Utah Heritage Foundation

Does it seem like a long time since the city bought the Fisher Mansion and opened it up for a tour?  It hasn’t been idle time where nothing’s been happening.  The long awaited historic structures report has been completed by CRSA, providing much needed information to future users about what may be necessary to bring the mansion up to building and seismic code, city LEED compliance, and return it to its historic glory.

As one of the handful of fabulous residential structures designed by Utah architect and German native Richard K.A. Kletting, the 1893 home to Albert Fisher served as his base of operation near what would become one of the largest breweries in the state until it sold to Anheiser-Busch.  The mansion was passed on from the family to the Catholic Diocese and operated as its last us as the St. Mary’s Home for Men.  The Fisher Mansion remained surprisingly intact since the family’s departure in 1944, yet suffered from a lack of maintenance and severe weather deterioration.

Still, the opportunity exists to rehabilitate a signature landmark of Salt Lake City.  The question now is – for what purpose?  A Request for Proposals is currently being prepared and will soon be on the street seeking interest.

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Utah Heritage Foundation supports NuSkin’s proposed expansion in downtown Provo, but not at the expense of five historic buildings and breaking up the historic Plat of Zion.  What makes any downtown area exciting and economically viable is adding more people to the environment.  The other key factor that commonly makes downtown areas unique and enticing is historic preservation.

Therefore, demolition within the Center Street Historic District should not bear the cost of constructing NuSkin’s new building.   We strongly believe that any new building should avoid demolishing historic buildings by building at the corner of 100 West and 100 South.  At this location, a major building for NuSkin still conforms to Provo’s General Plan Policies regarding Downtown and could potentially be joined to the currently used Kress Building on Center Street for continued use.

Additionally, Utah Heritage Foundation is strongly encouraging Provo City not to close 100 West to traffic.  As a historic segment of the city’s Plat of Zion and a major transportation artery, fragmenting the historic grid with the closing of a street to regular traffic begins to diminish the significance of the purpose for which the original Mormon town plat was laid out in 1850.

All

The narrow and tall, striking red sandstone building at 22 East 100 South known as the “Brownstone Building” has seen more than its share of mall construction over the decades.  But current owner Bill Campbell isn’t waiting for City Creek Center to be completed to ensure that the historic building he owns will be around for decades to come as he has signed a preservation easement with Utah Heritage Foundation to protect the property in perpetuity.

Originally built as the Utah Commercial & Savings Bank Building by Francis Armstrong in 1890, the three-story building is one of the rare examples of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in the state of Utah, as seen in the photo at left (Courtesy Utah State Historical Society).   Bank President Armstrong was an energetic entrepreneur who after a short time working in Brigham Young’s flour mill at the bottom of Parley’s Canyon, formed a lumber mill and general contracting business known as Taylor, Romney and Armstrong Co.  He went on to serve in county government from 1881 until 1886 when he was elected Mayor of Salt Lake City.

Architect Richard K.A. Kletting, “Dean of Utah Architects,” served as designer for the building.  Expectations were high as one journalist predicted that upon its completion it would be “the finest front of any building in Utah.”  Every floor is custom designed and reflected on the exterior by the window patterns.   The red sandstone is intricately carved with leaf and basketweave designs on projecting elements.  The overall effect of the building’s design is one of order and strength, principles made popular by H.H. Richardson in some of the best surviving examples of the Richardsonian Romanesque style in Chicago, Boston, and New York.

Today, the Utah

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History has announced that Tim Bailey, a fifth grade teacher at Escalante Elementary School in Salt Lake City, Utah, is the recipient of the 2009 Preserve America National History Teacher of the Year award. The award is co-sponsored by The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Preserve America and HISTORY™. Bailey will receive the $10,000 award on December 16, 2009 at the School Without Walls in Washington, D.C. United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be on hand to congratulate Bailey and speak about the importance of American history education.

Tim Bailey began his teaching career in 1989. He has written three American history workbooks focused on primary sources for elementary classrooms in the Easy Simulations series, published in 2008 by Scholastic. He has also served as a teacher mentor for the past eight years. A Fulbright Scholar in 2003, Bailey has earned several awards from the state of Utah, the Salt Lake City school district, and others.

Read the full press release

Utah Heritage Foundation has been active in Ogden for decades, working with the community and building owners to save historic buildings and create better policy for historic preservation and neighborhoods.  When we started a low-interest loan revitalization program in 1997 in East Central Ogden, there was a strong local belief that this was THE neighborhood of the future.

So when we have an opportunity to reclaim not only the history, but the original network of everyday life in a streetcar system like we do in the proposed Ogden-WSU Transit Corridor project, it truly is the chance to benefit the adjacent neighborhoods and business districts for decades to come.  Proper planning in advance to protect and enhance historic buildings and allow good new development in adjacent vacant parcels is the formula that all the stakeholders should be looking toward in selecting the right route.

We are on record from April 2009 in our letter to UTA that we believe 26^th Street would be the best option, as that was the route originally identified in the public scoping document.  However, if additional routes within the East Central Historic District neighborhood are under consideration such as 25^th Street, it has as many benefits as we suggest for 26^th Street for ridership.

The next quarterly deadline for submitting applications to the Preserve America Stewards program is December 1, 2009. Preserve America Stewards is a federal program which recognizes organizations and agencies that successfully use volunteers to help care for our historic heritage. Preserve America Stewards receive a designation letter and certificate of recognition signed by First Lady Michelle Obama.

 To date, programs have been recognized for a wide range of volunteer efforts, including preservation and interpretation of historic buildings and districts, archaeological site monitoring, historic lighthouse preservation, and historic cemetery preservation. Designated Preserve America Stewards include the Oberlin Heritage Center in Oberlin, Ohio; the InfoAge Science-History Center in Wall Township, New Jersey; the Glasco Community Foundation in Glasco, Kansas; and the U.S. Lighthouse Society, which was recognized for its preservation of the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse in Maryland.

 To be designated, applicants must demonstrate that their programs:

Salt Lake City Planning & Zoning Division

$4152 - $5437 mo.

The Senior Planner leads the preservation team of the Planning Division of Salt Lake City Corporation.  Historic Preservation is a citywide program that is guided by the Salt Lake City Historic Preservation Plan.  The main duty of the Senior Planner will be to implement this plan, provide staff assistance to the Historic Landmarks Commission, and build the connections and resources necessary to do so.  The Plan includes development of new preservation tools, public education, continuing education for staff and commission, and updating procedures, policies and review tools.

The Radio City Lounge had a great history as a historic bar in a historic building that should be recognized.  In a town that has a short and unknown history otherwise of LGBT establishments, the Radio City Lounge was the standout.  There are certainly others that have come after, and we will republish that information here soon.  But let's remember Radio City Lounge when we need to rally to save the next important LGBT site in Utah.

Read the article Radio City Lounge Closes in Q Salt Lake.

See a photo of the neon sign on the building before demolition.

Through the program, Crook will provide assistance in determining the economic value of historic buildings, identify potential projects, conduct assessments of needs across the region, and promote programs that are currently in place. Huffaker said there are excellent examples throughout Utah where historic buildings have been saved and are now serving as economic and tourism stimulators.

He points to the Grafton Heritage Partnership Project where 20 partners solved zoning issues and raised funds to restore the adobe church/school and Russell House, along with protecting hundreds of acres along the Virgin River. Today this is the focal point of the Butch Cassidy 10K Race.  Huffaker also mentions the Shafer House in Moab where the historic home was relocated and became part of the city's Youth Garden project.  In Salina, Utah Heritage Foundation became a catalyst for local activists saving the Presbyterian Church (below). "Susan will be in a position to provide additional assistance throughout southern and central Utah to help local constituencies build leadership on preservation issues," he said.

Crook is a St. George resident, planner, historic landscape architect, and cultural historian with diverse experience in public and private sectors.  She also has experience in facilitating projects with all types and sizes of groups.  Huffaker said the new program brings more historic preservation services to the area, a region that is rich with history and fabulous architecture from every era.

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