residences or face time in jail. With incarceration on the table there was little option for these women but to leave town or reside in the stockade.</p>

<p>Even with these measures, Commercial Street continued to be a red-light district until the 1930’s when the <i>Salt Lake Tribune</i> and the <i>Deseret News</i> made the street their home.</p>

Currently known as Regent Street, located between Main and State Streets and 100 and 200 South, this stretch of an area was once called Commercial Street and has gone through many renovations over the years. During the 1870s it garnered a negative reputation as the center of Salt Lake City’s red-light district. At the time, the street was lined with saloons and other legitimate businesses that often held “female boarders” in the upper parts of the houses. With the arrival of the railroad and westward expansion, the street also became home to several hundreds of Chinese immigrants who were unable to acquire housing in any other location of the city. Many of these laborers arrived in Utah as laborers on the Transcontinental Railroad before finding work throughout the city. Today, Regent Street is the center for publishing of Salt Lake City’s two daily newspapers whose presses have been located here from the early 1900’s.

Commercial Street – Salt Lake's "Red Light District" (1870-1908)

<p>In the 1870's, Regent Street was then named Commercial Street and home to Salt Lake City's "red-light" district. Numerous brothels were opened and prostitution was rampant through the city along with the mafia's influence on businesses. One of those businesses open was Peter Jackson's Saloon, home to a large bar for patrons to enjoy as they watch illegal boxing fights ran by the owner Hardy Downey, who set up the fights and bets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since 1908 with a cleaning act on the district and with later cleanings and constructions through the 1930's and 1970's, most small establishments have been lost from this clean up and revitalization of the city; due to this, all history known on Peter Jackson's Saloon come from heavyweight champion boxer William "Jack" Harrison Dempsey. Dempsey came to Salt Lake City, Utah in 1911 when he turned 16 and began his underground prize-fighting career to earn money in a travelling hobo lifestyle hitching rides on rail cars. Once he started making a small by manageable purse, Dempsey stayed in the area boxing, sometimes leaving to other small mining towns popular during the 20th century.</p><p><br /></p><p>During his fights, the owner, Hardy Downey, would have a hat passed around and the saloon patrons would place money, usually a few cents, into it as the winning pot for either fighter; Dempsey would win on average a dollar or less. Once he became recognized for his fighting talent, his new manager Jack Kearns set up bigger bouts against actual fighters instead of drunk patrons. On one occasion, Dempsey defeated a boxer named "One Punch" Hancock in 15 seconds with one punch. This angered Hardy Downey who made Dempsey fight Hancock's brother before he paid him. Dempsey defeated Hancock's brother in the same manner. When asked in later interviews, Dempsey says he possibly fought around 100 fights during the years he stayed in Salt Lake City in the saloon, yet due to the illegal business and unprofessionalism of the fights, they were never recorded.</p><p><br /></p><p>All history to that point of the saloon are unknown due to Dempsey leaving in 1919 to face Jess Willard for the heavyweight championship. There is no recovered information besides Jack Dempsey's history and retelling of his boxing journey through Salt Lake City.</p>

Peter Jackson's Saloon was open during the Red Light District era during the mid-1800's. Home to brothels, prostitution, and illegal paid fights in bars and saloons, Peter Jackson's Saloon was said to have a full sized boxing ring for many drunk patrons to fight or bet on drifting brawlers or up-and-coming boxers like American heavyweight boxing legend William "Jack" Harrison Dempsey. 

Peter Jackson's Saloon

<div>The importance of the Utah Commercial and Savings Bank building is related to both the architect, Richard K. A. Kletting and the founder of the bank, Francis Armstrong. Kletting designed numerous buildings in Salt Lake such as the original Salt Palace. Armstrong arrived in Utah with little money but worked his way to become one of Salt Lake's wealthiest citizens and serve as the city's mayor. He founded the bank and commissioned Kletting to design it.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Born in Wurttemberg, Germany, in 1858, Richard K. A. Kletting became a dominant figure in Utah architecture after his arrival in the State in 1883. His notable commissions include the original Saltair Resort and Pavilion; Utah State Hospital at Provo; McIntyre Building, Felt Building; the old University of Utah (now West High School); Deseret News Building; and Bell Telephone Building. Kletting also designed the Utah State Capital and the original Salt Palace.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, Armstrong, who represented the seventh generation of Armstrongs born in Northumberland, England (1839), left England with his family for Canada in 1851.&nbsp; Seven years later, in 1858, Francis moved to Richmond, Missouri, where he took work at a sawmill and met David Whitmer, one of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon. That meeting led to Francis' conversion to the Church of the Ladder-Day Saints and his subsequent decision to move to Salt Lake City in 1861.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Armstrong's first years in Salt Lake consisted of working various jobs such as hauling wood, worked at Brigham Young's flour mill, and working at a lumber mill. Over time, he collected enough wages to purchase a small lumber mill and forge several business partnerships.&nbsp; By 1869, Armstrong and his partners grew to become one of the city's leading contractors, construction companies, and supplier of commercial goods.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>By the 1870s, he also served with banks, worked on the boards of utility companies and purchased flour mills. His business success allowed him to become one of the city's wealthiest individuals and one of Salt Lake City's most prominent citizens.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Francis Armstrong was one of the organizers and the first president of the Utah Commercial and Savings Bank. He was responsible for commissioning Richard K. A. Kletting to design the bank building constructed between 1888 and 1890. The Utah Commercial &amp; Savings Bank is one of the best and of the few remaining examples of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture as applied to the commercial Brownstone architectural style. The building, constructed in 1890, is one of the earliest banking buildings preserved in the State. It represents a successful design accomplishment and shrewd economy in putting three levels</div><div>of business frontage on a site less than 33 feet wide.</div><div><br></div><div>Armstrong was also one of the originators and president of the Utah Power Co. Armstrong purchased a street railway system from the L.D.S. Church and had it converted to electrical power. Thus Salt Lake City became the first city west of Chicago to have electrically operated street cars.</div><div><br></div><div>As a result of his notoriety, he was able to engage in politics, first winning elections as a city councilman in 1878 and 1880. He continued to move up the proverbial political latter so that by 1886 he successfully ran for Mayor; he held the office for four years.&nbsp;</div><div>.</div>

This three-story structure appears modest next to many of its neighboring downtown buildings, but this Salt Lake brownstone reflects the vision of two of the city's most influential early residents, Francis Armstrong and Richard K.A. Kletting. Armstrong came to Utah as a mill laborer and rose to become one of the city's most influential businessmen and the mayor. Armstrong also founded the bank for which the building served ad commissioned Kletting as the architect to design this downtown office building. Kletting also designed the Utah State Capitol, the original Saltair Pavilion in Utah and the original Salt Palace -- to name only a few. 



Utah Commercial and Savings Bank Building (A.K.A. Village Brownstone Building)

<div>The McIntyre Building was built for William H. McIntyre, Sr., who personified much of late nineteenth-century Western culture by gaining his fortune in horses, cattle, and mining from Alberta to Texas to Utah.&nbsp; The McIntyre Building, like many structures in Salt Lake at the time, was designed by Richard K.A. Kletting, who also created the original Saltair Resort and Pavilion; Utah State Hospital at Provo; the old University of Utah (now West High School); the Utah State Capital and the original Salt Palace.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>William H. Mclntyre, Sr., was born in Grimes County, Texas in I848. His father, a Mexican War veteran, died in 1849 leaving the mother with three children. However, Mrs. Mclntyre remarried to a member of the Church of Ladder-Day Saints (LDS),&nbsp; who subsequently moved the family to Utah. The three brothers grew up and successfully worked as partners in the cattle business, once purchasing nearly 7,000 head of Mexican Longhorns in Texas for $3.75 a head and then selling them in Salt Lake City for $24.00 a head -- a healthy profit.</div><div><br></div><div>That lucrative cattle business would afford brothers Sam and William McIntyre an opportunity to engage in Utah's increasingly successful mining operations. In 1873, the two brothers exchanged the cattle driven from Texas to Salt Lake City for a stake in what became the Tintic mining operation, then owned by Charles Crismon, who took the cattle. The former cattlemen invested money into the property and dug a deeper mine shaft allowing them to find&nbsp; a vein of gold. Over time, the Tintic Mining District had developed into one of the most productive in the state.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In 1894 Mclntyre bought a 64,000-acre ranch in Alberta, Canada which later became famous for its fine hores and purebred Hereford cattle, which Mclntyre had imported from Wyoming in 1902.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In 1908, with Mclntyre having amassed wealth in both Utah and Canada, he decided to hire architect Richard K.A. Kletting to design and build the seven-story Mclntyre Building that remains standing today. The building opened in 1909 as the first reinforced concrete and fireproof buildings west of the Mississippi River. All of the doors, windows, and trim are made of steel. Additionally, the structure also emerged as one of Salt Lake City's first, and best remaining, examples of Sullivanesque architecture, named after the famous Chicago School architect Louis Sullivan and mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The German-born Richard K.A. Kletting took part in many French projects, such as the designs of the Bon Marche, Credit de Lyonnais, and Sacre Coeur at Montmartre, all in France, before coming to the United States and settling in Utah in 1883. His skill and reputation allowed him to quickly rise to the top of his profession, becoming Salt Lake City's most sought architect. His major works include the original Salt Palace, Saltair Pavilion, State Mental Hospital at Provo, Deseret News Building, Board of Trade Building, Brigham Young Trust Company buildings, the old University of Utah (now West High School, and the Utah State Capital.</div>

The McIntyre Building was constructed in 1908–1909 for William H. McIntyre, Sr. who became wealthy in the cattle industry, ranching, and the development of the mammoth mine in Utah’s Tintic Mining District. This building, designed by Salt Lake City's most prominant architect, Richard K. A. Kletting, consisted of reinforced concrete and existed as one of the first fire-proof buildings west of the Mississippi River.

McIntyre Building

Among the historic landmarks in Salt Lake City, few have provided such continuous service as the "Old Zions Bank Clock". While no official account tells the story, tradition says the clock arrived in the 1870s in a wagon pulled bu oxen. The foundry mark on the base of the clock shows the Robert Wood &amp; Co. in Philadelphia cast it in iron shortly after the end of Civil War.<br><br> Originally installed within 30 feet of this site, the clock continues to withstand the test of time. A diversion from City Creek, which ran down Main Street, originally drove a water wheel that operated the clock. Later, the clock kept time with springs and wet cell batteries. By 1912, the original gears had been replaced and the clock was connected to the new electricity system in the bank. In 2007, the clockworks was rewired and restructured. Old paint was sandblasted off the ironwork, and the surface was refinished.<br>

For over a century, the Old Clock at Zion's Bank has been one of Salt Lake's leading downtown landmarks. Over the years it has been powered by, in turn, a water wheel, hand wound springs, an electric motor powered by wet cell batteries then standard line voltage then by a master clock in the bank. For many years people planning on getting together in downtown Salt Lake City would simply say "I'll meet you at The Old Clock." The clock is listed on both the state and national historical registries.

Old Clock at Zion's First National Bank

<p>Born in England, Sarah Ann Daft arrived as a pioneer in Salt Lake City with her husband Alexander in 1856. After his death in 1884, the widowed Mrs. Daft took over his business interests and expanded them into a considerable estate. Described as a “brilliant woman” with “unusual business ability,” Daft held large amounts of stock in the Independent Telephone Company, owned the Reality Building on West Temple Street, and had even developed mining interests. She garnered a reputation among her peers for having one of the keenest business minds in the territory. Daft was also a philanthropist, and after her death in 1906 at the age of 78, she made certain to set aside funds in her will to build and maintain a home for the aged, infirm, and blind of both sexes. The nonprofit Sarah Daft home was opened in 1912 and continues to operate to this day.<br></p><span><p></p>

<p>Another English born immigrant and Mormon convert, Elias L. T. Harrison, was contracted by Sarah Daft to design and construct Daft Block. By 1887, when construction on the building first began, Harrison had already garnered a reputation for himself as an architect, a writer, and a controversial religious figure. Having built such structures as the Staines House and The Alta Club, he was also the first in Utah to teach classes in architecture and designed the Salt Lake Theatre’s ornate interior. Harrison helped to produce the region’s first magazine, <i>Peep O’Day</i>, which acted as the predecessor of the <i>Salt Lake Tribune</i>. He used his podium to act as the spokesperson for the reformist Godbeite New Movement after being excommunicated by the Mormon Church. Alongside founder William S. Godbe, and through the newly formed Church of Zion, Harrison encouraged cooperation between those of the Mormon faith and non-Church members.</p>

<blockquote>In July 1908, The John Daynes Sons jewelry company took over the building […] Daynes Jewelry was founded by John Daynes, an expert craftsman in jewelry who learned his trade in England. Born in 1831, Daynes converted to Mormonism in 1848, moved to Salt Lake City in 1862 and became Brigham Young's watchmaker. Also a gifted musician, Daynes was able to perform on nearly every instrument. He was a choir director for 40 years and was the organist for the famous Mormon Tabernacle Organ, He founded Daynes Music Company and Daynes Optical Company. John Daynes died March 30, 1905. His sons, earlier taken on as partners, continued to run the jewelry and musical instrument store after his death.&nbsp;1</blockquote>

<p>The Daynes family were devout followers of the Mormon Church, both working for and marrying within the church hierarchy. Sadly, their business was not always as strong as their faith; they struggled to survive during their occupation at 26 S. Main from 1899 to 1908. In 1907 their jewelry safe was robbed and they lost roughly $15,000. While the robbers were caught, the jewelry was never recovered and the need for a change in location became all too apparent. In 1909 when Dayne’s son J. Fred bought the Daft Building, he was forced to sell 20,000 shares of stock in their company in order to come up with the money required for the down payment. Some were hesitant to invest in such a “risky” business venture, but Daynes Jewelry saw such contributors as then-governor John C. Cutler and many fellow members of the Church. Thanks to this J. Fred, his brothers, and their future generations were able to keep the dreams and businesses of John. Sr. alive for several decades.</p>

Today Daft Block serves as the location of the Beerhive Pub.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>

Constructed between 1887 and 1890, Daft Block showcases the classical structure and decorative design of the architect, and controversial historical figure, Elias L. T. Harrison. This 4-story brick and stone building was built for pioneer Sarah A. Daft, making it notable not only for its architecture but for its existence as one of the few commercial buildings constructed for a female entrepreneur. In 1908, two years after Daft’s death, the 4-story brick and stone structure was purchased by the sons of John Daynes, a fellow pioneer, and watchmaker to President of the Church of Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young. They relocated their Daynes Jewelry business to Daft Block, where their painted sign can still be seen on the side of the building. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Buildings in 1975.

Daft Block – Daynes Jewelry Building

<blockquote>"The pony rider was usually a little bit of a man, brimful of spirit and endurance. No matter what time of day or night his watch came on, and no matter whether it was winter or summer, raining, snowing, hailing or sleeting, or whether his 'beat' was a level straight road or a crazy trail over mountain crags and precipices, or whether it led through peaceful regions or regions that swarmed with hostile Indians, he must be always ready to leap into the saddle and be off like the wind! There was no idling time for a pony rider on duty. He rode fifty miles without stopping, by daylight, moonlight, starlight, or through the Blackness of darkness -- just as it happened. He rode a splendid horse that was born for a racer and fed and lodged like a gentleman: kept him at his utmost speed for 10 miles, and then, as he came crashing up to the station where stood two men holding fast a fresh, impatient steed, the transfer of rider and mailbag was made in the twinkling of an eye, and away flew the eagle pair and were out of sight before the spectator could get hardly the ghost of a look."&nbsp;1</blockquote>

<p>On April 03, 1860 the Pony Express was born, and with it the fantastic stories and legends revolving around its riders during the taming of the wild, wild west. Thanks to westward expansion, an influx of pioneers to the Northwest, the Mormon migration to Utah, and the flood of gold-hungry settlers to California, a demand was created for mail delivery to and from the east. Many solutions had previously been discussed, such as the use of a steamship but the journey would take too long and prove too expensive. Stagecoaches were the next best alternative, creating such companies as the Butterfield Overland Mail Company— "a consortium of four express companies: Adams, American, National, and Wells, Fargo &amp; Company— that signed a six-year contract with the U.S. government on September 15, 1857. The Butterfield (or Oxbow) Route went from St. Louis, Missouri, south to Little Rock, Arkansas, through El Paso, Texas,&nbsp;then west to Yuma, Arizona,&nbsp;on to Los Angeles,&nbsp;and north to San Francisco, for a total distance of some 2,700 miles (4,350 km) over a 25-day schedule."&nbsp;2</p>

<p>While effective, the use of stagecoaches also left much to be desired. Delivery was slow, inhibited by weather, and often proved susceptible to attacks by Native Americans. During the Civil War a great deal of the Butterfield Overland Mail line was disrupted and destroyed by Confederate&nbsp;troops. As tension between North and South continued to grow, so did the urgent demand for a fast central-route mail service.</p>

<blockquote>The Pony Express Company, the brainchild of William H. Russell, William Bradford&nbsp;Waddell and Alexander Majors, owners of a freight business, was set up over 150 relay stations along a pioneer trail across the present-day states of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California. Riders, who were paid approximately $25 per week and carried loads estimated at up to 20 pounds of mail, were changed every 75 to 100 miles, with horses switched out every 10 to 15 miles. Among the riders was the legendary frontiersman and showman William “Buffalo Bill” Cody (1846-1917), who reportedly signed on with the Pony Express at age 14. The company’s riders set their fastest time with Lincoln’s inaugural address, which was delivered in just less than eight days.&nbsp;3</blockquote>

<p>Much of what we know and understand about the days of the Pony Express and its riders come from sensationalized accounts. When discussing “how the West was won,” thoughts of Hollywood westerns and rugged cowboys tend to come to mind. While no one truly knows with any certainty how many riders or stations actually existed during the time, there is no shortage of material for the imagination or national pride in a glowing time for a growing country. History, literature, and film all remember the Pony Express as a shining example of American grit and steel resolve.</p>

<blockquote>Most chroniclers of the story of the Pony Express have been little interested in how this ‘saga of the saddle,’ as one enthusiast called it, became what is in essence an American tall tale. Much of that is easily explained by the odd chronology of the tale. The Pony Express was short-lived and its financial collapse essentially ruined its backers. If Russell, Majors &amp; Waddell left significant records, those have never been discovered. One explanation is simply that they did not keep many records; the other is that they destroyed whatever records they had to avoid creditors. Both Russell and Waddell died within a decade of the end of the Pony Express and never wrote a word about their exploits. Majors, an honest-to-God pioneer in western freighting on the fabled Santa Fe Trail, survived. But Majors, a simple man who was a devout Bible reader, did not compose his memoirs until the end of the 19th century. When he did, his life story was ghostwritten or at least heavily edited by Colonel Prentiss Ingraham, a fabled dime novelist and hack. William ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody (we will return to Buffalo Bill anon) paid Rand McNally to print this hodgepodge of recollections —&nbsp;<i>Seventy Years on the Frontier: Alexander Majors’ Memoirs of a Lifetime on the Border</i>. Majors later complained that Colonel Ingraham had taken liberties with the story.&nbsp;4</blockquote>

<p>Lasting only a little over a year, the end of the Pony Express delivery service coincided with the completion of the transcontinental telegraph line. Even so, its memory lives on through markers such as this one and the marks left behind in the American heart and mind.</p>

This marker was erected by the Pony Express National Trail Association and is included in the Pony Express National Historic Trail marker series. It marks the site of the Great Salt Lake City Station where the transfer of horses and mail occurred from 1860 to 1861. Within shouting distance of this location is the Pony Express Centennial Marker which commemorates the location of the Pony Express Division Headquarters. To the sides of this marker are the historic Herald Building and the First National Bank building. The lower plaque on the monument was placed after its creation to commemorate the centennial of the Pony Express.

Great Salt Lake City Station

<p>Tension between members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and non-members in Utah date back to the state's territorial period. In 1847, LDS church members&nbsp;began settling in the Utah Territory to escape religious persecution for their beliefs. At the time, Church leaders believed that isolation would allow them to practice their religion in freedom. Mormon ideologies such as popular sovereignty and the practice of polygamy prior to 1890&nbsp;led to sharp criticism of LDS members and leaders in and beyond the territory. During the Presidential Election of 1856, the newly formed Republican Party accused the Mormons of gross immorality and pledged “to prohibit in the territories those twin relics of barbarism: polygamy and slavery.”&nbsp;1&nbsp;<br></p><p>This tension, combined with mining booms, general westward expansion, and the appointment of federal officials to the territory, brought about what became known as the Utah War, lasting from May 1857 to July 1858. It was during this time of tension when members of the Mormon faith began to publish their perspectives in the form of articles and editorials. The&nbsp;<i>Deseret News</i>&nbsp;was the outlet for many of these articles prior to the creation of the <i>Salt Lake Herald</i>.&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>The development of Utah’s newspapers began with the founding of the <i>Deseret News</i> in Salt Lake City, June 15, 1850. The News was owned and controlled by the Mormon Church. While focusing on church-related subjects, the editors tried to keep the Mormon-Gentile conflict to a minimum. With the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, a tremendous change took place in Utah. The Mormon-Gentile conflict intensified and in Utah journalism, this change was reflected in the birth of two daily newspapers, the <i>Salt Lake Tribune</i> and the<i> Salt Lake Herald</i>.&nbsp;2</blockquote>

<p>Born from the remnants of the<i> Salt Lake City-Odgen Telegraph</i>, an earlier pro-Mormon publication, the <i>Salt Lake Herald</i> began delivering their daily newspapers to the public on Sunday, June 5, 1870. Editor, E. L. Sloan cited the growing tensions between Mormons and Gentiles (non-members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) as a means of explaining the dire need for their newspaper and the militant defense of the Church and its members. While the <i>Deseret News</i> acted as the “The Organ of the Higher Priesthood,” and attempted to maintain a level of neutrality, the <i>Herald</i> was not above the journalistic mud-slinging that often highlighted nineteenth-century American Journalism. Their main source of competition came from the <i>Salt Lake Tribune</i>; a newspaper ran by Mormons who had been excommunicated by the Church for their opposition to temporal church policies. Beginning their own publication in 1871, the <i>Tribune</i> advocated accommodation with the Gentiles (the Mormon word for non-church members at that time). In addition to providing a voice for non-church members, the Tribune occasionally ran pieces that offered harsh criticisms of the LDS Church and its leaders.</p>

<blockquote>The four-page morning daily was in many respects typical of western newspapers of the day. There were articles on agriculture, mining, religious and domestic interests as well as entertainment news. Articles on crime, vice, and natural disasters also appeared. Politically, the&nbsp;Salt Lake Herald&nbsp;was Democratic. Because it gave considerable space to controversial religious topics, however, editors of secular papers sometimes mocked the&nbsp;Herald&nbsp;as a mere proponent of the LDS Church. The <i>Salt Lake Tribune's</i>&nbsp;<span><span>pet name for the&nbsp;Herald, for example, was the “Mormon Herald,” while the daily <i>Salt Lake Democrat</i>&nbsp;</span>called it the “Church Echo.” Sloan aggressively responded to such slurs with strong counter editorials, a strategy not available to the publishers of the&nbsp;Deseret News, which endeavored to avoid any controversy that could harm the Church.&nbsp;3</span></blockquote>

<p><span>After the Church put an end to the practice of polygamy, topics of contention between the <i>Herald</i> and the <i>Tribune</i>&nbsp;increasingly reflected the&nbsp;political views of the two major parties. On May 24, 1891, the Salt Lake Herald announced that it was officially a Democratic newspaper. </span></p>

<blockquote>As spokesman for the Democratic Party, the Herald continued to reflect its pro-Mormon sentiments. The Republican party, founded in 1856 on a platform dedicated to the abolishment of the "twin relics of barbarism" slavery and polygamy, was despised as much by Utah Mormons as by any Southern sympathizer. Southern Democrats had viewed the Mormon belief in polygamy similar to their own support of slavery based on states rights and had opposed the anti-polygamy measures of the Republican Party. While the Herald became the state's Democratic newspaper, the Tribune was clearly Republican and the two newspapers turned their attention to support and attack of the respective parties.&nbsp;2</blockquote>

<p>This political turn marked the end of the line for the official relationship between the LDS Church and the <i>Herald</i>. Because of&nbsp;growing involvement and investments in&nbsp;private businesses, and recognizing the need for greater cooperation with non-members, LDS leaders began to distance themselves from the Herald. In addition, more church members began supporting the Republican Party during the era of Reconstruction. By the 1890s, the newspaper&nbsp;was no longer seen as an editorial defender of the&nbsp;Church. In 1898, the Herald was bought by Democrat Alfred W. McCune in a failed attempt to secure a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The newspaper was later sold from McCune to Senator W. A. Clark of Montana, another Democrat whose interest laid less with the newspaper than with the Salt Lake, San Pedro, and Los Angeles railroads. Clark managed to triple revenues from the paper and it was during his ownership that the Herald Building was constructed in 1905.</p>

<p>1909 harkened the end of an era for the<i> Salt Lake Herald </i>when Clark sold the newspaper to a group of prominent Utah Republicans in August of that same year. The newspaper then became known as the <i>Herald-Republic</i> and lost many of its original Democratic subscribers. By 1920 - due to low viewership and several changes in ownership - publication of the <i>Herald-Republic</i>&nbsp;came to an end.&nbsp;</p>

Following the design of architect John C. Craig, construction of the Herald Building was completed in 1905. From its conception until the newspaper's final issue in 1920, the building served as the headquarters for the Salt Lake Herald, a newspaper that conspicuously promoted a Mormon point of view. The editors of the Herald often sparred with their leading competitor, the Salt Lake Tribune, in an editorial contest that reflected both religious and political disputes between members of the LDS church and other residents of the city. The historic Herald Building has also served as the home of the Salt Lake Telegram, the Little Hotel, and Lamb’s Restaurant. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

The Salt Lake Herald (1870 – 1909) – Herald Building (1905 – Present)

<p>Brothers, Samuel, Joseph, David, and Matthew Walker were all first generation immigrants from Yorkshire, England. Together, in 1859, they established a dry goods business at Camp Floyd where they served the troops located there. Like other retail and merchandise businesses of their time, the Walker brothers dabbled in banking. They both bought and sold gold dust, wrote ‘scrip’ – a type of local currency – and had a safe in which customers could deposit their money. Business was profitable for them and, in 1861 when the camp closed the brothers had accumulated enough wealth and stock that they were able to relocate their business to a store in Salt Lake City and continue providing goods and financial services to the masses. Though official bank status was not granted until 1871, Walker Bank is still credited with being one of the first banks established in the west.</p><blockquote>In 1866, the northwest corner of 200 South and Main Street was purchased and the store and bank were moved there. In 1885, a national charter was obtained to operate as the Union National Bank of Salt Lake City. In 1886, David Fredrick sold out his interest in the firm to the other three brothers. After the death of Samuel S. in 1887, Joseph R. and Matthew H. surrendered the bank's national charter and began to operate as a partnership, Walker Brothers Bankers. In 1903, two years after the death of Joseph R., his heirs sold their interest in the bank to Matthew H. and he sold his share of the Walker Dry Goods Company to them. This marked the separation of the bank from the store, and Matthew H. incorporated the bank under the original name, Walker Brothers Bankers on January 21, 1903.&nbsp;1</blockquote><p>After the 1905 purchase of the Salt Lake branch of the Wells Fargo and Company Bank and the 1911 establishment of a new savings department, last remaining brother and sole owner Matthew recognized the need for a newer, more permanent location for their bank. William S. Eames and Thomas Crane Young of the firm Eames and Young in St. Louis, Missouri, were tasked with the construction of this new building. Together they designed a building in the style of Chicago School skyscrapers with touches of influence from the Second Renaissance Revival. Not only did it boast space for Walker Brothers Bankers, but included room for several retail shops. The completed project received national attention with a feature in the February 1914 issue of <i>American Architect</i>, as well as a mention in the <i>New York Times</i>.</p><blockquote>The construction of such a large building in downtown Salt Lake City was a monument to the growth, progress, and modernization of the city following Utah's acceptance as a state. Investing in the building signified the faith the Walker Brothers Bank had in the future of the city. One of the tallest buildings in the West for its time, it stands as an example of the success and growth of the financial sector of Utah during the 1900-1910s. It was also one of the last building projects completed prior to the start of World War I, which put an effective halt on major construction projects in downtown Salt Lake City.&nbsp;1</blockquote><p>After the creation of their Trust Department, the name of the bank was changed to Walker Bank &amp; Trust Company in March 1931. Business went on as usual until Transamerica (now known as Western Bancorporation) bought the bank in 1956 for $20 million. It kept its Walker name and heritage until June 1, 1981, when the bank was renamed - like all of those within the Western Bancorporation system – to First Interstate Bank. By 1983 a new building had been constructed for the new First Interstate Bank and after the banks’ relocation Walker Bank Building was sold and renamed Walker Center as a nod to the original Walker brothers and the rich history of the building itself.</p><p>Currently, Walker Center’s most eye-catching piece is the illuminated tower and sign that looks down on the inhabitants of Salt Lake City and lights up the skyline with its weather forecasts. Originally converted from a radio station’s transmitting tower in the early 1950’s, the weather tower’s great ‘Walker Center’ logo was taken down in 1983 after a city ordinance restricted the height of signs. After the building’s placement on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 and a massive effort to renovate and breathe new life into the Walker Center in 2007, special exceptions were made to allow the sign to return in 2008.</p><p>Weather conditions - as represented by the lights of the tower - are color coded as follows:</p><p>













</p>Blue: Clear skies&nbsp;<span><br>Flashing blue: Cloudy skies&nbsp;<br>Red: Rain&nbsp;<br>
Flashing red: Snow</span><br>

Constructed in 1912, this 16 story building originally served as the location for the Walker Bank Building, the first banking institution in the Utah Territory. In the 1940’s, KDLY radio installed a transmitting tower atop the building that would later be converted into an illuminated weather tower to serve the Utah valley with its color-coded forecasts. From the date of its conception until 1916 Walker Bank Building stood as the tallest building between the Missouri River and San Pacific Coast. Today, Walker Center currently ranks 23rd on the list of Salt Lake City’s tallest buildings. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in October 2006. 

Walker Bank Building (1912 - 1981) – Walker Center

<blockquote>The Orpheum Theatre […] is significant for introducing innovative architectural features in theatre construction to the Intermountain West. Built in 1912-13, the Orpheum Theatre utilized the most modern mechanical contrivances of its time bringing advancements in safety and comfort through carefully manipulating the interior environment of its public spaces. The building of the theatre also marked an important event in the importation of out-of-state architects and foreign design styles to provide alternatives to the more conventional American and Utah vernacular styles which dominated the majority of commercial and public architecture. The introduction of new building materials tapestry brick and terra cotta, and a highly decorative new style--Italian Rennaissance, along with the "water-curtain," "Plenum System" air-conditioning and "totally fireproof" construction made the Orpheum Theatre a significant building in the development of architecture in Utah. Of the several theatres built nationally by San Francisco architect G. Albert Lansburgh, the Salt Lake Orpheum was considered one of the most successful.&nbsp;1</blockquote>

<p>G. Albert Langsburgh was thirty-six years old when the L.L. Orpheum Realty Company sought him out as architect for their next big project. By this time, he had already graduated from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and been awarded both the <i>Le Diplome </i><i>d’Architect</i><i> de Government Francais</i> and a gold medal from the Society of French Artists at the Grand Salon of the Champs Elysses. After finishing his studies of the ancient and modern architecture styles in Europe, Lansburgh returned to San Franciso where he began building an impressive portfolio. Under his belt were two previous Orpheum theatres in San Francisco and Los Angeles, the Manx Hotel, Newman and Levism Building, Concordia Club, Sacks Building, E. and M. A. Gunst Buildings, and Lamberman’s Buildings.</p>

<p>For Salt Lake City’s Orpheum Theatre, Lansburgh employed the “Italian Renaissance Style” as inspiration for his design, displaying classical revival detailing. His use of terracotta figurines was virtually unheard of in Utah at the time and ultimately inspired future architects in the area to explore other similar mediums and experiment with other designs and styles of buildings. Costing $250,000 to make, the theatre was able to house anywhere from 1,800 to 2,000 people. No expenses were spared and no luxuries were forgotten, including the creation of a mezzanine floor lounge for female patrons, marble floors and staircases, removable seats in the front of the auditorium, and 26 box seats, among them a central “royal” box. Perhaps most impressive were the lengths Lansburgh and his crew went to in pursuit of comfort and safety for the Orpheum’s patrons.</p>

<blockquote>The Orpheum Theatre was considered architecturally advanced during its time. Constructed of concrete, steel and brick, this fireproof construction was aided by a "Water Curtain" which was a series of sprays in front of an asbestos curtain which automatically activated when the temperature reached a designated height. According to one report, "Water spouts from the sides and descends from above, forming a complete screen of water through which fire or smoke could not penetrate."<br><br>A mechanical ventilation system known as the "Plenum system" was also provided. Precursor to present forced air conditioning systems, it worked thusly: "Automatically the air is expelled through gratings beneath the seats at a rate of three feet per second. It rises to be drawn out through the ventilators in the ceiling and dome without any perceptible draught." It was claimed that "on the hottest day 'n summer it is possible to keep the atmosphere at 60 degrees while, when the mercury is below zero in winter, patrons can be warm and snug...and breathe absolutely pure air."<br><br>An added safety feature was the exit system with 30 exits from all sides of the building, "the doors of which are fitted with patent contrivances that cause them to fly open on the least pressure from the inside. A special structural system made the building "earthquake-proof." The boiler was placed in a separate building to eliminate the dangers of possible explosions.&nbsp;1</blockquote>





<p>Despite these preemptive measures to ward off a tragedy, and the future renovations made to the building after its 1927 purchase by Louis Marcus Chain, a terrible fire broke out in the basement of the renamed Capitol Theatre on July 4, 1949. No patrons were harmed, but a seventeen-year-old usher Richard Duffin lost his life. It is believed by many that the ghost of “Dickey Duffins” still haunts the theatre, making his presence known by unplugging extension cords, moving lights, slamming doors, and messing with the elevators. The story of the fire and Duffin’s untimely death was featured on SyFy Channel’s <i>Paranormal Witness</i> in the episode “Capitol Theatre Haunting.”</p>

<p>Today the building serves as a performing arts center where Salt Lake City citizens can go to watch live performances and the ballet.</p>

Constructed in 1913 by architect G. Albert Lansburgh, the Orpheum Theatre was the second theatre built in Salt Lake City for the Orpheum chain. Beginning as a vaudeville venue, the rising popularity of film and the 1927 purchase of the building by Louis Marcus Chain resulted in a series of renovations that transformed the theatre into the Capitol. The first “talkies,” or movies with sound, were shown on the big screen in 1929. Despite a tragic fire on July 4, 1949, the building has continued to serve patrons of the Salt Lake City area up to date. It now doubles as a performing arts center and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Orpheum Theatre (1913 - 1927) – Capitol Theatre (1927 - Present)

<p>The Peery Hotel opened in 1910. It was created during a period of growth in the west. Utah was experiencing a great migration boom, and the state was beginning to gardner wealth through mining. The Peery family was prominent among the elites of Salt Lake City. They financed the construction of the Peery Hotel. The hotel was meant for the upper class and would supply services for mining companies as well as lodging. The hotel was near The Rio Grande Depot, making it an ideal location for the wealthy to stay.</p><p><br /></p><p>The hotel was originally built with 156 rooms and no private baths. It opened around the time of other prominent, Salt Lake City hotels like the Hotel Utah and the Newhouse Hotel. The Peery Hotel featured natural light in all the guest room corridors, setting it apart from other inns in the area. It was originally built for around $150,000 with a distinguished "E" shape architecture. This helped allow the natural light to fill the walkways of each corridor.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 1947, the Peery Hotel was bought by Henry K. Miles. Miles had previously leased the hotel, and upon buying it, he changed the building's name to the Miles Hotel. The hotel then became an apartment complex until it was purchased by the Kimball brothers in 1976. The Peery Hotel was listed in the National Historic Register.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Peery Hotel is now owned by Hilton. Residents and tourists alike can stay in the hotel that's located in the heart of Salt Lake City's Arts District. It's two blocks from the city's convention center and next to the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center.</p>

The Peery Hotel was built in 1910. It was an ideal area for the rich residents of Salt Lake City. The building's original purpose was to provide services for the elite like providing banking and supply services to the minefields. However, this historic landmark hosted 156 rooms for guests to stay in. The Peery Hotel has now become an iconic landmark in Salt Lake City and is one of the top, historic hotels in Utah. 

Downtown Salt Lake City Walking Tour

Utah Museum of Contemporary Art

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information