Utah Preservation Magazine - Building on the Past Volume 5, 2001

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RESERVATION

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OGDEN,MUNICIPAL BUILDING BR1.GHAM YOUNG ACADEMY ,S. $ 3.95 Canada $ 4.95

AB FOR NOVICES

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EvvSfHDlfilM^ •S MODEL HOMES l

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ill come a da; when your life is measured in steps taken • than ladders climbed. #•**.

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It'll be about looking back while moving forward.

At Key, estate planning consultatioi is|ust one of the many services we offer to make y<pur retirement everything you want it to be.

Dedicated professionals will help you preserve wealth for your heirs by minimizing taxes. In addition, they'll expertly administer your trust and ensure your assets are distributed as you intended.

For more details, contact David G. Moore at 801.535.1039.

Investments • Financial & Estate Planning • Hrivate Banking

© 2000 KeyCorp

Preserving the Past Building the Future fgj Cameron Construction Company Since ig73

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573 W e s t 3 5 6 0 S o u t h , S u i t e 1 - S a l t Lake C i t y , U t a h

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[alt Lake City has a new luxury hotel, and it is indeed "Grand." Imported marble. Venetian cutglass chandeliers. Thick, English-wool carpets.

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French cherrywood furniture. Richly appointed ballrooms and meeting space. The Grand America Hotel is the epitome of old-world craftsmanship and sophistication.

Make your next stay a Grand event. For reservations at Grand America call 800.621.4505. To enjoy its sister property, Little America, call 800.453.9450.

GRAND AMERICA SALT LAKE CITY 555 South Main Street Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 www.grandamerica.com

Utah Preservation Building on the Past

contents BACK TO THE FUTURE ON HIGHWAY 89

BY TRESHA RASMUSSEN

Utah's Heritage Highway offers a remarkably intact view of small-town, rural life in southern Utah. Layers of history-from the pioneer era to the post-war automobile culture-unfold along the highway's 250-mile length.

OGDEN MUNICIPAL BUILDING: REVIVAL OF AN ART DECO HIGH-RISE 26

BY SPENCER ROGERS

Both city leaders and residents rallied to save this depression-era landmark and return it, better than new, for a new century of civic use.

BRIGHAM YOUNG ACADEMY: CONFRONTATION, COMPROMISE, AND COOPERATION 32

BY DINA BLAES

Rarely do preservation efforts involve legal confrontation, but that was the only way to save this historical and architectural landmark. Litigation then gave way to cooperation, resulting in a project that everyone can be proud of: the Provo City Library at Academy Square.

YESTERDAY'S MODEL HOMES: HOUSES OF THE FUTURE FROM THE PAST 38

BY TANIA GEORGIOU TULLY AND J. CORY JENSEN

Utah dream homes from the 1890s through the 1950s illustrate each generation's visionary and practical solutions to "modern" living.

To purchase additional copies of this magazine or inquire about distribution points please contact Sandra Hudson at (801) 566.7642.

To purchase back issues please contact the Utah State Historical Society at (801) 533.3500.

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

Volume 4

Volume 5

MAIN STREET PHOTO CONTEST 46

Photographers from throughout the state submitted their favorite images of Utah's commercial architecture. The eleven winning photos are featured here.

PAINTING & REALITY: DID UTAH'S EARLY PAINTERS SHOW THINGS THE WAY THEY REALLY WERE? 54

BY ROBERT S. OLPIN AND ROGER ROPER

Nineteenth-century painters captured many views of the architecture and overall life of Utah's early decades. How reliable are the details of those scenes for those trying to interpret or restore elements of the past?

REHAB FOR DtjBAMjfs NOVICES 62

BY J. SCOTT ANDERSON AND CRAIG PAULSEN

Restoration experts offer both general advice and specific tips for those who are new to the world of old house rehabilitation.

BRINGING THE CHASE HOUSE BACK TO LIFE 66

BY ELIZABETH EGLESTON GIRAUD

One of Salt Lake City's oldest houses, an 1850s adobe residence in Liberty Park, was in critical condition until a fortuitous convergence of support allowed for its restoration.

MY O W N PRIVATE GHOST TOWN: GROWING UP IN HISTORIC SPRING CITY 72

BY LOUISA BENNION

This personal essay offers an insightful, childhood perspective on historic preservation.

COVER P H O T O : Highway 89 between ML Pleasant and Ephraim

photo by UtahSHPO

UTAH PRESERVATION B U I L D I N G

O N

THE

P A S T

Utah Division of State History (Utah State Historical Society) (801) 533-3500 history.utah.org 300 S. Rio Grande Salt Lake City, Utah 84101

Utah

Preservation:

Building

on

the Past

(ISSN 1525-0849) is published annually by FYVE*STAR, Inc., in partnership with the Utah State Historical Society/Utah State Historic Preservation Office. Copies of Utah Preservation are available through select bookstores in Utah

President/CEO

Director

Celeste Gleave* (801) 566.7642 www. fyvestar. com

Max J. Evans

Associate Director Wilson 0. Martin Administrative V.P. Sandra L. Hudson

Design JoAnne Maass Design www.jomaassdesign. com

Editor Utah Preservation Roger V. Roper

Assistant Editor Kristen Smart Rogers

and are provided free to members of the

Regulations of the U.S. Department of the Interior strictly prohibit unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age or handicap. Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility operated by a recipient of Federal assistance should write to: Office of Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240.

Historical Society.

Utah Preservation receives financial support from the Utah Interagency Task Force, including the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Utah Division of State History. It is also funded with the assistance of a matching grant-in-aid from the National Park Service. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior.

Published by FYVE*STAR, Inc., offering full-color publications and unique innovative advertising opportunities to businesses and organizations. Š2001 Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication. Neither the Utah State Historical Society nor FYVE*STAR, Inc., can assume responsibility for errors or omissions.

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south-centra I Utah. This paved highway, stretching from Mexico to CanajfcjM^Mifi the primary route between Grand Canyon and Yellowstone national parks, as well as the main north/south corridor in the interior west.

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Highway 89 is Utah's equivalent of Route 66, though without its own theme song. Travelling the highway evokes a sense of mid-20th-century life that has been consumed by recent metropolitan growth along the Wasatch Front.

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BY TRESHA RASMUSSEN

thought there was only one Highway 89. Mine. It went from Richfield, where I lived, north to Salt Lake City, and

HHDBI8II Nil in Ii south as far as Page, Arizona. That was as far as life and the old family station wagon had taken me until I got out

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of high school. Highway 89 took me to Grandma's for Thanksgiving and summer vacation, the Salina Auction in the

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fall to sell my 4-H calf, and our family to Big Rock Candy Mountain at Easter. It was also the road that put me to sleep at night I

with the lull of cars and trucks that never seemed to rest. It was just two blocks from our home to the highway and as kids

we'd count license plates and brag about how many people from California came through our town.

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I have since realized that Highway 89's long arms actually embrace travelers for 1,500 miles, dividing the entire United States from Arizona on the Mexican border, to Glacier National P a r k on the Canadian border. But 1 still consider that stretch between Richfield and Page to be the heart of it. About the mid-way mark, 89 forms a magnificent string in the cloth of Utah's diverse landscape. Binding small town after small town to a fabric splashed with the Salina's business district has remained largely intact for

deep red of desert rock and the cool green of whispering pines, Highway 89 is a palate of col-

over 60 years, though local shoppers now have access to

orful scenery, historic landmarks, and compelling people.

out-of-town regional shopping centers-thanks in part to Highway 89.

From being the road well traveled in my youth, to being the road less traveled when the novelty of the interstate gave people a reason to give up spectacular sites to save a few minutes, Highway 89 is now coming full circle. People are looking for a drive where the journey is more important than the destination.

Though most of the towns along Highway 89 have a 19th-century heritage, it was really the booming automobile era of the 1930s-1960s that helped shape them into much of what they are today. And it's the layers of history that make them especially interesting. Lund's Drivein in Gunnison is a perfect example: It's a standard 1950s drive-in attached to the front of a pioneer-era house. American fast food grafted onto a relic of the Utah Territory. A new way of doing things with roots in the time-honored past.

Highway 89 is actually a relatively new phenomenon. Trails and rutted wagon tracks connected the towns in the early days, but it wasn't until 1938 that the highway itself was completed, and even then it wasn't entirely paved. Stretching from Mexico to Canada, and linking Grand Canyon and Yellowstone national p a r k s . Highway 89 was the major northsouth roadwav in the interior west.

Lund's in Gunnison is one of many drive-in restaurants that blossomed along the highway in the mid-20th century. The pioneer family that built this house would never have imagined that a 1950s drive-up hamburger stand would one day emerge on the front of their Main Street house.

RESERVATION

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tah's "Heritage Highway 89 Alliance," now in its second year, is bringing together all aspects of tourism, economic development, and community resources in a marketing effort that invites travelers to the temptation of 250 miles of highway, with only four stop lights along the way. Heritage Highway 89 takes the stage in

the mountainous area of Fairview on the north and tips its hat, as the red velvet curtain is drawn, on a desert sunset in Page, Arizona. The alliance also includes Scenic Bywayl2 and

The former mining town of Marysvale, nestled in its recessed setting, is one of the most distinctive townsites along the highway.

Highway 24, both containing some of Nature's grandest spectacles.

In addition to the natural beauty of this region graced by the poetic spirit of Mother N a t u r e , the highway is home to roadside landscapes and architecture that picks up the prose where Mother Nature left off. It tells the story of life along the highway from the 19th through the 20th century. Yes, there are pages torn from the book, but what is gone remains in the lore of memory or myth and adds to the intrigue of the tale.

From the t u r n of the century until the interstates were fully developed in the 1960s, Highway 89 was the vein of life in r u r a l Utah. It linked the small agricultural communities along it to Salt Lake and Provo, and it was the main route to Bryce and Zion national parks.

After World War II, when Americans took to the roads, it was the place to find a motel or hotel, a first-rate service station, and a diner or drive-in after a day of travel or sightseeing.

Standardization of gas stations and motels were still years away, and business along the highway boomed well into the 1960s.

Overarching cottonwoods and poplars embrace travelers on Torrey's Main Street, the principal 1940 highway map courtesy of Utah State Historical Society

corridor through "Wayne Wonderland," as it was known in earlier decades

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U T A H

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U T A H

P R E S E R V A T I O N

11

WOANCY ClIAH NICE

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espite the franchising that brought Super 8s and Holiday Inns, survival is a characteristic of folks along 89. From Fairview to K a n a b , and over the Boulder Highway, you can see these motels from the post-war era. One of the more ubiquitous design elements on many motels are the " s t a r b u r s t s , " symbolizing the new

age of space exploration. The Wasatch Motel in Salina, the New West in Richfield, the

Parkway and Starlite motels in Orderville, the Aquarius in Bicknell, and the Treasure Trail Motel in K a n a b , all reflect our country's interest in astronauts and "outer space."

Many of these motels are now being refurbished because new interest in the route has increased tourist stays in the communities along 89. There has also been a renewed interest in the hotels that date from the turn of the century, such as the Pines Hotel (Utah's oldest hotel) in Marysvale. Named in 1892 for the stately Ponderosa pines that greet each traveler, Moore's Old Pine Inn, as it's currently known, has the type of hospitality and warmth that turns firsttime guests into regulars.

Kanab holds a similar treasure in the P a r r y Lodge. Built in 1931, the lodge was home to the hundreds of movie stars who stayed while filming Westerns. The walls of the lodge are filled with pictures and stories that pay tribute to the likes of J o h n Wayne, Glen Ford, Gregory Peck, B a r b a r a Stanwick and others. Like Kanab itself, the lodge is as warm and hospitable now as it was seventy years ago.

There are other treasures in the area that have been polished and can be found. The small communities of Glendale, Orderville, and Mt. Carmel Junction are rich in culture and histoStarburst motifs, inspired by the space age, are reflected in the signage of many of the highway's motels, which were built during the 1950s and 1960s (above and upper middle). The Parry Lodge in Kanab (below and lower middle) was home to dozens of movie casts who took advantage of the local scenery for the ever-popular Westerns filmed during the 1930s1960s heyday of Kanab's "Little Hollywood."

12

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P R E S E R V A T I O N

ry. Artist Maynard Dixon, who painted life and landscapes of the American West, made his home in Mt. Carmel Junction. Now his home and studio are open to the public, sharing the serenity he found in this beautiful area that inspired his work. With spectacles of Mother Nature so a b u n d a n t , this region continues to draw artists into its magic.

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Nationally renowned artist Maynard Dixon and his wife, Edith Hamlin, found a retreat along Highway 89 in Mt. Carmel in the late 1930s. Their studio and home have been restored as the centerpiece of the Thunderbird Institute for the Arts.

Maynard Dixon's "Cottonwood Crossing" (above) is one of many of his paintings of scenes along or near Highway 89.

(Left) The old Loa Co-op has found a new life as a tourist destination in Wayne County.

UTAH

PRESERVATION

13

By the 1930s, many towns had dance pavilions, such as these in Marysvale (above) and Torrey (inset). The highway-and the automobile-allowed dancers to travel much farther than ever before to enjoy the sociable interweavings that dances provided.

H

ighway 89 and its byways have always had this same intrigue. In the early 1920s, when Utah was at the heart of the west and with its newly dedicated national p a r k s , Highway 89 was a significant tourist route. Ninety-three-year old Revo Young of

Richfield remembers going to the dedication of Bryce Canyon in 1923. Her parents told her

it was "very important to meet the governor and shake his h a n d . " "Seeing Bryce Canyon for the first time was overpowering" she told me.

Today Bryce Canyon stands as mysterious and overpowering as it was when Revo Young saw it 78 years ago. On the route east from Bryce along Scenic Byway 12, the scenery across the top of the Paunsaugunt Plateau deserves the many " t u r n outs" along the route. Highway 12 is a link to three national p a r k s , three state p a r k s , a national recreation area, and one of the nation's newest national monuments, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Anasazi Indian Village State P a r k in Boulder and Calf Creek Recreation Area are two of the highlights of the byway.

Social life has always been an important element in the fabric of life on 89. Highway 89 and its byways were also a place to find people dancing under a summer sky to a big b a n d . The sound of laughter and fun was carried on gentle breezes as hundreds of people, young and old, came by car or train to one of the highway's "famous" dance pavilions. The Shady Dell in Marysvale was one of the most popular in the '30s and through the '40s. The Purple Haze near Junction and the Redmonto in Redmond (owned by my great-grandfather) were also popular pavilions. The Big Apple in Torrey and the Purple Haze are still being used for dances today.

Revo Young remembers going to the dances in Marysvale and taking foot warmers in case you weren't asked to dance right away and needed to keep your feet "warmed u p " until you were tapped. Her eyes lit up when she told me, "We went a-dancing down to Marysvale and it was during the Prohibition. My brother was driving and we crossed the river and were met Rodeo and fair grounds, such as this one in Richfield, represent another important tradition that the highway helped

by the police. They stuck their guns in the car window to see if we were smuggling liquor down

foster.

to the d a n c e . " She smiles remembering these times she calls "important events." Revo said

14

UTAH

PRESERVATION

TNARD DIXON COUNTRY SUMMER HOME AND PROPERTY ON HISTORIC HIGHWAY 89 sponsored by The Thunderbird Foundation for the Arts

DOCENT GUIDED TOURS BY APPOINTMENT. MONDAY - SATURDAY, 11:00 AM & 1:00 PM

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left: Maynard Dixon Home; below: Dixon Studio Mt. Carmel UT, Highway Marker 84. Call 435-648-2653.

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Other Thunderbird Foundation for the Arts Events: MAYNARD D I X O N COUNTRY 2001 ANNUAL ART COMPETITION Opening Reception 6:00 PM, August 24, 2001. Open House August 25 & 26 Maynard Dixon Country is held every year in Mt. Carmel, Utah at the summer home and studio of Maynard Dixon and Edith Hamlin. The scope of this annual event is significant in that our mission involves opening up the property to artists with the vision and passion of Dixon. Each year, artists from across the country are invited to participate in this important event. Call 435-648-2653 for more information.

UTAH TRIBES Over 115 photographs of the early Utah tribes by Jack Millers of the John Wesley Powell Expedition.

Opens at Bingham Gallery, Salt Lake City, January-March 2002 Thunderbird Foundation for the Arts, P.O. Box 5555, Mt. Carmel, UT 84755. www.maynarddixon.com

dancing was the "thing to do, to go to the outdoor dance hall, and if you had a date, it was better than ever!"

Ada Hoover, owner of Hoover's Cafe in Marysvale Canyon, near Big Rock Candy Mountain, also remembers summer dances at the Shady Dell and life on Highway 89. Ada has lived in the canyon for 64 years and has had a front-row seat to the comings and goings of the highway. In 1934 Ada owned the Blue Moon restaurant, which had Richfield's first electric sign. Finding the Rock Candy area intriguing, Ada closed the Blue Moon, moved to the canyon, and opened another cafe she named Hoover's. She told me that the room we were sitting in, which is now her home, was once a dance and pool hall they called the Honky Tonk, where "Roll Out the B a r r e l " could be heard well into the night. It was another place to go when the lights were turned low at the Shady Dell and a lusty moon still kept the night alive.

Highway 89 introduced fast-food America to Utah's insular Mormon villages in the 1950s. Drive-ins, such as these in Mt. Pleasant (above) and Elsinore (below), feature the overhanging flat roofs and sloping windows typical of this 1950s-1960s icon.

Ada loved to dance and told me she'd "danced the felt off a few pool tables herself." Then she added with a spark that showed me the heart of this woman, "I hope I haven't missed anything because I'm too tired to go back and do it now."

Born in 1918, Ada remembers Highway 89 when it was just a dirt road. She remembers getting out and opening gates so you could continue to drive into Marysvale. She told me where to find Convict Pass, a place I'd never heard of before. Prisoners were brought down to pave a road so Model Ts could get through the canyon to Marysvale. It was all laid in stone and some of the stones still remain. Like Ada, they are set in a foundation that is h a r d and deep and has withstood time and circumstance. Besides running the cafe, Ada kept track of five lively children and raised 35,000 chickens each year, working hard to make a go of life in the canyon. She still serves home cooked meals and the best hamburgers money can buy.

Travelers on the highway will find that stopping to eat is p a r t of the nostalgia. Following the war, the highway could barely hold the numbers of drivers that took to the road. Drive-ins were built to accommodate sightseers and many small drive-ins built in the '40s and '50s are still in operation today. Fairview's Home Plate has been serving made-from-scrateh food since 1949, when it first opened as Fred's Cafe. Home Plate's breakfasts are good enough to drive a few miles for. Mt. Pleasant's Dairy Freeze, opened in 1955, is home of the famous Bishop's Shake and savory homemade soups. Ephraim's Malt Shop opened its doors c.1950 as a Dairy Queen and still draws daily crowds, despite Ronald McDonald's cheerful greeting to travelers as they enter south of town. Hamburgers back then were a q u a r t e r and hotdogs were twenty cents.

Manti, Gunnison, Salina, Richfield, and Kanab all have drive-ins built in the '40s and '50s.

Others can be found in Loa and over the Boulder Loop. What binds them all together is the spirit of "The Chocolate Shake" story. It's told at the Bright Spot in Manti with a smile and pride as the standard that employees must adhere to. In the late 1950s, a couple from New

GROCERIES

Zealand walked into the Bright Spot (then a Dairy Queen) and ordered a chocolate shake. As they were leaving they told the owner that a Mormon missionary in New Zealand had told them if they ever went to Manti, Utah, they'd find the best chocolate shake in the world. They looked at each other and agreed, it was indeed the best they'd ever had.

Older cafes such as Mom's in Salina, The Little Wonder in Richfield, and Cowboy Corral in Elsinore, have been host to thousands of travelers and locals for many years. Mom's still

The old Elsinore Co-op (lower middle), now the Cowboy Corral restaurant, has served generations of patrons.

Many businesses along the highway, such as Hoovers in Marysvale Canyon, are justifiably proud of their longevity.

claims to have the best homemade pie in the world, and the Little Wonder serves a chicken fried steak that was a favorite of mine as a girl.

The new economy of the post-war era made entrepreneurs out of ordinary folks up and down Highway 89. It was an Ozzie and Harriet world, where family and community ranked highest in the hearts of citizens. Life revolved around business on Main Street, which became

16

U T A H

P R E S E R V A T I O N

P A N G U I T C H LAKE

•

GLEN C A N Y O N N A T I O N A L RECREATION AREA

fiiuiiiii

Escalante Chamber of Commerce

435-826-4889 www.escalante-cc.com

Bryce Valley Business Association 'Accommodations with a view of Bryce Canyon"

435-679-8730

Panguitch City

435-676-8585 www.infowest.com/panguitch

www.brycevalley-tropic.com

G R A N D S T A I R C A S E - E S C A L A N T E N A T ' L M O N U M E N T • 3 STATE PARKS For a Calendar of Events call 1-800-444-6689 or visit our website

Travel our Scenic Byways 12 and 89

Garfield County Travel Council PO Box 200 • Panguitch, Utah 84759

1-800-444-6689 Tel 435-676-8826 ext 160 • Fax 435-676-8239

*

www.brycecanyoncountry.com Email: travgar@color-country.net

BRYCE C A N Y O N N A T I O N A L PARK

•

C A P I T O L REEF N A T I O N A L PARK

Utah's Main Street/Pioneer Communities program, in conjunction with the State Historic Preservation Office, has helped businesses such as Gary's Shoes in Richfield restore the dignity and character of their turn-of-the-

a community unto itself. Before the advent of malls, it was the myriad of independent shops-shoe shops, jewelry stores, dry cleaners, drug stores, clothing stores, five-and-dimes, lunch counters, hotdog stands, feed stores, appliance stores, meat markets, grocery stores, lumber supply stores, and so forthâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that served the needs of the community. Stores lined the

century buildings.

main street of each town, and shopping was like going to visit a good friend. Shop owners worked in cooperation with each other, and civic pride was high.

Richfield was one of the commercial hubs along the highway. Recently, Richfield's Main Street has begun a revitalization program. Gary's Shoes, established in 1952, was one of the first businesses to get a facelift. I remember getting shoes at Gary's as a child, because he had a goose that laid an egg filled with treasures. Red Goose shoes were one of his specialties. The goose is still there and so is C a r y ' s , surviving the changes of small-town America by keeping up with market demands and changing styles and never forgetting the importance of a good pair of shoes.

Other main streets along the highway have emerged as worthy revitalization efforts, but more importantly they have brought a strong presence of "Main Street" shopping back to the highway. In Mt. Pleasant and Panguitch you can find some of the most unique shopping opportunities on the highway, including the work of artists and (-raftsmen who have set up shop in these newly created historic districts.

Also in Mt. Pleasant is one of only eight drive-in theaters operating in Utah, and it is the only one left on the highway. In the 1950s a drive-in movie was the place to take a date. On these large outdoor screens loomed the Hollywood fare cranked out during this era. The thin plots of the low budget science fiction and h o r r o r movies were not a complete waste, however, as they gave you a reason to be alone in the car with your date. The Basin Drive-in in Mt. Pleasant is a favorite of locals, and not just because of the movie. You can get one of the best hamburgers in the state at their concession stand. Many people go just to get a burger without even seeing the movie. Rodney and Judy Anderson own the drive-in, which has been in the family since her grandfather L.C. Lund bought the screen, snack bar, equipment, and the

The c.1885 Panguitch Exchange building

(right)

anchors a prominent corner in the revitalized historic district, which relies heavily on tourists traveling Highway 89. Still used by the community, the Panguitch Social Hall (above) was refurbished in 1999.

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marquee from the Uintah Basin in the late 1950s. There are now four I t e r a t i o n s of family members working in the theater business.

The Andersons also own the Towne Theater on Ephraim's Main Street, which was built before talking pictures. I had heard there was a certain green door down in the Towne's basement that locals had autographed years earlier. It was indeed there, and the fading names told a story of an era when theaters reigned as the social c i n t e r of small towns.

Newton Noyes signed his name as having starred in "Oh Doc," and Erva Anderson wrote " ' W h e r e Do You Spend Your Nights?'...1927." The name of Cannon Rasmussen in 1931 was one of the most haunting I found; Cannon died only a few short years later in a prison camp in J a p a n . Dale Nielson summed up the green door (which was actually more of a dirty white color) with his autograph and the play that took "1st Place at State Competition, 1928: 'What's In A Name."'

Another old theater that has found a newer use is the Wayne Theater. It is the home to the Bicknell International Film Festival, which celebrates the role of movie theaters in a small town setting. For one week each year it brings back classic movies in a classic theater in a classic setting. The only theater still operating between Green River and Richfield, it has more seats inside than the community has residents to fill.

Richfield's old Huish Theater has also been restored after being ^^^^n>ifla'ny^yfears | Here memories linger for me. My first friendship ring in the sixth grade was passed to me the dark of that theater, and a forbidden kiss was planted on my lips after we snuck into the balcony without Mr. Anderson, the owner, seeing us. Panguitch has restored its old opera house, and live theater is one of the highlights of the Panguitch Quilt Walk, a yearly cele

Movie theaters were one of the most "Americanizing" influences on small-town Utah, bringing national characters and stories into local circulation, (above left) Today, the Wayne Theatre draws non-locals to its late-summer

Bicknell

International Film Festival, (above right) Year-book-like autographs on the basement "green door" of Ephraim's Towne Theater provide a very human glimpse into the theatrical beginnings of many early theaters, which split their offerings between live performances and films, (below) The Basin Drive-in in Mt. Pleasant is the only drive-in theater in operation along southern Utah's Highway 89.

^

The elaborate Beaux Arts facade of the Star Theater in Gunnison awaits restoration (left). Service stations from the highway's (below),

early remind

days, such as this one in Junction travelers

of

an

earlier

era

travel-and service-along the route.

Supporters of the former Kanab Library are trying to upgrade the 1939 building so it can serve a new purpose in the community. The building is a slightly modified twin of one constructed in Salina one year earlier; both were built by the WPA.

Ephraim artist Kathleen Peterson found inspiration in two of the most potent symbols of the highway's historyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the LDS church and livestock. The Manti Temple and the sheep industry both loomed large on Sanpete County's landscape.

20

UTAH

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of

#W*9S***P

Travel by horseback was not uncommon in the towns along the new highway in the 1930s. Though cars now dominate the route, the historic agricultural character of the area is still overwhelmingly evident. This 1930s scene is from just north of Fairview along the last stretch of the highway to be com-

0M&S

pleted.

bration held in early June. Panguitch means "big fish"in the Paiute Indian language, and although Fanguitch's historical communily is compelling, the lure of a ten-pound lunker brings people from all over the U.S. to fish the lakes and streams around the area. The Panguitch Angler's Fly Shop, owned by Bobbie and Vinnie, has one of the area's only guided fishing tours. Currently efforts are underway to establish a blue ribbon fishing stream in this section of southern Utah, an act that would leave another bit of history preserved for the future.

Highway 89's other acts of preservation, carried out by dedicated citizens, have left many historic buildings and sites intact or under refurbishment. Fairview has its Museum of History and Art; Ephraim has the Old Co-op Building, now a showcase for local artisans and crafters. The opera houses in Moroni and Fountain Green are both under restoration, and the 1885 Mormon Temple in Manti has just had its exterior spruced up. Gunnison's old Star Theatre is still begging for attention, Richfield's old buildings are under consideration, and the old Piute County Courthouse stands tall, awaiting its next productive phase of life. There is talk in Spring City that the old service station might be restored and used as a small art gallery. Junction's service station, which closely resembles Spring City's, is still standing with the hope someone will pull up and demand an overhaul.

Nancy MacKay of Fairview, author, historian and lace maker, remembers coming down Specialty shops, such as Panguitch's Anglers' Fly Shop and

Highway 89 to Sanpete Valley through Spanish Fork Canyon and on down through Thistle.

Ephraim's Co-op, Art Center, and Store House, provide

The highway was just a dirt road then, but its significance to Nancy was ihe same as it was

unique shopping experiences to Highway 89 travelers.

for me: It was the; road that was a friend. Nancy's highway was a 25-mile-an-hour bumpy trip to her auntie's house. She knew she was getting close when the road crossed the river near. the Rock Ghosts and the dirt turned from red to gray, just as if a line had been drawn in the soil. It was a ride that was slow and where one could "do an awful lot of thinking." It was her "Old Highway 8 9 . "

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It's mine, too, and yours, and everyone else's whose life has been shaped and changed from living or traveling along 89. The highway is home, haven, and hope for the future of those who've made it their destination. It's also the most beautiful place to spend a few minutes, hours, or even a day or so. It's a highway with a p a s t - a n d a future that's counting on it. â&#x20AC;˘ TRESHA RASMUSSEN IS A FREELANCE WRITER LIVING IN EPHRAIM, UTAH. SHE O W N S THE STORE HOUSE, A GIFT A N D FLORAL SHOP, A N D IS PAST EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE HERITAGE HIGHWAY 89 ALLIANCE.

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UTAH

PRESERVATION

Hiking

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EPHRAIM CO-OP Built in 1872, Ephraim's historic ZCMI Co-operative Mercantile Building is home to the Ephraim Co-op established in 1989.

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The Ephraim Social Hall is located at 81 South Main Street. This historic building was completed in 1910 and at the time had one of the finest dance floors in Utah. Recently renovated in 1996, the Social Hall is used for Weddings, Special Occasions, and Dancing. It can accommodate up to' 200 guests. Ephraim Social Hall is a must see when visiting Ephraim.

Also located in the building is Fat Jack's Pizza and Pollie's Brainfreeze.

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O G D [ N MUNICIPAL

BUILDING

Ogden is a quirky town, architecturally, as those who have wandered its streets know. Sure, it's got its share of expressionless shops and stoplights and malls, but connoisseurs of communities will easily become absorbed in its smattering of remarkable old buildings. Unique shops and quaint restaurants line 25th Street; on Washington Boulevard you'll see an Egyptian Theater, once in danger of demolition, but now restored, complete with hieroglyphics and an old fashioned ticket window; just to the north sits the historic Eccles Building; and dispersed throughout are houses and hotels said to have hosted U.S. presidents as they traveled to California, and Billy the Kid as he fled the law and flirted with local girls.

Besides these, Ogden boasts three of the most significant Art Deco-style buildings in the Mountain West, all of them depression-

It's easy for people to say that renovation is not the most financially feasible of the options, as that route often costs even more than building from scratch would. And it's also common to hear that old buildings aren't particularly practical, since new structures are supposedly designed to better accommodate modern technology. But in reality the overall costs and upgrades were reasonably priced, and despite these potential drawbacks, Comarell says, "We got an immediate response from the survey. People told us, 'You've got to be kidding-we don't want to tear this building down!'"

Dutifully, the Ogden City Council, along

nomination form for the building, "Ogden was the center for avant-garde architecture in Utah."

"There's a lot to be proud of in this town, and a lot of that has happened in the last fifteen years," says Comarell, referring to a growing, almost community-wide consciousness. "People are a lot more excited and positive about preservation and beautification than when 1 arrived here in f 982."

What exactly does a disproportionate number of preservationists do for a town?

Generally speaking, explains Kim Hyatt, architect of the Municipal Building rehab, a city's structures play a uniquely vital role in determining overall atmosphere. "In any city in the world, what characteristic is there that's as public and visible as its buildings?" he asks. Accordingly, as any Ogdenite will aver, the Art Deco giant is no minor ingredient in the overall flavor of downtown Ogden.

Hyatt asserts that the Municipal Building is of national significance as a quality-and rare-Mountain West example of Art Deco

-you cfln o o T O A LIBRARY AIID READ ABOUT HISTORY,

BUT IT'S HOT HEflRLY SO HOTICEflBLE HI1D POWERFUL AS fin ACTUAL STRUCTURE".

K i m HYATT, ARCHITECT era masterpieces from one of Utah's foremost architectural firms of the early twentieth century, Hodgson and McClenahan.

Of these three Art Deco gems, the most visibly prominent is an angular twelve-floor monolith of downtown Ogden, the Municipal Building. Home to both city and county offices for decades after its dedication in 1940, its outdated facilities brought it to a junction between demolition or renovation six years ago.

Pat Comarell, now the executive director of the Ogden city council, was involved in mailing information pamphlets to the citizenry describing the situation. Here was a building, an architectural and historical landmark, whose number had come up.

We're left with three options, proposed the flyer: we can board the windows and wait for something else to come along, we can tear it down, or we can renovate it.

with other concerned individuals, trooped out to crusade for the bond that was to foot the cost of the enterprise-which was expected to top $13 million, to be paid for with twenty years of increased property taxes. On election day 1996 the crusaders themselves were pleasantly surprised with the fruits of their labor: the bond issue had passed in the polls with a landslide 73 percent support.

"It's uncommon for a bond issue to pass by that margin," says Ogden public works director John Ruiz. "That in itself bodes well for the importance of preservation to this community."

The preservationist sentiment revealed in the election is simply another chapter in Ogden's continuing story of commitment to revitalizing what has been a rather glamorous architectural history. "During the first four decades of the twentieth century," notes the National Register of Historic Places

architecture, a style en vogue between 1925 and 1940 that was known for its geometric design, ornamentation, and use of glass and color. "It's one of the best Art Deco buildings between Missouri and California," Hyatt affirms. "Art Deco just wasn't designed and built much out West."

Ogden voters' decision to preserve the Municipal Building is also a decision to do homage to a significant chunk of history.

The structure, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, is itself a very tangible documentation of the Public Works Administration's impact on 1930s Utah. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's program, in the end, helped provide hundreds of temporary jobs by picking up no less than 43 percent of the original $952,668 cost.

Architecture, then, can bring history to life-history, in this case, rich with such

When this photo was taken c.1972, the building was "middle-aged," about halfway between its 1940 opening and its 2000 rededkation. Though the exterior is virtually unchanged from its original appearance, the interior "working elements'-electrical, plumbing, HVAC, telecommunications, and so f o r t h - h a v e been brought up to current standards.

UTAH

PRESERVATION

episodes as depression and government intervention; the rise and fall of decorative fads; and the heyday of businesses like Hodgson & McClenahan or George A. Whitmeyer & Sons, the building's original contractors. Hyatt sums up the concept: "You can go to a library and read about history, but it's not nearly so noticeable and powerful as an actual structure."

But like many non-restored structures deserving of the title "historic," the Municipal Building of six years ago had seen better days.

Its exterior bricks needed cleaning. Seismic performance needed updating. The original steel jail cells on the upper four floors needed to be removed to accommodate new offices and building systems. The building's basic amenities-plumbing, heating, cooling, and electricity-needed to be modernized-a problem not easily solved, since the ceilings of 60 years ago were not built high enough to accommodate all of today's utilities.

What's more, the building's piece de resistance-^ large ornamental grate featuring Art Deco designs (musical notes, geometric shapes, and other motifs) and hung over the main entryway-was soiled and covered from view. The grille, now restored to the prominence of its east-facing position above the main doors, begs attention even from across the street. Its intricately sliced steel, like an enormous collection of cookie cutters, is a stark standout from the surrounding brick.

Since the grille is nowhere near matched in intricacy and flamboyancy by anything else on the building's exterior, including the subtle terra cotta trim, it almost looks out of place-a spiral-cut radish on a gourmand plate of pork n' beans.

The grille cleaning and unveiling was not the most ambitious project of two years of renovation, but it is one of the most popular-it seems to engender continual compliments from residents visiting the building. The grille presides today over renovated granite stairs and a landscaping makeover, trees and planter plots and grass strips that flow naturally from the adjacent park. In fact, the whole park-building complex has been in flux; as if surrounding shops and bus routes didn't already draw enough crowds, the next point on the construction agenda is the addition of an amphitheater to one corner of the park, which will effectively make the place a sort of multi-use hub.

A

less visible but equally significant metamorphosis was the incorporation of seismic upgrades into the building. The original brittle concrete frame construction wasn't exactly resistant to the movement an earthquake might have caused: "It could have failed with very little provocation," says Kim Hyatt. So huge steel I-beams, columns and diagonal braces were hoisted by cranes, maneuvered through twelve floors and the penthouse, and then connected to the existing concrete supports. One can appreciate the difficulty of this task knowing that the new steel members weighed as much as 370 pounds per lineal foot.

Steel beams of such monstrous proportions present their own challenges, true, but they proved more feasible than the alternative, which was to brace the existing structure with new concrete "shear walls."

An initial investigation revealed that the building would require an excessive number of shear walls; plus, the construction of those walls would dramatically alter the edifice's characteristic Art Deco lobbies and other significant interior features.

Although the interior of the municipal building, with the exception of the lobbies, was not conserved to the extent that the exterior was-work inside was geared toward "adaptive reuse," Hyatt points out, as opposed to "preservation"-it has not abandoned its Art Deco

28

U T A H

P R E S E R V A T I O N

(above and right) The focal point of the east facade is the intricate metal grille at the entrance. Its vibrant design and luster had been masked by decades of dirt and exposure to the elements. (below) The interior of this Depressionera building was never fancy; the subtly styled renovated spaces provide a dignified yet

welcoming

home for

employees and the visiting public.

city

roots. Ornamentation is an integral clement of the building's interior atmosphere; floral designs, geometric motifs and art deco colors grace everything from the elevator to bathroom tiles to chairs. The ubiquitous light fixtures, no less, are replicas of a single original light fixture that had survived years of remodeling of the building's interior.

But function has not been sacrificed to make way for form, Ruiz explains; the building is very much geared toward meeting the public's needs. New with the rehabilitation is a "one-stop customer service desk"-a facility equipped to (almost) painlessly process permits, approvals, and all sorts of other business requests.

"We're able to provide much better service," observes Ruiz.

Seismic stabilization of the building was a major part of its renovation.

Interlacing heavy steel beams were inserted throughout the structure (above), angle bracing was added to parapets (left), and the u n e n forced masonry of the upper tower was connected to interior supports with strategically placed tie rods

So the building is good for the public, and it's proven good for the workers since they moved in on O c t o b e r 3 , 2 0 0 0 . " T h e employees that had w o r k e d in t h e building before it was renovated were pleasantly surprised with the changes that had been made," Ruiz points out.

"There's an open feel to it, and that's conducive to a positive work environment."

The offices, in fact, hardly seem such. The window-heavy, cubicle-light design gives one the feel of strolling in open air, not through office space. One minor complaint from employees who deal regularly with colleagues on other floors is the amount of stair-climbing (or elevator riding) the vertical layout of the building requires.

Apparently, the years-long, multimillion-dollar investment in the future of Ogden City's administration and atmosphere is starting to pay off. And even the rehabilitation project's initial opponents seem to have been won over. At the Municipal Building's rededication last October Ogden city council chairman John Wolfe confessed that, years ago, he was partial to the wreck-that-old-thing-andbuild-a-ncw-onc plan. Now, however, a converted Wolfe recognizes the building as Ogden's "heart and soul."

Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey spoke at the same ceremony, calling the re-opening of the Municipal Building "the dawning of a new day." True enough-in terms of revamped technology, enhanced safety specifications, and convenient public sendee. But as for commitment to preserving history through preserving architecture? To the credit of Ogclenites, the city's "new day" of old buildings dawned years ago, and it continues bright and strong even today. ÂŤ

(below). Note the original terra cotta parapet caps, which were

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Profile THE YEAR 2 0 0 0 WAS A T I M E OF G R O W T H , diversity and exciting new projects for Cooper/Roberts Architects, long known as

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a leading historic preservation design firm in the western states. The firm celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary during the year and also received the prestigious " 2 0 0 0 Firm of the Year A w a r d " from A I A Utah. The a w a r d was given "In recognition of significant leadership and accomplishment in the art and science of preserving Utah's architectural heritage." The firm has doubled its size in the last two years and has a d d e d a new partner, Soren Simonsen, AIA, causing the firm name change to Cooper Roberts Simonsen Architects, or CRSA. Among the significant projects completed by CRSA in 2 0 0 0 was its six-volume, 1,800-page comprehensive restoration study of the Utah State Capitol building.

The study analyzes existing conditions and deficiencies, calls for a return to the original floor plan and the restoration of deteriorated, d a m a g e d , covered or missing design features. This year, the Capitol Preservation Board will tackle the first of eight phases of work proposed for the Capitol-the design and construction of two new, architecturally compatible buildings behind the Capitol.

Other historic preservation projects designed by the firm in the past year include the renovation

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Community and Senior Center, the restoration of two 1 8 7 5 stone buildings at Ft. Douglas for re-use as conference centers for the Olympics a n d the University of Utah, restoration of the turn-of-the-century Huber Homestead near M i d w a y , Phase I renovation of the 1930s Riverton Elementary School/Community Center, and renovation and addition to the historic Alladin Theater in Parowan. The firm is currently completing studies of the historic Maeser School in Provo and Draper's Utah State Capitol Restoration Study, Gold Room Photo Mike Moore.

historic conservation area. CRSA recently completed similar studies of the historic Cache County Courthouse a n d Bingham High School.

As it has expanded its size and services, CRSA has developed several specializations in new building types. In the past year the firm has designed two major transit centers (in Park City and O g d e n ) , the Liberty Senior Center in Salt Lake City, the expansion and re-imaging of the visitor center at Bryce Canyon National Park, a new wellness center in Torrey, along with several library, church, commercial and office building projects.

A core value of the firm and its slogan is "Creating better communities through planning and design excellence." The firm also believes in making its services accessible to clients with smaller, non-urban projects. An example of this commitment is CRSA's work on several historic preservation projects along the Heritage Highway-historic H i g h w a y 8 9 . A m o n g these (from north to south) are the Logan and Brigham City Tabernacle restorations, Peteetneet School renovation, Mt. Pleasant M a i n Street a n d City Hall renovaf^^^^\

Brigham City Tabernacle Restoration

tions, Ephraim Co-op and Art Center restorations, Manti a n d Richfield Tabernacle restorations, and Elsinore " W h i t e Rock School" renovation. Even further south, the firm designed a new, architecturally compatible fire station in Panguitch a n d an environmentally contextual new city hall in Springdale. In addition to these A / E projects, CRSA has completed numerous historic building surveys, main street projects, historic district consulting, history writing projects, and volunteer service in such historic communities as Park City, Spring City, Parowan, Lehi, and St. George.

CRSA looks f o r w a r d to even greater diversify in its work as it develops its new planning, programming and design departments, while maintaining a strong foothold in historic preservation work.

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Confrontation, Compromise, and Cooperation

by Dina Blaes t the end of the nineteenth century, Provo citizens attended the dedication of the newly constructed Brigham Young Academy Building. Its significance as a center of .knowledge and learning was paralleled by its importance as the impetus for Provo's community leaders to work together. In the six years it took to complete the building, its sponsors faced tremendous difficulty in bringing the project to fruition.

The Academy Building was a center of learning and a source of local pride in Provo for more than 75 years.

After 25 years of vacancy and decline, it has been readied once again to assume its former position in the community.

32

UTAH

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Those involved in that dedication might find it ironic that 110 years later, Provo citizens will again witness the dedication of this building under very similar circumstances. It, too, is the culmination of several years of struggle by community leaders.

The 1891 Academy Building was the first of four structures built at 550 N. University Avenue for Brigham Young Academy (BYA), a combination senior high, junior high, and elementary education facility. After the institution became Brigham Young University in 1903 and began to establish its main campus on the bench to the northeast, the academy complex became BYU's "lower campus." In 1968, BYU closed the lower campus-the Academy-and then, in 1975, sold the property to Academy Square Land Associates to be redeveloped.

This company was unsuccessful in its attempt to develop the site, but it recognized the need to protect the academy's architectural and historical significance. Before selling the property to another developer, it donated a preservation easement, protecting the buildings in perpetuity, to the Maeser Foundation, a nonprofit corporation. When that foundation dissolved in 1986, its directors transferred the preservation easement, which would become a key factor in the building's preservation, to the Utah Heritage Foundation (UHF). Despite numerous attempts to do something with the buildings, BYA remained vacant and fell into disrepair.

Then, in 1994, the City of Provo purchased the property with the intention of doing what previous developers had been unable to accomplish: redevelop the site.

Seeking to maximize the parcel's commercial potential, Provo City entered into a letter of intent to sell the property as bare land to Georgetown Development. A public notice in the Provo Daily Herald requesting demolition bids alerted UHF to the situation. UHF immediately notified Provo of the easement restricting demolition of the BYA buildings, but the city proceeded with its demolition plan.

UHF quickly filed suit in U.S. District Court requesting an injunction prohibiting the city from demolishing the buildings and seeking damages if the buildings were destroyed. Judge Thomas Greene granted the injunction. It was only the first of a series of contentious lawsuits between the city and the foundation: Over the next three years, four main legal actions were briefed, argued, and finally ruled on or settled.

In Utah State Court, Provo asked for a judgment that the easement had become invalid when the Maeser Foundation was dissolved. While both parties waited for that case to be heard, Provo's senior building official declared the BYA buildings "dangerous" under the Uniform Abatement of Dangerous Buildings ordinance and ordered their demolition. UHF took the matter to Provo's board of appeals, arguing that Provo City, as the owner, had a maintenance obligation under the easement, and asking that the site be secured against further damage from vandals and weather.

In light of the earlier U.S. District Court injunction barring demolition, the board of appeals ordered Provo to secure the buildings against unlawful entry until the injunction was lifted and the buildings could be demolished. The board did not, however, order the city to undertake repairs to prevent further damage. UHF appealed the board's "incomplete" decision to the Fourth Judicial District Court for Utah. Provo responded by filing a condemnation action in state court, seeking to condemn the academy, with its attached easements, as a public nuisance.

Foundation members appeared before the Provo city council hoping to persuade it to be receptive to a developer interested in restoring the buildings. After extensive debate, the council decided not to hear any restoration proposals but that it would honor its preliminary commitment to Georgetown Development. UHF still held out hope because, during the meeting, Georgetown Development's president stated he would "walk away" from the agreement with Provo if the preservation easement were ultimately determined valid.

In the meantime, UHF and members of the Provo community began a spirited aware-

Reinforcement work included supplementing the old stone foundation with rebar and concrete (top). Structural requirements necessitated the reconstruction of both the roof and floors (middle and bottom).

ness campaign. The first-ever reunion of graduates from BY High, which had been housed at BYA, attracted more than 350 former students. The reunion organizer's presentation about the plight of BYA garnered tremendous support for preserving the buildings.

A revitalized Brigham Young Academy Foundation (BYAF), which had done some fundraising in the past to try to preserve the buildings, was determined to keep the issue of BYA's preservation in the minds of Provo

U T A H

P R E S E R V A T I O N

plans to save as much of the historic BYA as possible while accommodating all the needs of a modern public library.

Erector-set-like supports braced the masonry walls until the new roof and floors were installed.

citizens. It started a petition drive in support of renovation, gathering more than 2,000 signatures, and ran a full-page advertisement in the Provo Daily Herald. BYAF members also spoke at public meetings and re-energized an extensive network of supporters through telephone calls and meetings. Most important, they met with members of the Provo City Library Board to propose that BYA be the site of a new and expanded Provo City Library. At the time, the Provo City Library Board was actively engaged in planning a new library facility, and it cautiously supported the idea to reclaim BYA as a center for education.

Out of these proposals one plan ultimately emerged as the only viable option. It called for a 96,000-square-foot public complex including a state-of-the-art library, auditorium, exhibit hall, and conference space. The plan incorporated only the original Academy Building and included a compatible new addition to the east, for a total cost of $23.3 million. The other three buildings on the site would have to be demolished to make it all work. UHF, the Provo City Library Board, and BYAF together asked the city council to approve the reuse plan and to endorse a bond election to cover the bulk of the costs.

The most persuasive arguments in favor of the proposal came from BYAF and UHF. BYAF pledged to raise funds privately to cover any costs of the plan that exceeded costs for a comparable new library. It was determined that a new public library, regardless of the site, would cost Provo City approximately $16.8 million. So BYAF committed to raise $6.5 million, the difference

come of the $16.8 million bond election and private fundraising efforts. UHF would maintain the easement for the Academy Building, but would allow the removal of the three other buildings on the site, as called for by the only feasible reuse plan. This was not an easy compromise, but UHF knew that if the bond election failed, the property would be sold to a Provo developer who would insist on demolishing all the buildings. With the legal obstacles removed and the incentives presented, the city council passed the resolution that put the $16.8 million construction bond before the general electorate on February 4, 1997.

BYAF immediately launched a bond campaign under the slogan, "Vote Once, Win Twice." Citizens could save the academy and have a new library. Both proponents and opponents of the bond were passionate about the issue. So when the polls closed February 4 and it was reported that the turnout was high, both camps awaited the results with anticipation. Officials soon announced that an unprecedented 11,000 voters had cast their ballots, with 58 percent approving the

In July 1995, Judge Guy Burningham finally ruled in favor of UHF by stating that the easement had been legally transferred under Utah law and was therefore valid.

Preservationists anxiously awaited Provo City's decision whether or not to appeal.

After several weeks, the city announced it would not appeal the decision.

Instead, the city council agreed to support a study to determine the technical and economic feasibility of locating the city library at BYA. Actually, Provo agreed to the study largely because BYAF members promised to pay the initial $50,000 cost. Under the direction of project chair Dr. L. Douglas Smoot, the Feasibility Study Steering Committee was formed with representatives from BYAF, Provo City, Provo City Library Board, UHF, and others. By January 1996 the committee had chosen the architectural firm of Max J. Smith and Associates (MJSA) to conduct the study.

After six arduous months, the study confirmed

what

many

preservationists

had

believed from the beginning: Brigham Young Academy could be preserved and effectively house the new Provo City Library. The architects developed several different schematic

34

U T A H

P R E S E R V A T I O N

The new rear wing was designed to be a contemporary but compatible addition that would not compete with the distinctive styling of the original building. It is attached with a corridor-like connector that minimizes the impact to the historic structure.

between the "new library" scenario and the academy plan. (Due to some double counting in the initial estimate, the BYAF share turned out to be "only" $5.38 million). To demonstrate BYAF's commitment, Dr. Smoot produced letters certifying pledges of $1 million each from the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Foundation. The pledges would become funding commitments if the bond election passed and the project proceeded.

On its part, UHF negotiated an agreement with the city that would allow the project to move forward without a cloud of litigation hanging over it. Both parties agreed to suspend their legal disputes pending the out-

bond. BYAF and Utah's preservationists celebrated quietly; they knew BYAF still had to raise $5.38 million in less than five months.

This strict deadline was part of the negotiated agreement between Provo City and UHF. The fundraising effort came down to the wire. While BYAF received a $1 million pledge from an anonymous donor just four days before the June 30th midnight deadline, its members spent most of that final day securing letters of credit and checks. As late as 2:30 p.m., Dr. Smoot was not certain BYAF had met the goal. However, in a press conference held later that day, a BYAF spokesperson dismissed any doubts by reading a letter from the Provo City Treasurer stating that the funds were officially in place.

-'' »

E L E C T I O N S ABOUT

Preservation of the original academy building was now assured.

Provo

City

quickly

formed

the

Library

, „ E H I S T O R I C ACADEMY B U I L D I N G PRESERVATION

Construction Oversight Committee, consisting of representatives from Provo City, UHF, BYAF, the

L. DOUGLAS SMOOT

Provo City Library Board, and others, which would oversee the project. The committee also began planning the groundbreaking ceremony and

In 1875, Brigham Young founded his namesake academy,

celebration that would take place on July 9, 1999,

with Abraham Owen Smoot its first board president. A

nearly five years to the day after Provo City and

fire claimed the academy's home in January 1884, but,

UHF first faced each other in a federal courtroom.

undeterred, President Smoot informed the 400 students that, "School will convene as usual at half past eight" in tempo-

This groundbreaking ceremony was especially significant in that it demonstrated all parties' com-

rary quarters. Shortly thereafter, academy principal Karl G.

mitment to put aside differences and work together.

Maeser received what he called a vision from the already

Provo Mayor Lewis Billings praised BYAF, Provo

deceased (1877) Brigham Young of a spacious new building.

City, the Provo City Library Board, and UHF for

Maeser rose, recorded the plan, and returned to bed.

working together to bring the project to this point.

Work on the new building started that same year, but

He did not enumerate the battles waged and won or

financial hardships soon brought the project to a halt. By

lost by each organization. Nor did he express the

early 1891, construction was recommenced, with President Smoot and other board

animosity and frustration behind the battles. Those

members signing personal guarantees. Smoot said to his wife "...I haven't a piece of

issues were no longer the focus of each group. Their

property that is not mortgaged, i have had to do it to raise money to keep

attention was on celebrating this milestone and

the...Academy going...it must live."

maintaining their focus on the difficult construction phase ahead. Renovation of the Academy Building and construction of a new addition was expected to take twenty-two months to complete.

Brigham

Young Academy

The historic building was completed according to Maeser's dream in late 1891 and served the academy until 1968, then was sold by BYU to private owners in 1975, This began the 20-year period of unsuccessful preservation efforts, numerous owners, and deterioration that brought the building to the brink of destruction.

Foundation,

the

It was in early 1995 that an officer of the Brigham Young Academy Foundation (BYAF)

Provo City Council, the library board, and Utah

first contacted me about my helping to preserve this building. My first reaction was,

Heritage Foundation, together with the mayor's

"Why would anyone in his right mind accept such a seemingly impossible challenge?"

office, whose opinions differed so vehemently in

But, 1 could not stop thinking about the idea. I sensed a binding kinship to Provo,

the beginning, now recognized the important role

where I, my father and my father's father were born, and where Brigham Young sent

each played in the project. If Provo City had not

my great grandfather in 1868. I revere the pioneering sacrifices of our early settlers,

taken the first step to purchase and demolish the

represented so poignantly by the Academy Building. I treasure my association with

BYA buildings, they may have remained vacant to

Brigham Young University, much of whose early history occurred in this building. And I

this day and continued to deteriorate beyond the

could not dispel o sense of obligation to my great grandfather, who had offered all he

point of feasible preservation. If UHF had not held

possessed to preserve the academy.

and defended the preservation easement, it would not have had the legal standing to stop Provo City from demolishing the buildings. If UHF and Provo City had not been involved in such a contentious legal battle, BYAF would not have been obliged to

Over the next few months of 1995, in frequent meetings with remarkable, dedicated representatives of BYAF, the Utah Heritage Foundation (UHF), and Provo City, a direction wos conceived in which I saw the hand of providence. Starting in earnest in mid-1995, what turned out to be a daunting, improbable sequence of seventeen essential, consecutive steps was inspirationally identified and painstakingly pursued

intervene with the hopes of finding an agreeable

under the leadership and hard work of a core of about a dozen dedicated, visionary

reuse plan for the site. If BYAF had not rallied to

people. Hundreds of contributors accumulated tens of thousands of hours of voluntary

build an extensive network of supporters, it could

service along the way.

not have influenced the bond election outcome or raised the necessary private funds for the project in such a short period of time.

We have now virtually completed this remarkable preservation project, under the direction of Provo City with outstanding architects and contractors, nearly on schedule, within budget, and with a second dedication anticipated 109 years after its first. This

All parties know when the Provo City Library

preserved edifice will be the new home of the "Provo City Library at Academy Square."

at Academy Square is dedicated in mid-2001 it

It is destined to become one of the most important landmarks in the west, a towering

will be the physical reminder of the contemporary

tribute to the pioneers' determination and sacrifice.

and historic struggles of citizens to establish a center for public education and learning in the city. • DINA

BLAES

IS

A

SPECIALIZING

IN

THE

HISTORIC FORMER

PROPERTY ASSISTANT

FOUNDATION.

REAL

ESTATE

FINANCIAL

DEVELOPMENT. DIRECTOR

CONSULTANT ASPECTS SHE

OF UTAH

OF

IS THE HERITAGE

The whole process has been an emotional and spiritual experience for me, the most demanding task I recall ever having participated in. I do not regret a second or penny of this effort. In retrospect, knowing now what an overwhelming effort was required, I consider it miraculous that this building has been preserved and renewed. For me, as for many others, it has been a public service effort of major proportions. But for my great grandfather, the first time around, it was a sacrifice of total commitment. I will be grateful all of the remaining days of my life that I had the privilege of participating in this preservation miracle.

UTAH

PRESERVATION

33

1

I

Li ;

D

B r o a d w a y S a i l

L a k e

L o f t s

Walker

C i t y

Salt

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Mansion

Lake

City

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at

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u a r e

Dakota

U t a h

Salt

G o v e r n o r ' s Salt

Lake

MJSA

M a n s i o n

R e s t o r a t i o n

City

A r c h i t e c t u r e Interior Design

3 57

West

Te I e p ho n

e r

P°

n

t

General

Engineering

Salt

C i ty

A v

Lake

e .

8 0 1 . 3 6 4 . 5 1 6 1

D D

Salt

Lake

F a c s i m i l e :

WWW.RETR0SPECTWATERANDL1GHT.COM 68 E A S T 700 S O U T H

FIXTURES FOR CLASSIC INTERIORS & EXTERIORS 36

U T A H

P R E S E R V A T I O N

t o " s ^ S S S a\%%

Lofts

Lake

City

Build ing

C i t y,

Ut a h 8 4 1 01

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DANIEL 751 ÂŁ. ÂŁmdo*i fJtone: (801) 524-0151

PETERSON

Salt ÂŁaU

City, lAtak 84102

{ax,: (801) 366-9981 email:

dp,-a*td-ca@woMHet.aU.*iet

BASED

IN

SALT

LAKE

CITY,

UTAH,

Daniel Peterson & C o . has successfully completed conservation, restoration, and decorative projects in nine countries.

In addition to field projects, the Salt Lake studio has produced designs for carpets, wall coverings, art glass and various architectural details in w o o d and plaster.

Studio

conservation

objects with

an

projects

emphasis

include

on

furniture

painted

and

and

gilded

ornament. Other services include the writing of specifications, project documentation, project management and consultation.

Peterson

recently

Preservation

returned

Trades

from

Conference

the

International

in

Harrisburg,

Pennsylvania, where he was an invited presenter presentation was on finding and exposing

"My

original

paint layers, colours, and decorative schemes. M a n y people there, presenters and attendees alike, seemed to have pet projects related to my topic," says Peterson.

"I consulted with

several people

restoring

railroad

engines and club car interiors, house museums, and even circus w a g o n s . " D a n i e l Peterson & C o m p a n y is currently p r e p a r ing for "Showcase 2 0 0 1 , " a studio e v e n t to which architects, d e s i g n e r s , a n d r e l a t e d

professionals

will b e invited to see " w h a t w e ' v e d o n e , w h a t we're Painted "Mosaic" of fish and birds, private residence, Capistrano Beach, CA

doing, and

most

importantly,

what

we

w o u l d like to do in t h e f u t u r e . " Peterson goes on to say, "I hope to open a dialogue with people w h o are

active in the contemporary market to see how this traditional trade can be re-integrated into a " m o d e r n " context. From tomb painting in Egypt to post-modern distressing and patinating in the 9 0 ' s , this trade has evolved and survived, so it is preposterous to think of it as d e a d ; w e just need to continually re-define the relevance of decorative painting to contemporary design in institutional, commercial, and residential contexts."

Peterson and his staff of tradesman are currently at

work

on

decorative

and

mural

projects

around the country, preserving existing historical works as well as installing new ones. " M y focus on preservation has expanded out of necessity to include preservation of the craft, as well as surface." says Peterson. "It is a perpetu-

V

al learning process that I find both challenging and humbling, and I hope some day to produce quality that I could submit unashamed to the 'eminent late greats' of the trade."

Architectural trompe I'oeil on flat wall meeting house, Provincetown, MA

UTAH

PRESERVATION

Yesterday's M O D E L

H O M E S

- t h e words evoke the

i m a g e of a lone house d r a p e d with plastic pennants sitting optimistically o n freshly cleared l a n d . This type of m o d e l h o m e , usually built to sell houses in n e w subdivisions, has actually b e e n a p a r t of Utah's r e a l estate d e v e l o p m e n t since t h e early 1900s. But m o d e l homes h a v e also b e e n used for purposes other t h a n selling real estate. Some models p r o m o t e d either a new type of construction or innovative interior

appointments-or

both.

Others

w e r e built simply to p r o m o t e a n i d e a l concept of living without h a v i n g something specific to sell.

Flagstone retaining walls, an expansive bay window, and garage doors dominate the street-facing elevation of Utah's 1947 "Centennial Home," as depicted in a 35-page promotional booklet. This thoroughly modern home was constructed, in part, to demonstrate the progress made in Utah residential architecture during 100 years of settlement.

38

UTAH

PRESERVATION

Model Homes J-A Š

vt s e s

Š

f

a

vi t u r e

f r o

vw

fc

Iv e

\

a s

t

bv T a u i a Ge-or^iou Tully and .1. C ÂŤ i \ Jensen

Throughout the twentieth century, model homes were heavily promoted in newspapers and magazines, and a public open house was usually part of the promotion.

While some of the homes were only open briefly, some were displayed for months and were viewed by thousands of people.

Each of these homes was touted as being "modern" in its era, and most were praised for their efficiency and convenience.

Several of Utah's model homes are still standing.

America's favorite home of 1957 featured a multi-purpose family room, where games could be played and informal meals served, leaving the living room uncluttered if guests stopped by.

[Household Magazine, September 1957)

U T A H

P R E S E R V A T I O N

39

The 1890 model farm home at the Agricultural College in Logan represented an ideal, rather than realistic, arrangement for farm families. The house functioned as the college president's residence for many years.

The First Model Homes The late I 8 8 0 s to early l 8 9 0 s was a boom period in Utah that brought the state's first subdivision tracts a n d real estate developers. N e w electric streetcars made outlying farmland accessible for residential development. Developers, many from out of state, built speculative houses that essentially served as model homes in their new subdivisions, though that term was p r o b a b l y never used. The Panic of l 8 9 3 put an end to this real estate frenzy before the model-home concept gelled, but the pattern was set for the next b o o m . Still, at least one model home was constructed at that time, though not for real estate promotional purposes.

Model Farmhouse Utah's first known model home was tied to its most prevalent industry, agriculture.

The "model farmhouse" was constructed in l 8 9 0 as one of three model buildings at the

new

"Agricultural

College"

in

Logan

(the other

two

were

a

laboratory

and a barn).

Planned by Professor Jeremiah W i l s o n Sanborn, the first president of the college, this model

home was

intended

to show

students the conveniences

of a

modern

farmhouse. Funded by the Territorial Legislature, it was to be used for training in domestic science and "for study by future agriculturalists, d a i r y i n g majors, home economics students, professors a n d visitors." The home included such features as an icehouse, cold room, d a i r y room, and a modern kitchen with a pass-through to the dining room. Its large scale and Queen Anne styling reflect the optimism and implied prosperity associated with some model homes, representing more the " i d e a l " than the typical.

Due to the cramped quarters at the yet-unfinished O l d M a i n , where living space had been promised, Sanborn was a l l o w e d to live in the house, starting a legacy of presidential use. The house still stands proudly on the b r o w of the hill of the Utah State University campus. It has been used as the president's home and as a dormitory.

Since a mid-1980s remodeling a n d expansion, it has served as the alumni house and reception hall.

Early 20th Cent my A vibrant local economy, new technologies-including electricity, telephones, indoor plumbing, and a u t o m o b i l e s - a n d " m o d e r n " architectural styles changed the look of neighborhoods in the early 1 9 0 0 s . G o n e were the fussy Victorian details, coal cook stoves, outhouses, and all the other trappings of 19th-century living, replaced by modern conveniences and new, scientific ideas for domestic comfort a n d efficiency.

W h i l e these innovative concepts alone attracted many new homebuyers, real estate developers became especially creative in their promotions for their particular subdivisions. M o d e l homes were an integral part of their efforts.

Highland Park Design Winner Kimball and Richards, "Land Merchants," was one of the leading real estate developers in Salt Lake City in the early 1900s. O n e of the firm's most ambitious developments was the Highland Park subdivision located near 2 5 0 0 South and 1 3 0 0 East.

The winning design in Highland Park's first architectural competition was constructed in 1913, though in reversed form. House plans were judged on their "cost, utility, and general excellence of design."

40

UTAH

PRESERVATION

(top and middle) Though Taylor-Made constructed many homes in Ogden, these two houses at 27th and Brinker were especially noted for their modern kitchens, which were featured in a special tour for cooking school students in 1923.

To attract attention to their 3,1 24-lot development, the firm created a steady stream of

innovative

promotions,

including

design

competitions

for

local

architects. The w i n n i n g entries-in essence model homes-were to be built in the new subdivision.

In the spring of 1 9 1 3 , Kimball and Richards launched at least three design contests. The esteemed panel of judges weighed three criteria: cost, utility, and general design. Winner of the first contest was J. Mullen, a well-known local architectural draftsman. His one-story Arts & Crafts bungalow was built at 2 6 9 8 S. Alden Street. The house "fully demonstrate d " that "it is possible to enjoy every modern convenience and have beautiful surroundings in an economical home." An elevation drawing and floor plan of the home were prominently displayed in the Salt Lake Tribune.

This house is very much like its neighboring homes; it's not an obvious winner of a design competition. But then, that was the intent of Kimball and Richard's model home promotion-they w a n t e d a realistic image, not a dream home beyond the means of their target buyers.

3ST

-<-.

"Taylor-Made" Homes In the autumn of 1 9 2 3 , a number of model homes were constructed in the proximity of 27th Street and Brinker Avenue in O g d e n . These somewhat stylized brick bungalows were constructed by the Taylor Building Company and were known as "Taylor-Made" homes. Touted as being constructed to the "very latest and most highly perfected plans," these model homes were to display a highly functional interior designed to bring "household effort to a minimum and household comfort to a maximum."

Indeed, the bungalow, which had been introduced decades earlier, was the most common house type of the early twentieth century. Designed with an open floor plan (which eliminated confined spaces a n d needless doors), the b u n g a l o w made efficient use of small spaces and implemented the then-modern conveniences of electricity and indoor plumbing. The "Taylor-Made" homes employed these features as selling points. A September 1 9 2 3 Ogden

Standard

Examiner

article states that the

model homes had conditions that are "just right for cooking a n d for housekeepi n g . . . . " In fact, the kitchen facilities were so nice in the homes that the newspapersponsored cooking school provided tours through the home for its students to see the buildings' "modern lines."

Apparently, more than one hundred "Taylor-Made" homes were constructed in the O g d e n bench area in the early 1 9 2 0 s . The Taylor Building C o m p a n y also provided financing for these homes, w h i c h were deemed of such quality that they w o u l d be "a credit to any city...."

Depression Era Just as movie attendance skyrocketed during the depression as a w a y for people to escape the reality of economic hardships, futuristic home concepts a b o u n d e d as well, capturing the public's imagination a n d stimulating their optimism. W h i l e most people were in no position to purchase a new home, construction d i d not cease altogether. Most of the model home promotions of this period were especially focused on leaving behind the residential traditions of the p a s t - a n d even the present-for a brighter future full of new ideas.

(bottom) The "Home of Ideas" was a part of the Olmsted Power Plant complex at the mouth of Provo Canyon. This very modern, flat-roofed house was a demonstration project focused on selling the public on the merits of better living through electricity.

UTAH

PRESERVATION

41

Sears provided all the furnishings for this 1935 east-bench home in Salt Lake City. Everything, including the Hercules coal furnace and automatic stoker, the "Charles of London" living room suite, and the 12-tube Silvertone radio, was furnished by America's leading department store.

Sears I louse This house, located on Salt Lake City's east bench at 1419 S. 1300 East, was built as a marketing tool for furnishings and appliances from Sears, Roebuck and Co. Built for H. E. Veach, manager of the downtown Sears store, the house was furnished entirely with Sears products. The house was advertised on November 3, 1935, in the Salt Lake Tribune as being "Open for Inspection...Daily for One Week." The advertisement listed all of the products in the house and was

4-pe. Bedroom Suite

accompanied by advertisements for contractors touting their part in the home. This included the tile installers, painters, and utility providers.

While nationally Sears was still marketing home plans and kits, this house does not appear to be one of them. The only known Sears kit house in Utah is "Modern Home No. 109," built in Kanab in 1912.

"Home of Ideas" Located on the grounds of the Olmsted Power Plant at the mouth of Provo Canyon, the modernist-inspired "Home of Ideas" was constructed in 1936-37 as a model home for the "stimulation of better housing and reemployment." At the time, its appearance and features truly evoked an aura of things to come in housing and home conveniences.

Home building had been seriously stricken during the Great Depression, and construction had fallen to approximately 10 percent of normal. Once the depression began to subside new approaches to mortgages were introduced along with the goal of creating a new atti-

I I AHA FirtVi I f c l l A I I H A I I I HOI I Xi\ I I AH ( o n n

tude toward home owning and home building. The "Home of Ideas" was intended to demonstrate how modern homes could be built at a reasonable cost. Apparently, the "Home of Ideas" was also an all-out attempt to convert potential homebuilders to the ideas of the future, both in new design and in the importance of electricity in the domestic sphere.

The International-style design of the "Home of Ideas" was somewhat ahead of its time in Utah; the design never caught on locally. But the focus of the "Home of Ideas" was not really about the exterior; it was about the modern interior, particularly the conveniences of the "all-electric" kitchen.

This roomful of "electric servants" included an early stainless steel dishwasher with builtin air blower to dry the dishes, an early type of air conditioner, a radio, indirect lighting that eliminated glare, a ventilating wall fan, and an electric range and refrigerator, all close together to save steps. There was also a built-in desk and numerous elec-

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trical outlets (this was an "all-electric" home, after all). The kitchen, used "moderate •

color" and easy-to-keep-clean surfaces on the counters and floor. These items were

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somewhat revolutionary for the time, particularly to the average homeowner.

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Copper MouseBeginning in 1926, Utah Copper Company started building a "company town" of

( n f T l i : HOI SES. INCORPORATED

i

more than 200 homes for its employees at the nearby Bingham Copper Mine.

Copperton featured a carefully planned town layout and standard house plans that

UTAH I 0PPER i OMPA.NTV

I I

-

were repeated, with exterior variations, throughout the community. In 1936, the company decided to try out a new concept: a prefabricated copper-clad house.

Designed by Scott & Welch, architects of the overall town plan, the first of four pre-fabricated houses was built at 201 W. Park Street and opened to the public for a week. Newspapers-cued by the company to help market these homes, Copper Houses, Inc.-touted the home as Utah's first prefab house, "the 'biggest little house' ever planned," "everlasting," and "termite proof."

The first of Utah Copper Company's prefabricated copper houses was erected in the company's "company town" of Copperton in 1936. Though promoted nationally, the concept never caught on, due to both the exigencies of the Depression and, later, the shortages of World War II.

42

UTAH

PRESERVATION

B OV SKS

l^<

i - t

t i t AH

i .. r

Utah's Centennial House of 1947 was a showpiece of Utah pride and modern building technology. This "Home of Tomorrow" featured the full range of state-of-the-art interior and exterior appointments. Some of the contractors who helped construct the house are still in business today, including Wes Hansen Quality Building Stone. Over 1,500 feet of stone, extracted from the Hansen Stone Quarry near Park City, provided a natural texture and local flavor to this ultra-modern home.

While the entire town was considered a showcase for the company, this was its first attempt to market homes nationally. Copper was used extensively throughout the home, in the shingles, roofing, gutters, screens, plumbing, and hardware. Despite the extensive publicity and more than 2,500

visitors to the model home, the concept of prefabricated copper

homes was

not a commercial success.

Post-War Homes The end of World War II triggered a period of incredible growth and prosperity. New subdivisions popped up on the edges of most of Utah's cities and larger towns, and, after years of wartime shortages, builders finally had access to construction materials. And they had new materials, ideas, and technologies to use on their homes. As in earlier periods, they used model homes to help introduce these new ideas to an eager public.

Utah's Centennial House In 1947, the Utah Home Builders Association created the Utah Centennial Home, which they dubbed "The Home of Tomorrow." One of the purposes of this home was to show Utahns "the progress which has been made in home design and construction" since the pioneers arrived in l 847. The site selected for this showcase home was in the prestigious Avenues/Federal Heights area of Salt Lake City (307 N. Virginia Street).

The architects were William E. Nelson, LeRoy W. Johnson, and Richard C. Wood, and the builders were Elbert G. Adamson and A. P. Neilson. The house included such modern features as warm-air radiant heat, a garbage disposal, an automatic dishwasher, an intercom system, and appliances that came with the house (a relatively new concept). Taking only 100 days to build, this brick, concrete, and stone house featured the decorating skills of a renowned local designer, Marion Cornwall, and unique "centennial" wallpaper with pioneer images.

A few of the house's modernistic features, such as the once-praised lead and oils used in the paint, are now considered unsafe, but overall the new technologies have proven sound. The use of concrete floor joists, which " are stronger...sound-proof between floors...and reduce settling," is one example of the advanced building techniques used on the house. Steel windows were chosen for their "weather-tightness, controlled ventilation, maximum daylight and durability," and Insulex Glass Blocks were showcased in the bathroom. In combination with the cutting-edge Twindow-brand insulated picture windows the home was luxuriously heated with three electric furnaces used in a "zoned heating" system.

In addition to progressive building techniques, the home was equipped with state-of-theart appliances such as the Bendix Automatic Laundry with DeLuxe electric washer, dryer, and

ironer.

These

items

were

intended

to

free

"the

modern

housewife

from wash day drudgery enabling her to spend more time with her family than the Pioneer mothers."

The Centennial House is an example of a luxury home modeling the best of what is available, much as we see in model homes today. It was not trying to sell more homes just like it, but to encourage the more than

18,000 visitors to buy the

products and services of the builders. The "Centennial Home is a model of united, coordinated effort, technical advances and skills, and the

practicability,

beauty, and livability of the 1947 home employing all of the advances in the last 100 years."

1057 Readers-Choice Home "Perfection may not be possible - but this house comes close to it," claimed Household Magazine in regard to its 1957 readers-choice award model home.

UTAH

PRESERVATION

43

The prototype for this house was constructed in Jackson, Mississippi, then it was reproduced as a model house on a barge moored on a d o w n t o w n C h i c a g o river during the 1 9 5 7 N a t i o n a l Association of Home Builders convention. This publicity helped spur nationwide construction of this house (Household

Home # 7 0 9 ) ,

including

Utah. Household

Magazine

listed

model homes built throughout the country, a n d one built in O r e m by Leland J.

Wells

was

first

on

the

list.

It still

remains,

located

at

223

N.

5 0 0 E., in an inconspicuous neighborhood of similar homes. In fact, a twin of this house was built on the same street.

W h a t is it about this seemingly plain Ranch-type house that ignited such a w a v e of national popularity? A c c o r d i n g to the article, "This isn't the kind of dream house you look at but cannot a f f o r d . " It was planned for the working family's budget a n d touted for getting the most living space out of its 1 , 2 0 0 square feet. Designed to look bigger than it is, the house featured a number of conveniences. O n the exterior a variety of materials provide aesthetic interest. Jutting walls at the front door and carport give "the appearance of a projecting w i n g . " To provide protection from the weather, the roof projects over the walk between the front door and the carport. Large windows overlooking the backyard a n d a door from the family room to the patio were also popular features (front w i n d o w s were kept small for the sake of privacy). Typical of houses from the 1 9 5 0 s , this home reflects the shift in emphasis from the front of the house to the rear, where patios, builtin barbeques, swing sets, a n d so forth provided an outdoor extension of the house itself.

The compact interior is a basic Ranch House floor plan, with living a n d kitchen areas occupying one half of the space a n d a hallway, three bedrooms, a n d a bathroom occupying the other half. Interior features include a large family room near the kitchen with built-in desk and w a l l compartments; a cooking counter, hanging cabinet, a n d built-in table in the kitchen; and separate toilet a n d bathtub compartments in the bathroom. Indirect

Rockets, Robots, and Jet Packs

" c o v e " lighting was implemented throughout the house, a common feature

"Yesterday's Tomorrows," a travelling exhibit from the

Smithsonian

Institution, features

twentieth-

century visions of the future-the innovations, dreams,

in most new homes today. Today the t w o houses in the O r e m n e i g h b o r h o o d remain relatively unaltered, at least on the exterior.

and technologies that promised to make everyday living better. Some came to pass, but most were unrealized fantasies.

Conclusion

Under the direction of the Utah Humanities Council,

M o d e l homes of the past were promises of things to come, visions of the

the exhibit will be featured at five Utah locations during 2001 and 2002. They include the following: Brigham City, March 21 to April 28

YESTERDAY'S Payson, May 5 to June 15 TOMORROWS. Hyrum, June 30 to August 19

future made present. They were dreams p a c k a g e d in architectural form.

W h e t h e r built as instructional models, sales promotions, dream

homes

beyond the average buyer's reach, or realistic models of attainable residential ideals, model homes have inspired generations of homebuyers w h o have strived to realize the core of the American d r e a m - h o m e ownership. â&#x20AC;˘

Washington, September 1 to October 28

November 10

University of Utah's Graduate School of Architecture, February 2 8 , 2002

TANIA GEORGIOU TULLY A N D J. CORY JENSEN ARE ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIANS WITH THE UTAH STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE.

The basic exhibit is supplemented by local expressions of the theme. Each of the host cities has added its own elements to personalize the message to its particular community or region of the state.

"Yesterday's Tomorrows" reflects an unflagging optimism for the future and

One of the first of Household Magazine's "Readers' Choice" model homes (above left

an unquestioning belief in the power of technology to make life better. It is

and below) was built in Orem in 1957. This modest, 1,200-square-foot home was

easy now for us to be amused by the naivete of those fanciful prognostica-

intended as a realistic domestic choice, not as an unattainable "dream home."

tions, but the exhibit stimulates more than mere amusement. It helps us confront our assumptions about progress, technology, and the core of human aspirations. It also gives us pause to reflect on the failures of those dreams for the twentieth century. And the exhibit triggers the irresistible urge to speculate about what lies in store for the 21st century.

Details about the "Yesterday's Tomorrows" exhibit in Utah can be found on the Utah Humanities Council's website www.utahhumanlties.org or by calling (801) 3 5 9 - 9 6 7 0 . Also check out yesterdaystomorrows.org and learn all about futures long since passed.

44

UTAH

PRESERVATION

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CONTEST lose your eyes and picture a favorite city or town.

What

comes

to

mind?

For

most,

people, that mental image includes the heart of the town, Main Street, with its familiar buildings

and

streetscape.

There

may

be

a

distinctive

courthouse or city hall, perhaps a dignified older church, a corner bank exuding confidence and stability through its architecture, a theater with its look-at-me styling, old family stores next to new enterprises, and rows of no-nonsense commercial buildings. Main Street was where the action was. That is why the image of downtown is so strong.

But despite the strength of their image, many Main Streets are dying. They have fallen victim to new strip developments at the edge of town, regional shopping malls, and the realities of today's commerce that is not bounded, as in the past, by proximity to home. Mom-and-Pop stores just can't compete with the big-box retailers. At least not directly.

I .h I â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ : â&#x20AC;˘ ' . . .

Many small-town Main Streets have found that in order to

'k

survive they must offer something different, something distinctive. They have to fill a niche so small and specialized that the big retailers can't or won't bother competing for it.

Since its creation in 1995, the Utah Main Street/Pioneer Communities Program has assisted communities throughout the state with revitalizing their downtowns. This program helps save some of the unique commercial architecture in the towns, and, equally important, it helps put those buildings back to use as vital contributors to the local economy.

Capturing the essence of Main Street was the focus of this year's

photo

contest.

Contestants

from

throughout

Utah (and some from out of state) submitted over 140 architectural images of Main Street. The judges selected eleven winners, including one grand prize recipient. The five runner-up winners received gift certificates from Borge B. Andersen and Associates, a custom photo lab in Salt Lake

City,

and the

grand

prize

winner

received

a

"night on the town"-hotel and dinner-from citybest.com.

Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to the generous sponsors for making the contest a success.

1. w

46

UTAH

PRESERVATION

Midvale Main Street Jim McClintic, West Valley City Grand Prize Winner

UTAH

PRESERVATION

47

Axtell Post Office Reed Martin, Orangeville

David Keith Building 254 S. Main, Salt Lake City Ray Varley, Holladay

48

UTAH

PRESERVATION

'Welcome to Garland" Mural 1 North Main, Garland John Taylor, Tremonton

Union Block 57 S. Main, Brigham City Rebecca Dilg, Brigham City

UTAH

PRESERVATION

49

Ford Store Wallsburg Melinda Cummings, Heber City

First Security Bank 315 W. Main Street, Eureka Louise Pollard, Farmington Merit Award Winner

50

UTAH

PRESERVATION

UTAH

PRESERVATION

51

Sugar House Business District, 1100 E. 2100 South, Salt Lake City Mark St. Andre, Salt Lake City Merit Award Winner

Tintic Lumber Company Building, Eureka Tom Nedreberg, Eureka Merit Award Winner

52

UTAH

PRESERVATION

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U T A H

P R E S E R V A T I O N

53

PAINTING

IV Âť

REALITY:

Did Utah's Early Painters Show Things the Way They Really Were?

by R o b e r t S. O l p i n a n d R o g e r

'istorians

are

Roper

always

Most artists today would readily admit to modifying

scrounging for sources to

on canvas the scene before them for the sake of better com-

.help them interpret the

position, lighting, color, emphasis, and so forth. And that's

past. Actual images-old paintings and photographs-are

not a confession, which implies wrongdoing, but simply

especially valued for the windows they open to the way

an acknowledgement that art involves interpretation.

things were. But how much can they be trusted?

After all, most art is not intended to be documentary.

Most photographs are quite reliable for their historical

The images that follow illustrate some of the issues

accuracy (at least until digital photography came along),

that should be considered when using paintings as histor-

but paintings are not as dependable. How much license did artists exercise in the name of art? How accurate were their depictions of overall scenes and the finer details?

Should someone who is restoring a building depicted in a period painting trust its colors, architectural details, and setting? What do the omissions and embellishments of the artwork tell us about the built environment, the cultural landscape, and the overall history of nineteenthcentury Utah?

54

U T A H

P R E S E R V A T I O N

ical documents. These works are all by Utah artists from the nineteenth century. For many of the paintings, matching contemporary photographs provide a comparison. It is tempting to conclude that the photographs are more "accurate" than the paintings. And they probably are in small ways. But perhaps the paintings convey a more authentic emotion, a more accurate feeling for the overall scene. At the very least they portray one person's view of the past, a person who was actually there.

W.W. Major. Parowan Settlement, c.1850, oil on board, 11 x 18". Copyright by Intellectual

Reserve, Inc. Courtesy

of

Museum of Church History and Art. Used by Permission.

|hese two paintings are both by William W. Major (1804-1854). Born in Bristol, England, Major was a self-trained or minimally schooled painter when he converted to the LDS Church in London in 1842. After relocating with the church from Nauvoo, Illinois, to the Utah Territory, Major spent five years headquartered in Great Salt Lake City painting provincial images and making visits to various spots in the surrounding area. He painted both landscapes and portraits of other settlers as well as of various leaders among the indigenous tribes. He was, without doubt, the first significant Mormon painter.

Major began this formal portrait of Brigham Young and his family in 1845 in Nauvoo but did not finish it until 1851 in Salt Lake City.

Young was the most important figure in Mormondom at the time, having succeeded Joseph Smith as church leader following Smith's death in 1844 and attaining the position of territorial governor after relocating the church to Utah.

Though Nauvoo's importance and prosperity continued for a time under Young's leadership, Major presented something grander yet.

This painting, a type once termed a portrait d'apparat or "portrait in the setting of his daily life," is really presented in a rather fantastical setting. The painting depicts a grandeur that never existed in either Illinois or Utah, but this aristocratic setting expressed a hoped-for calm, prosperity, and well-being in both Nauvoo and then Great Salt Lake City. It also reflects the dignity and respect afforded Utah's first family. The use of elaborate backdrops for portraiture would continue under the new medium of photography in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The second painting depicts the fledgling settlement of Parowan, the "mother colony" of all southern Utah settlements. Major completed the painting c.1850, the same year the town was founded. His view of the place is among the earliest known surviving Utah landscape paintings. It was very likely painted on site and, as opposed to the Brigham Young family portrait, was intended to be more real than ideal in any way.

Though at first glance the painting seems rather simple, Major did

William W. Major. Brigham and Mary Ann Angell Young and Their Children, 1845-51, oil on board, 25 x 33". Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. Courtesy of Museum of Church History and Art. Used by Permission.

not skimp on detail, depicting the "Greek cross" form of the hewnlog fort and sprinkling the foreground with animal and plant life, which help create points of interest. The eye is then carried toward the settlement by a band of trees marking Center Creek, which diagonally enters the composition from the right and ultimately points with considerable exactitude toward "little Salt Lake" and the mountains beyond. In other words, Major apparently painted what he saw in this instance.

His choice of this perspective, however, speaks to another level of reality. By showing the settlement from a distance, set forlornly in the vast, untamed landscape, Major may have been trying to portray the feeling of this vanguard settlement. Had he chosen to paint a close-up view of the fort, we may have gained more details about the architecture and physical conditions therein, but we would have missed both the sense of frailty and the orderly determination that this view of the remote outpost evokes.

U T A H

P R E S E R V A T I O N

George M. Ottinger. Theatre G.S.L. City, N.W. Corner, First South and First East Street, August 1862, oil on canvas, 11 3/4 x 18". Courtesy of Springville Museum of Art.

rchitectural landmarks, such as the 1861-62 Salt Lake Theatre shown here, were common subjects of early paintings and phonographs. Major buildings represented progress and accomplishment, and the urge to record their images proved virtually irresistible to" both painters and photographers. These images usually have more of a documentary than an "artistic" tone, but still the artists couldn't resist interpreting the scene in subtle ways.

This remarkable Greek Revival-style theatre is seen here in what would seem to be a very accurate view by pioneer painter George M. Ottinger (1833-1917).

Born in Springfield, Pennsylvania, Ottinger arrived in Utah with his mother in 1861 as a handcart pioneer. He later joined in a partnership with photographer Charles R. Savage (1832-1909). Ottinger not only tinted Savage's photographic images but also painted his own views of Utah's people and places. In his 1862 canvas of the new theatre, the structure's surroundings and facade are clearly and simply presented parallel to the picture plane.

Charles

R.

Savage.

The Mormon

Theatre

taken

before

December 1865, Carte-de-visite. Courtesy LDS Church Archives.

completion,

The same Salt Lake Theatre facade is here seen in an 1865 photograph by Savage. The main difference between the two images is in the immediate surroundings-the rough board fence and the unsightly scaffolding in the photograph are conspicuously absent in the painting. The scaffolding was almost certainly up when Ottinger created his painting (other photographs from the period reinforce this assumption), but he apparently chose to "clean u p " the scene to present a more finished and artistically appealing image. The nattily dressed gentleman in the foreground of the painting reinforces that image of elegance and urbanity that the artist felt was appropriate to this fine structure.

That the theatre had scaffolding around it for several years, and even after it opened, is not surprising. Most construction projects of this scale in pioneer Utah suffered delays due to competing priorities and shortages of both materials and skilled labor. The Salt Lake LDS Temple, for example, took 40 years to complete.

While Ottinger's painting conveys the image of a finished architectural masterpiece, the reality was that the structure was a "work in progress" for several years. But in a way, both images are correct: A structure of this quality was indeed a remarkable achievement for the time, even if, technically, it took a while to finish.

56

U T A H

P R E S E R V A T I O N

[his series of images depicts the elegance of Brigham 'Young's "front yard"-the South Temple facades of his Lion and Beehive houscs-and the rustic reality of his backyard. All date from 1865 to about 1872. They also show the house across the street (foreground), which belonged first to Ezra T. Benson and then to Daniel H. Wells.

Both the painting and the photograph of South Temple show this street for what it was: the most elegant of Utah boulevards at the time. The stately architecture and the promenade of street trees are indeed impressive. The painting makes them even more so. The loose rocks and worn dirt path on the sidewalk and the rubble of gutter construction shown in the photo convey a more untidy realism than the painting shows. Of course, by the time the painting was made, 1870-1872, the gutter construction shown in the c.1865 photo was probably complete, so the artist may not have had to paint it out of the scene to create the desired effect. The people depicted in both scenes-genteel couples in the painting and a workman in the photograph-reinforce that subtle contrast.

From an architectural standpoint, a roof was added over the second-story porch of Daniel Wells' home between 1865 and 1870.

It seems that there would be nothing to gain from an artistic standpoint by altering this detail; therefore, the change is probably historically accurate. Porches tend to be the most changeable feature on houses, often remaining an unbuilt luxury for years, or, once built, modified every few decades as they weathered or to suit changing architectural trends.

Marsena Cannon. Across Brigham Street northeast to Brigham Young's Estate, c.1865, daguerreotype. Courtesy of LDS Church Historical Department.

Wells' house itself reinforces assumptions made by Utah architectural historians. Double-pile houses such as this-ones that are two rooms deep, as indicated by both the width of the house and the paired chimneys-were usually built for more prominent members of the community, those who could afford houses of that scale.

In contrast with the South Temple images is the view of "Brigham Young's Backyard," the first of several versions painted by Danquart Anthon Weggeland (1827-1918), a Norwegian convert who arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in October of 1862. The view looks southward down State Street from North Temple Street across City Creek (in the foreground) and finally toward the "Point of the Mountain" in the far distance. The large multi-windowed structure to the right is Brigham Young's barn, and beyond it is the Beehive House, just to the right of Eagle Gate (an 1859-60 addition to the property). The gate spans State Street as the entrance to the place, while the Eighteenth Ward Schoolhouse (or the Young Family School) was the steepled "frontier Georgian" structure to the left of the gate.

Dan Weggeland's painting provides a rare glimpse behind the imposing facades of the Beehive and Lion houses and the guardian Eagle Gate. It not only shows the "working" elements of Young's estate, but it also gives us a glimpse of pioneer life behind the grid of orderly blocks and straight streets as shown in the other images. The curving streambed dominates the scene, both literally and figuratively. Back here, Nature has not yet been fully subjugated, and the artist makes no attempt to convince us otherwise. Not only is the streambed untamed; the barn shows signs of weathering, the fencing is imperfect, and the barnyard itself looks a bit unkempt, just as a real barnyard would be. Weggeland seems content to show an image that is less than perfect, and because of that the details seem more believable than those in a more idealized painting.

Anonymous. A View of Brigham Street, Great Salt Lake City, Utah, 1870-1872, oil on [unknown].

Courtesy of LDS Church Historical Department.

Danquart A. Weggeland. Worth State Street, 1868, oil on board. Courtesy of Utah Arts Council.

UTAH

PRESERVATION

Dan Weggeland. Ontario Mill, Park City, 1877, oil on paper, 16 x 30".

Courtesy of Springville Museum of Art

*t is safe to say that Nature has inspired far more artists than have mining landscapes.

Yet artist Dan Weggeland found in the gritty mining industry a subject worthy of fine .art. One might expect that in 1877, when Weggeland painted this view of the massive Ontario Mill, a painting such as this would be a celebration of Man's domination of Nature. This was, after all, a new territory just beginning to yield its riches of natural resources.

And indeed the painting shows the mill as an impressive edifice, an architectural testament of the lucrative Park City mining district.

Yet the painting also does a credible job of showing the environmental degradation and the shanty-and-mud living conditions of a mining camp, which is all Park City was at the time (the town was not incorporated until 1884). Weggeland may have added more trees on the horizon and in the foreground than were really there in order to balance the painting and create the forms and visual interest that an artist would tend to favor. But overall, as confirmed in the c.1885 photograph, he was remarkably faithful to the scene.

As both a teacher and artist, Weggeland (like Ottinger, who was the first art department chair at the University of Deseret by 1888), had a great influence on younger Utah painters, which lasted for much of the rest of the nineteenth century. The quality of Weggeland's work with oils eventually declined in the late 1880s. Before that, most of his painted work was created for the LDS Church or specific Mormon leaders. On the other hand, privately commissioned paintings such as this one and his c. 1879 Bennion Farm piece not only form a high-quality body of work, but are also very real views of their subjects.

Indeed, there were to be others whose influence as pioneer painters would be felt, but just as the decade of the 1860s had begun, C.R. Savage, G.M. Ottinger, and Dan Weggeland developed the beginnings of a regional artistic school based on "the real." But beyond them Utah art would evolve in more romantic directions involving a certain increased "artistic license" taken by younger painters in their works as time went on.

58

UTAH

PRESERVATION

C.R. Savage. Ontario Mines, Parley's Park, Utah, c.1885, albumen print Courtesy of the Utah State Historical Society.

amuel Bennion (1818-1889) was in the second pioneer company to arrive in the Salt Lake Valley in September 1847. In England he had been a successful baker.

In Utah he also prospered, as a merchant, mill owner, sheep- and cattleman, postmaster, first bishop of West Jordan, and a county commissioner (selectman) as well. It is believed that the painter Weggeland was commissioned by Sam Bennion to do this work in the late 1870s.

The Bennion Farm (now demolished) was located behind 5051 South 1130 West in Taylorsville. The house was completed on the 3rd of April 1863, and the wrap-around porch was added later. Legend has it that a trap door beneath the kitchen stove was used to hide Mormon prophet John Taylor during the federal polygamy raids of the 1880s. In the distance can be seen the Jordan River and the lofty Wasatch Mountains.

Though speculative birds-eye-view perspectives were used for effect in some paintings and illustrations in the nineteenth century, the flattering elevated view of the Bennion Farm is legitimate; the farm was set below the bluffs bordering the Jordan River plain.

The image oozes good fortune and prosperity. The sunlit house sits amid shade trees at the terminus of a lengthy drive, which is flanked by a fruit-laden orchard and lush pastures on one side and a bountiful barnyard on the other. Hay bulges from the barn and overflows to adjacent haystacks. The corral is filled with a variety of livestock-milk cows, cattle, sheep, etc. And off in the distance a train, perhaps the most potent symbol of industrial progress at the time, just happens to be passing by.

This is no casual portrait of a Utah farmstead. It is a painting packed with messages about both Bennion and the cause of which he was a part. We have no reason to doubt the accuracy of Weggeland's Bennion Farm painting, but it should be viewed as something of a vanity piece, commissioned by the owner, and perhaps as a testimonial to the "desert blossoming as a rose" prophecy held dear by Mormon settlers. Given the overall intent of the painting, it is no wonder that there wouldn't be anything ramshackle or amiss to tarnish that message.

However, the details of the farmstead and its buildings are not necessarily fabrications or embellishments. In fact, this painting is considered one of the most accurate works of its kind,

Dan Weggeland. Bishop Samuel Bennion Farm, Taylorsville,

especially given that historical and topographical views of early pioneer establishments are actu-

c.1879, oil on canvas mounted, 21 x 31 1/8". Courtesy of

ally quite rare in Utah art.

Springville Museum of Art.

UTAH

PRESERVATION

59

lfred Lambourne's 1880 painting of the Hampton Station in Box Elder County is remarkably faithful to a -c.1867 photograph, but then that is to be expected since he painted the scene from the photograph rather than on location. This painting was commissioned by Adelaide Hampton, who, along with her husband Benjamin, built and operated the hotel and toll bridge. Though the venture was a "money pit" for them, Mrs. Hampton must have felt some affection for the place in order to commission the painting. The Hamptons later did very well in mining.

An Englishman, Alfred Lambourne (1850-1926) began painting scenery for the Salt Lake Theatre soon after his arrival to the city in 1866.

He received some technical instruction from his fellow scenic artists, but he was, for the most part, self-trained as an easel painter (beginning in 1869). Later called "the Utah master of dawn, twilight and moonlight," Lambourne first developed an early- and mid-career technique that was a thin linear and "colored-in" manner more in keeping with the work of the original pioneer artists. Even so, by the time he was thirty, when he completed this painting, he was equal in technical skill to any landscape painter in Utah.

Yet, much more than other creations of his from about the same time, Lambourne's Bear River 'Hampton' Station actually offers an authentic view of an 1860s outpost of civilization on the Utah frontier. There are only three variations of note between the two images. First is the omission, perhaps for the sake of artistic and social delicacy, of the outhouse located to the left of the house in the photograph. This is no small issue with historical archaeologists, however, who often rely on the subtle historical clues gleaned from refuse and "small things forgotten" that ended up in outhouse pits to help interpret the past. The photograph gives them a clear idea of where to dig; the painting leaves them without a clue.

The second variation is the inclusion in the painting of laundry hanging out to dry. Perhaps Mrs. Hampton insisted on this detail to document a chore she oversaw. It's a realistic touch that reminds us of the realities of daily house-

keeping-something that neither paintings nor photographs usually convey.

The omission of the prominent "Bear River Hotel" and "Wells Fargo & Co." signs on the house can perhaps be attributed to either Mrs. Hampton or artist Lambourne, who may have felt that they detracted from the purity of the scene.

These signs are meaningful to historians in at least a couple of ways.

First, the hotel sign confirms that this was a commercial enterprise and not just a family home. This toll bridge was a much-traveled crossing-and the only bridge for a number of years-over the Bear River for those traveling north, particularly to the rich mines of Montana. The bridge and hotel were clearly business ventures, at least according to the photographs.

The Wells Fargo sign reinforces the reality that companies of regional and national scope infiltrated out-of-the-way corners of the seemingly remote, pre-railroad Utah Territory. Corporate interests-whether fur-trapping, mining, railroading, livestock raising, or freighting-had more to do with taming the Old West than the tradition of rugged individualism has led us to believe.

Even if artists did take liberties with their paintings, their works may be no more flawed than other historical documents: Oral histories are really just selective recollections, diaries are filtered recordings of events, and written histories inevitably carry the biases of their authors. Paintings are, above all, works of art, aesthetic accomplishments that can be enjoyed regardless of their historical contributions. And who knows, the artist may have perceived an essence of that period and scene that more traditional historical documents simply cannot convey. â&#x20AC;˘ ROBERT S. OLPIN HAS BEEN O N THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH'S ART A N D ART HISTORY FACULTY SINCE 1967, SERVING AS DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS, DEPARTMENT CHAIR, A N D ART HISTORY PROGRAM DIRECTOR. HE IS COAUTHOR OF UTAH ART, UTAH PAINTING AND SCULPTURE, A N D ARTISTS OF UTAH. ROGER ROPER IS THE HISTORIC PERSERVATION COORDINATOR FOR THE UTAH STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE A N D EDITOR OF UTAH PRESERVATION MAGAZINE.

Alfred E. Lambourne. Bear River 'Hampton' Station, Utah, 1880. oil on canvas. 20 x 30". Courtesy of Springville Museum of Art.

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ARE WE PLANTING ENOUGH TREES IN OUR CITIES?

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62

U T A H

P R E S E R V A T I O N

!

I have been interested in old houses and old buildings since I was a child. My grandmother would

supervise my visits to empty pioneer houses in Manti. Most are now torn down. My parents would drop me off at 13th East and South Temple [in Salt Lake City] while they shopped downtown. I absorbed each structure as I wandered westbound.

Two structures during that youthful period had the most

impact. The first was Brigham Young's Beehive House. My mother took me there probably the first year it opened to the public. She had lived there as a young woman while working in Salt Lake. My father courted her there. Some kids went to see movies over and over-I went to the Beehive House.

The

second structure was the Cosgriff Mansion in Salt Lake City. While my mother was attending some meetings, my father drove me up South Temple street (he knew the routine). It was dusk. I counted the structures and related what I knew about each one. Then I saw, standing alone on the north side, the disheartening sight of the tall elegant columns of the Cosgriff House. They stood alone. The house had been demolished. Even my father, whose interest, was at the other end of the spectrum from mine, mourned. We drove past several times in disbelief. That evening a thirteen-year-old made a vow.

Be familiar with the architectural style of your house and respect it when you make alterations and additions. The architecture provides a direction for your approach.

If your project iS Sizeable, consult professionals (contractor, architect, designer) to help narrow down or open up the possibilities and establish a realistic budget (count your feed before you buy your livestock).

Generate accurate and complete blueprints or drawings so you can live your decision on paper first.

Original wood floors, even if slightly marred (think of them as marks of character), are worth the effort to restore them. Avoid glossy finishes.

Paint colors: Good preparation of surfaces and propcr paint colors can make all the difference in appearance and effect. The exterior of your house is a gift to the street. The interior is more personal.

There arc thousands of compatible combinations.

White isn't always the best.

Windows are such an important part of the personality of a house. If you replace windows, use the same or compatible style. If you are dealing with an addition, don't let the personality trail off because it is the back of the house-stay consistent. No one ever regretted good windows.

If refinishing floors, avoid a high gloss finish. They look like gymnasiums. I prefer a satin finish that gives a waxed appearance.

Use flooring types and scale appropriate to your architecture. Parquet flooring seems out of place in a pioneer house.

Interior millwork is often the thing wc notice first in even the most modest old house. Millwork should be duplicated or similarly styled. We have great local mills with thousands of knives. You don't usually have to go to the expense of inventing the wheel.

While some woodwork is stained it may be difficult to duplicate the patina and grain of the wood species. Don't be afraid to paint new wood in other areas.

U T A H

P R E S E R V A T I O N

Upgrading kitchens and bathrooms is a tomm^BreFab prefect. The ttirn-of-the-century Kearns MansljP bathroom and kitchen (bottom) feature some high-encl elements that may be excessive for average homes, though they provide a valuable insight into j / h a t might be ' appropriate. j

Bathrooms are usually a major focus of renovation and can be costly. I try to keep them classic and well appointed. However, approaches to revamping bathrooms are often too sentimental.

Pedestal sinks are great for powder rooms but do not have adequate surfaces. Footed bathtubs are difficult to clean around unless the bathroom is large enough for the tub to float away from the wall. I like the look of an old tub but always suggest a separate shower if there is room.

1 have always admired the tile bath from the turn of the century and often specify the white or offwhite brick-shaped ceramic tiles for wainscots and showers trimmed with matching molding tiles. My favorite bathroom floor for old houses

is the square or octagonal mosaic tiles with Greek key type borders in contrasting colors.

They never wear out!

I prefer nickel and chrome faucets and fixtures for ease of maintenance. Sconces combined with recessed lighting works well for the vanities. I often use an open-sided new tub skirted with the tile, wood panels or bead board with a marble or wood deck, depending on the elegance of the bathroom. There is a bathroom for every budget.

I usually avoid exotic marble or granite in modest houses; white-veined or Carrera marble is just right and affordable. Marble thresholds come pre-made and are an inexpensive transition to other flooring.

(above) County assessor tax photos from the 1930s and vfOs are often your best restoration guide. While many older buildings get painted white over time, their original appearance is usually more expressive. The tax photo of this house shows not only porch details that could be recreated, but also the original wall treatment, which consists of scored stucco to resemble stone and "granite-splash" faux quoins at the corners. (opposite) The Tudor styling imposed on this house in the late 20th century is inconsistent with its 19th-century Victorian Eclectic roots. The Eastlake-style porch, arched windows, and circular gable-end insets have been disguised under superficial English Tudor embellishments. Most cosmetic make-overs don't last very long. Shakespeare offered the best advice for old houses: "To thine own self be true."

Kitchens can be over-romanticized, just like bathrooms. I prefer to keep kitchens simple and functional while borrowing details from the architecture, such as door details and moldings. Even stock cabinets can be enhanced with different types of glass in doors, hardware, etc.

My inspirations come from some of the servant kitchens and pantries of America's great houses: tall cabinets, glass, nickel, tile, and white or gray marble. When kitchens are combined with living spaces they take on a warmer feel even when kept simple. Reserve the gingerbread for the oven!

Fireplaces arc always a focal point in any room, and they should be.

They are well worth keeping in good repair. If fireplaces are part of new construction, choose fireboxes of traditional proportions. Pre-built fireboxes can be clad with an appropriate surround. Avoid the ones with blowers, vents, brass trim and glass doors. These look just like microwaves with logs in them. Check out "Rumford" fireplaces. They come as kits and draw like a dream!

Our climate often dictates a gas log. The convenience isn't bad either.

However, direct-vent gas fireplaces in old houses seem dishonest.

Fireplaces just shouldn't be placed around like furniture.

Renovation done sensitively and with care will serve many people many years. The house has stood the test of time and so should the renovation.

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I am a third-generation building contractor in a company started by my grandfather, who immigrated to Utah from Norway. I grew up spending summers on construction sites throughout the Salt Lake Valley. I have always had an interest in the past and particularly in the architecture of early Utah.

In the late 1960s I became aware that there was an interest in Utah in old buildings. This was largely due to the efforts of Stephanie Churchill, former executive director of the Utah Heritage Foundation, which has been active in promoting the preservation of Utah's historic buildings since 1966.

In 1974 my wife, M'lisa, and I moved our young family to Spring City in Sanpete County. This is a wonderful town that has since become a National Register-listed historic district [1980]. Over the ensuing quarter-century-plus I have worked on more than 45 buildings in Spring City alone, plus numerous others throughout the county. I've also been involved with many projects in the Salt Lake area, where my company is headquartered.

I've always maintained the attitude that the historic integrity of every building, whether great or small, must be maintained. This has given me something of a reputation with the building officials in Sanpete County, who always joke about my projects when I go in for a building permit because they have condemned many of them. But once the project is complete, everyone-including the building officials-thinks it is wonderful. Probably the best examples of this are the Devereaux Mansion in Salt Lake City, which we completed in 1984, and the Ephraim Co-op.

Be sensitive to the original design of your structure. Be careful not to destroy the integrity of the building. Try to use similar materials to the original in your renovation if possible and salvage as much original material as is reasonable.

Familiarize yourself with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation at the planning stage. The Standards with Guidelines are especially useful because they provide dos and don'ts. [Contact the Utah State Historic Preservation Office at 801 533-3500 for information about the Standards.]

The Old suggestion about living in a place for six months before making radical changes is still good advice. You'd be surprised at how much the building can teach you in a few months.

Check with your local building authority and obtain any permits it requires. Nothing is worse than getting red-flagged in the middle of your project.

Interview and hire a good contractor unless you are willing to do all the work yourself (in which case triple your original estimate of time). Remember that there have been many divorces over remodeling projects that have not gone well. Get references on your contractor and check them out.

Be very leery of contractors that you must pay in advance. This may be a sign that the company is not reputable and is not financially sound. If you must pay in advance, obtain lien waivers and get some kind of security for your payment. Also, you may want to ask for the title to his truck until you are satisfied that the work is complete (just joking-sort of).

Approach the budget in a logical and detailed manner. Don't assume that there will be enough money to pay for everything you want if your project estimates come in well over budget.

Your expectations may exceed the reality of what the cost of the work really is. Remember that your contractor needs to make a profit in order to stay in business.

Establish a completion date and stick to it unless you make changes that make it impossible to meet that date. Talk with your contractor about how you plan to deal with changes in the scope of work. You should be willing to pay extra money for extra work. Written change orders are the safest way to protect everyone's interest in the project. Your contractor should also be willing to give you credit for work that does not have to be performed that was in the budget.

Remember that some materials for your project require long lead times once they are ordered. You need to decide upfront what materials you want and be willing to pay for them.

Don't change your mind once you have picked items such as doors, windows, plumbing and light fixtures, and marble, because these all tend to have long lead times.

Be Willing to do a lot of legwork to select your materials and furnishings so you don't have pay your contractor to spend valuable time doing that for you. This needs to be done before you start work.

Have weekly meetings with everyone involved with the project so that surprises are kept to a minimum.

Try to keep in mind that your project will go better if you are able to keep a team approach throughout the process. Maintain an atmosphere of congeniality and professionalism without becoming too friendly. The building process-especially rehab work-is not an exact science. There needs to be "give and take" on both sides.

If your house has stood for 100 years, you at least have the test of time on your side.

Remember, though, that all old houses have a potential for problems in an earthquake. This is a risk that every lover of old buildings must face, but the value that I find in historic structures outweighs such risks. Old buildings require constant upkeep, just like any good relationship requires. â&#x20AC;˘

U T A H

P R E S E R V A T I O N

65

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THE CHASE HOUSE

BY ELIZABETH

I hen you think of Liberty Park, what comes to mind? Playing tennis or walking the dog?

Strolling under an impressive canopy of trees and admiring the lovely green space in the middle of the city? If you've spent time in Salt Lake City, you've probably pursued a variety of activities in the city's largest park, but you've most likely never given much thought to the historic features associated with the man who called Liberty Park home long before it became a public space: the Isaac Chase house and mill.

If you have observed the house in recent years, you have noticed that it was becoming increasingly dilapidated. The peeling paint and buckling stucco made the house an eyesore; vegetation obscured its graceful proportions and was most likely causing damage to the very structure of the house. Fortunately, the condition of the house inspired a Salt Lake Tribune writer, Chris Jorgensen, to inquire why the city had allowed this historic edifice to fall into such a dismaying state. His 1993 article caught my attention. As the city's preservation planner I felt a twinge of responsibility, even though it is not my job to monitor the condition of city-owned buildings such as the Chase home. I suddenly felt an urgency to step in and try to do something for this ailing historic building.

My first step was to raise money for a historic structure report in order to determine what needed to be repaired, what preservation approach should be taken, and what it would cost. Although the ini-

tial cost estimate was almost a million dollars, I found a great deal of support within City Hall. The people at the Utah Folks Arts Program, the tenants of the house, were also enthusiastic. Carol Edison, Folk Arts Coordinator, was especially helpful and dedicated to the cause, and Utah Arts Council director Bonnie Stephens proved to be a tireless lobbyist.

Today, after years of fundraising and more than a year of construction, Isaac Chase's home is looking fine. It will continue to serve as a reminder of this early settler, and it will continue to serve as an exhibit space and performance venue for the arts of "just plain folks" from around the state.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Located in the center of the park, the Chase home and mill are the last remnants of what was once an early agricultural and industrial complex of great significance to the new community of Great Salt Lake City. Isaac Chase, a miller by trade, arrived in the fledgling city in September 1847 with his milling equipment. Like most early Mormon pioneers, Chase owned both a city lot (100 S. State Street) and a farm lot, a five-acre parcel in what is now Liberty Park. With nearby springs and converging streams to provide waterpower, the property seemed promising for a milling operation, and by December 1847 Chase had a primitive, upright sawmill in operation. He then constructed his first home, described in historical records as a "shanty,"on his farm.

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The Chase House served as home to several generations of park superintendents. Note that the porch depicted in this c.1910 photo is much less dominant than the c.1918 porch that characterizes the house today. The landscaping, however, is more exotic and lush than what the house has enjoyed in recent decades.

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sBMte Chase continued to make improvements to the property in the early 1850s. By 1853 he had completed a log home for his family and started construction of both a large adobe flourmill (still standing but currently "mothballed") and this adobe house. The mill was likely finished in 1854, and the house was probably completed in 1856.

The Chase house is typical of early Utah residential architecture. Its "central passage" plan features a wide hall that sepa-

where the Forest Dale golf course now sits.

Photographs taken in the early 1900s show a simple one-story porch across the front of the house. It is not known when this porch was built or if was part of the original construction, but it was replaced in the late teens or the twenties by the two-story portico that is now the hallmark feature of the house.

Chase's partner in the mill was Mormon leader Brigham Young, who also happened

Young's family lived in the Chase house for a time, but after Young's death in 1877 the entire property was sold to Salt Lake City for $27,000, for use as a public park. This sale coincided with a national movement to acquire large tracts of land in urban centers for park use, providing a respite from city life as well as recreational opportunities.

The park opened for public use in 1883, and the Chase house served as the park caretaker's residence for the next 81 years.

I H L C H A S E H O M E A N D M I L L ARE THE LAST REMNANTS OF WHAT WAS ONCE AN EARLY AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCE. rates the house into two rooms on either side. In style, it is closely associated with the classical revival architecture the early Mormon pioneers favored. Such homes, in both one- and two-story versions, used to be found all over the state and are as closely tied to early Mormon settlement as are irrigation ditches and rows of poplar trees.

Sadly, most have been demolished because of development pressures.

to be Chase's son-in-law. While the terms of that partnership are not fully understood, one thing is clear: Chase moved to Centerville in 1860. Young apparently offered the Centerville property in exchange for Chase's interest in the mill. Various accounts indicate that Chase was so bereft at having to leave his beloved farm and mill that he languished and died the following year at the age of 70.

Chase, along with Phares Wells, a carpenter, and Jacob Hofheins, a mason, constructed the home out of adobe brick made

By the time Chase left his farm, it encompassed the 100-plus acres that now represents the park. Members of Brigham

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For several years, beginning in 1964, the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers used the house as a museum. In 1983 the Utah Arts Council, in partnership with Salt Lake Parks and Recreation, remodeled the interior of the house for an exhibit showcasing the work of contemporary Utah crafts artists.

Three years later, the Utah Arts Council's Folk Arts Program moved its offices into the Chase home; it has used the house as exhibit and performance space ever since.

built and reinforced. But first, some basic preservation questions needed resolution.

PRESERVATION DILEMMA: EARLY RESTORATION VERSUS REHABILITATION? The historic structure report presented two scenarios: restore the house to its original appearance, which would involve removal of later changes, or retain the house in its current configuration to acknowledge the evolution of the building and site.

Deliberation on these approaches raised many issues. Should the grand portico be removed and replaced with the earlier, although maybe not original, one-story porch? Would taking the house back to an earlier time necessitate leaving the adobe walls uncovered and therefore exposed to the elements? Should the pebbledash texture on the exterior walls be replicated, as it represents a phase of the house's evolution, or should a smooth-surfaced stucco be applied?

And should the landscaping be appropriate to a nineteenth-century farmhouse or an early twentieth-century park caretaker's residence, or should it simply be part of the overall landscaping in Liberty Park today?

WHAT THE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT REVEALED In 1994 the firm of Smith Balle Hyatt Architects (SBH) was hired to thoroughly examine the house. Their historic structure report outlined a preservation plan, described the work needed to repair the house, prioritized projects, and provided estimated costs. Architect Kim Hyatt was most closely involved with the report; his firm partnered with Gil Sanchez, an experienced adobe-restoration specialist from California, to assess the condition of the adobe. Small grants from the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Trust for Historic Preservation covered a third of the cost of the $12,000 report; the city's Public Services Department paid the remaining two-thirds.

As suspected, the house was in decent shape, but years of neglect and earlier uninformed actions had taken their toll. Most of the problems were related to three issues.

First was the heavy coat of pebbledash Portland cement stucco that had been applied over the adobe in the 1930s. Unlike the traditional mud and lime stucco, this impermeable coating trapped moisture within the walls. Moisture is lethal to adobe, causing it to compress and settle, and the

walls to lose their structural strength.

Compression in turn causes the protective stucco to buckle and crack, exposing the adobe bricks to even more deterioration.

Second, inappropriate landscaping and hard-surfacing around the building concentrated moisture at the base of the house. The water required for the foliage near the house invited more damage, as did the raised flowerbeds and the Virginia Creeper vines that covered the entire south wall.

Finally, basic maintenance on the house's exterior had been neglected for many years.

Gutters were not cleaned, paint was left to peel, and roof coverings and flashings were deteriorated, allowing water and moisture to penetrate the adobe walls and wood components.

The good news was that despite all the neglect the house had suffered, it did not appear to lack structural stability, and no "immediate priorities" were identified. The "urgent" priorities included site work to eliminate sources of water damage, replacement of the pebbledash stucco, and re-roofing of the house. The report also suggested that the "lean-to" additions at the rear be either rebuilt or repaired, that structural alterations to improve seismic resistance be undertaken, and that the chimneys be re-

In the end, the rehabilitation approach that reflected the evolution of the house was used. It seemed impractical to attempt to take the house back to an earlier phase without definitive documentation of what it looked like, and it seemed foolish to try to re-create a historically accurate farmstead in the middle of a city park. This would also have meant the removal of elements, most notably the portico, that had achieved historcal significance in their own right. Also, the Utah Arts Council would lose its performance space in front if the portico was removed, and it would lose office space in the rear if the later lean-tos were taken off in the name of historical accuracy. It just made more sense, from both preservation and functional perspectives, to rehab the building "as is" rather than "as it once was."

HOW TO FIND THE MONEY While the unusual landlord/tenant relationship between the city and the state had made decision-making cumbersome in the past, it proved to be a constructive partnership in terms of raising money. After reviewing the structure report, the city made the commitment to earmark some of its capital improvement project (CIP) funds for part of the work. This good faith effort encouraged

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69

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(top left) Replacement adobes were made on site the old-fashioned way. (top right) The "central-passage" floor plan features a hallway and stairs behind the front door; this was a common plan for the more well-to-do in 19th-century Utah.

(middle left) Contractors Gerhard Koenig and Wells Van Wagoner pause behind the house to review the restoration plans. Koenig spent some growing-up years in the house when his father was employed by the city parks department. (middle right) The sidelights and transom framing the doorway add a dignified character to the entrance.

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U T A H

P R E S E R V A T I O N

C H A S E WAS SO BEREFT AT HAVING TO LEAVE H I S B E L O V E D F A R M AND MILL THAT HE LANGUISHED AND DIED THE FOLLOWING YEAR AT THE AGE OF 70. the Utah Arts Council to lobby the legislature for funding. Like many renters, they had been uninspired to put effort into a building they did not own, but with a commitment from the city, they enthusiastically embraced the idea. It was hoped that the house's close ties to Brigham Young and early pioneer life would induce the LDS Church to contribute money for the project as well.

In the end, the city and the state each contributed about $333,000, and the LDS Church donated $100,000. The state's share was initially limited to $75,000, so Utah Arts Council director Bonnie Stephens approached Representative Dave Jones to sponsor a bill for the remaining funding.

House Bill 268, requesting $258,000, passed at the end of the 1999 legislative session and saved the project. The overall cost of the rehab turned out to be about $500,000, with the balance going toward landscaping and site improvements.

WORK BEGINS Although we did not obtain all the funds necessary to complete extensive site improvements adjacent to the house, we had sufficient funds to stabilize the house, solve the most pressing drainage and landscaping problems around the house, and provide tenant improvements for the Folk Arts Program.

Kim Hyatt, who has since left SBH, was hired as the architect. Steve England, architect for the Salt Lake City Engineering Division, was project coordinator. Gerhard Koenig of Koenig Construction was selected as the contractor. Work began late in the fall of 1999.

Unlike many old-house renovation projects, work on the Chase house went amazingly well, with few expensive surprises. The difficulty in finding replacement adobe brick was resolved by making some of the adobes on site and by the lucky acquisition of matching adobes from a salvage yard. The lead paint abatement turned out to be less costly than originally thought, which left more money for landscaping.

The two most problematic elements turned out to be the southwest lean-to and the chimney. The lean-to, it turned out, had marginal structural stability: the foundation was non-existent, the framing members suf-

fered dry rot, and the attachments to the adobe wall were inadequate. Koenig and his crew simply took it down and rebuilt it to match the original.

The west chimney also had no foundation, and its stuccoed adobe bricks were crumbling. Fired brick had been scabbed onto the adobe, as it had been on the corners of the house, but that "solution" had actually accelerated the deterioration of the surrounding adobe. We discussed removing the chimney altogether, but in the end we felt it was too important a feature to remove, and thus it was rebuilt with adobe and re-stuccoed.

Work on the house also involved reversing some changes that had been made over the years, changes that were thought to be inappropriate or that threatened structural stability. Two of the original double-hung windows on the south elevation had been replaced with larger casements. Returning them to their original appearance preserved elements of the house that defined its classical revival character and had very practical implications as well, as it allowed more exhibit space for the Folk Arts Program. In this instance, it was deemed more appropriate to replicate original features rather than keep their replacements, even though the replacements represented part of the house's evolution.

Eloise Sahlstrom, a landscape architect with Landscape Architects, Inc., worked to balance the home's early role as a farmhouse with the existing park environment. She also devised planting schemes that would provide pleasant surroundings without damaging the adobe. Her solutions were simple but effective. The removal of flowering plum trees around the fountain in front of the Chase home opened up an entirely new vista of both the park from the house, and vice versa.

Photographs of the house from the early part of the twentieth century portray a formal planting arrangement, showing a circular drive and exotic foliage. These plantings would be impractical for the city to maintain, but a circular drive, using asphalt overlaid with a red chip coat, was created. Bulbs and non-invasive ground cover were planted near the house, as these will require the least amount of moisture that could harm the

foundation and adobe walls. A drip irrigation system will be used to minimize damaging spray.

A HAPPY OUTCOME Now that the Chase house is finished, I find its transformation amazing. It came in under budget and on time. There were no disasters, and the weather was cooperative.

Government agencies who rarely cross paths worked closely and harmoniously to ensure the project's success. As a city employee who frequently endures comments about "hysterical preservation," it has indeed been heartening to discover so many people committed to rehabilitating this house.

What are the lessons that can be learned from this project? First, people will support you if you take the initiative. My efforts to obtain grants for the historic structure report made the Public Services Department far more willing to participate since they didn't have to divert a lot of their time from their other responsibilities to initiate the effort.

Second, never underestimate the power of a small amount of seed money. Our funding from the National Trust and the State Historic Preservation Office for the report totaled only $4,000, but it grew into more than $600,000, enough to complete the house and much of the surrounding landscaping. And third, the historic structure report provided a workable outline, laying out alternative approaches that made it easier to procure funding. Many public and private entities ignore this step, but it proved crucial in this instance.

This summer the Folk Arts Program will again host a variety of programs designed to spotlight the vernacular and folk arts of Utah's population. Passers-by will stop in and realize that the crafts their grandparents made have artistic merit and are treasured.

People using the park will hear the music from concerts held under the portico and will take a seat on the grass. As they look up at the house, they will notice its clean lines, not its peeling paint, and they might wonder who was lucky enough to have lived in this beautiful house. â&#x20AC;˘ ELIZABETH GIRAUD IS A PRESERVATION PLANNER WITH SALT LAKE CITY.

U T A H

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house in Spring City. I knew of only two kinds of politics: the politics of water and the politics of historic preservation. Water was half in our hands and half in God's, and because we didn't farm for a living, it was not a defining issue for my family. Historic preservation, however, was half in our hands and half in the hands of the locals, most of whom didn't seem to appreciate the old buildings the way we did, so it was mostly up to people like us to make sure that the old houses and barns were saved.

"Being Demolished" by Ella Peacock

One of my early moral lessons came when we watched the old Spook house on the corner burn down. It was an adobe house, melted down to the lathe in many spots, and full of the evidence of sheep having been its only recent inhabitants. The people who had inherited the property lived far away, and were worried the house would fall down Left: My first steps as a 10-month-old were taken in this Spring City barnyard.

on kids sneaking into it (l had, and found some old playing cards

Top Right: Our neighbor, renowned Utah artist Ella

before I got spooked and ran home), so they let the fire department

Peacock, captured the image of the burned-out shell of the "Spook House" the day after it was practici by the local fire department. She shook her fist at them in frustration on the day it was burned.

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her it was a lovely, soulful old house, and it could have been saved.

UTAH

PRESERVATION

•Ato^t oS tTve, Ivou^e^ on tTve tour v/e,r& ov/n&d by "income/' esten more recent tTvan my pffi&nW, and man^ o£ tTve«?e people, JyVed up nortTv and came, t o Spr/n$ C/t-y t o ^pend tTve/r x^eeT^end? «?MnJJ uf> tTve/r o7d Tvou^e,?.

1 SIT-gb W " U d t K a t K,/nd of indignation for myself when my parents told me that, in its heyday early in the century, Spring City had boasted a theater, a candy store and an ice cream parlor. N o w the only store, and the only place where I could buy candy, was the little gas station. I walked down Main Street horrified after that; every empty block represented a building that had been torn down, and any one of them could have been the ice cream parlor itself. The people here had torn down their own buildings, my parents told me, not because the buildings were falling down, but because the people had heard of Preservationists from the city who would come in and tell you what you could and couldn't do with your own property. The people would say, "But my great-grandmother was born in this house, and it's been in our family all these generations. We can tear it down if we want to and build us a nice new home." They were cutting off their nose to spite their face, my parents said. They were throwing their great-grandmother and all those generations out with the bath water, just to prevent anyone from coming in and trying to save some building.

My parents bought property in Spring City on their honeymoon and moved there in 1977, right around the time of my birth.

Spring City was officially a ghost town in the seventies. It was off the highway, appeared only on the most detailed of maps, and couldn't keep its young people from leaving when they grew up. By the time I was ten, I could find my home on most of the maps where I looked for it. The Spring City of my childhood was no longer a ghost town, though it hadn't yet decided what kind of a town it was going to be. By then it had been declared a National Historic District, thanks to the efforts of some of the people who had come to town around the same time as my parents. Old buildings were still being torn down and new ones put up, but Historic Spring City was attracting more attention from the outside. There was the Home Tour every May, when a dozen or so restored houses, ours included, were open to the public from Provo and Salt Lake and beyond. Most of the houses on the tour were owned by "Incomes" even more recent than my parents, and many of these people lived up north and came to Spring City to spend their weekends fixing up their old houses. Some of the people buying property in Spring City lived far away and came only once or twice a year to wade through the tall

74

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grass and envision what they would do someday with the poor house they had saved from destruction like a decrepit pony at an auction. My mother watered their lots and used them as pasture for our horses, and we "kept an eye" on various properties all over town.

I took it upon myself to keep an eye on "Hamblin," the quarterblock territory across the street from our house, and that's where I spent most of my time between school and nightfall. The Hamblins were the first of my parents' friends from school to fall in love with Spring City and want their own little piece of it. They had children a little younger than my sister and I, but they lived out of state and we hardly knew them.

I stayed away from the locked-up house and kept to the barn and the other outbuildings, which I shared with my younger sister and the boys from the two inhabited lots on the block. The barn was our castle, sometimes Arthurian and sometimes Samurai, but in actuality it was more like a pirate ship, the way we climbed around its lofts and rafters. One of the weekend kids broke his wrist when he stepped on a wrong plank in the loft, and we found his little sister hanging by her shorts on a nail in the wall of the weapons room, after she made a mistake trying to climb down. But I knew every board in that place, which ones you could trust and which ones you should lead your enemies across. One of the lodge pole beams was covered in intricate wormlike inscribings, an ancient history in a language whose Rosetta Stone I would discover someday, I believed. It would not be the history of the people who had built the barn and lived in the house, about whom I spent very little time thinking. They were not my ancestors, and they were not the ancestors of my imagination. It would be a history of myself and of own making, spanning centuries and dynasties and prophecies.

There was also a barn on the lot next to Hamblin, where the Spook had been, but this barn was all one open hall and the roof was half gone so it was like a ruined church inside, full of light and melting snow and the sounds of pigeons. I could never speak out loud there and had to sneak to and from it, for the old sheepherder across the street was keeping an eye on that place. The boys from

Graveled streets and open ditches were part of Spring City's cultural landscape through the mid-1980s (c.1979 photos). Pavement and pressurized, piped irrigation have now replaced these decades-old features.

the joining lots had more of a right to be there than I did, since they'd been in Spring City for generations and therefore shared a sort of implicit kinship with the owners and the old sheepherder. But at Hamblin there was a tension between us that arose from the fact that they were always trespassers, even when they were there with me. The Hamblins were Incomes who came to Spring City to fix up old houses and I was too, though I'd been there all my life, so Hamblin belonged more to me than it did to the boys. I think I also believed it belonged more to me than to the Hamblins, in those days, for I was the one who loved all those splintering gray boards and rusted nails better than the walls of my own bedroom.

The summer I turned twelve I spent a month in Japan, and there were many nights when I lay with my eyes shut on the tatami floor, walking slowly through every room of every building in Hamblin. I was trying to keep from losing them, for I had a fear that when I turned twelve something in me would change and I would no longer want to spend my time in old barns and sheds.

By this time the Hamblins had moved back to Utah and become weekenders.

They were building an addition that would double the size of the house, but still hadn't paid much attention to any of the outbuildings. However, while I was in Japan they decided to fix up one of the sheds as a bunkhouse for all of us kids. It was one room with a peaked roof and log-cabin walls. The floor had been hardened dung and straw that was shown to be over a foot thick in one corner where I dug a little tunnel under the wall to make a hiding-place for weapons. The door was a rickety gate one of the boys and I had wired onto the old hinges, and if you stood on the remains of the manger along the back wall you could climb out a hole in the roof. This little cabin was much less exciting than the barn, and I was the only one who spent much time there, imagining things to myself when there was no one else at Hamblin.

When I returned from Japan there was a new tin roof on the little cabin, and the dung floor had been dug up and dumped in a large mound off to one side. The cabin was jacked up on blocks and before the summer was over it would have a new rough-pine floor, wide bunks along two walls, a cast-iron stove with a chimney, a porch, a real door, and a window with glass. It was a beautiful little bunkhouse, charming enough now to be included on the Home Tour. And with its natural resemblance to a gypsy caravan, it was a much better place to play than it had been before. For the rest of that summer my sister and all the weekend kids and I slept every night in the bunkhouse and played all day at Hamblin. I was the oldest, and the leader of everything we did. The boys from the other lots stayed away, though I saw them lurking along their fences sometimes. We outnumbered them now, and the fixed-up bunkhouse was no place for them anyway.

I decided I must have been wrong about turning twelve-I hadn't turned grownup overnight after all. But when I lay awake in the bunkhouse, surrounded by the sounds of younger sleepers, I thought of that day when I came back from Japan and found everything I loved piled on the backside of the dungheap: the broken manger, the scavenged half-door, the handmade weapons I'd hidden under the wall before I left. It would do no good to say, "But this little shed was mine, there were generations of me in it like layers of straw and dung;" for anyone could see the bunkhouse was better off now than it was before.

I knew what nostalgia was: something adults were supposed to feel for the place and time where they had been children. It was, in a way, the benign opposite of the innocence that made them children in that far-off time and place. My parents had told me stories of their childhoods among the almond trees and cherry orchards of Merced, California, and Orem, Utah, where everything was stripmalls and parking lots now. Spring City now was like what those places were then, and they were extremely lucky people to have stumbled again upon what

U T A H

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These stories meant that I must lose Spring City someday, just as they had lost Merced and Orem. I considered the creeping blight of malls and parking lots, but despite the new houses continuing to go up all over town I had a hard time imagining massive commercial development in Spring City during my lifetime. We were, after all, a National Historic District and a long way from anywhere.

When winter came, though, I found I'd been right in Japan. Winter had always been my time to have Hamblin to myself. There were no weekenders, and when the boys from the other lots slipped through the fences to join me we were friends again, with no need to speak.

Bur now I didn't feel like going to Hamblin, for it wasn't mine anymore. Instead I spent the short dark afternoons walking all over town. There were barns everywhere, and most of them were down on their knees, in much worse shape than the one at Hamblin. T knew that if no one restored them soon, there would be nothing to do but drag them away. And if the Hamblins didn't restore their barn, it too would eventually fall down. But if they did, the "saved" barn would be like the bunkhouse, a stranger that hardly resembled the place I'd known so intimately.

The roads I walked were paved, but I could remember when most of them had been washboard gravel. I went looking for the unpaved roads and found them here and there at the margins of the town, two-rut dirt lanes that gently dipped and skirted along. I walked them over and over, as if by keeping my feet on them I could stave off the inevitable paving. Someday I would wish that I could return to the way things were just now, and I realized that in thinking that thought I was granting my own wish. Suddenly I was my future grown-up self, magicked back to the past to stand in the middle of a dirt track.

This thought made me shiver with excitement, but I felt as though I knew too much for my own good. I'd known too much when I named my own little land Hamblin.

Everyone thought it was after the Hamblins, but really in the back of my mind was Hamelin, where the Pied Piper led all the children away into the mountain, never to grow up or come back, leaving a ghost town behind them. The children followed him because of their innocence, because they didn't know better. But if I'd been there I'd have followed him knowing full well what he was all about, because I was nostalgic before my time for things I hadn't yet lost. Maybe, by telling the stories and leading the games, I was trying to be the Pied Piper myself for all the other kids, for my sister and the Hamblin girls and the weekender's kids. (But not for the boys from the adjoining lots, for though we met on the common ground of Hamblin, they lived in a different Spring City than the one I wanted to preserve for myself.)

Why then did I feel like the crippled kid in the story, the one who had to stay behind in Hamelin after he watched all the others disappear into a crack in the mountain?

Because I'd been afraid to turn twelve. The inside of the mountain was a place for the innocent, not the nostalgic. It was too late for me to follow from the first moment I ever began to suspect that, even if my parents and the other advocates for historic preservation did succeed in ensuring that not one more stick of Spring City barn wood ever fell to ruin, my own Spring City would still be lost. I would still have to grow up and leave to look for Spring City somewhere else. â&#x20AC;˘

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