Utah Heritage Foundation

On the passing of Donald M. Stromquist last week, we should recognize the outstanding contribution he, and his late wife Jane, made to us in Utah.  First of all, let me say what great people they were, raising a successful, smart, and grounded group of three people.  And how they did that when they were balancing family life with great architectural sensibility is beyond most of our knowledge and comprehension.  As most of you know, the Stromquists hired Frank Lloyd Wright to design their house in Bountiful's North Canyon.  When they ran out of funds, Donald finished the house with his own hands and practical experience as he had built things since he was 14 years old.

For many years, Jane led vocal campaigns for practical planning, good design, and better public process.  Donald, the tall, dashing presence was right there to back her up.  Sometimes without many words, but  just the right words and his appearance would set the tone.

But Donald's life was filled with purpose, which meant making something.  After many years in Pittsburgh, the Stromquists returned to Salt Lake City and purchased the Culmer House on C Street, a grand Victorian era house near Cathedral of the Madeleine.  They proceeded over the next decade to restore the entire property by their own hands, much of it by Donald, including his rebuilding of all the intricate wood bookcases and removing and restoring every wood window in the entire house.  It was truly a labor of love.

In the late 1990s, their beloved Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house was offered for sale again and they bought it back.  After another restoration project, this time to the property they originally built, they moved back in.  Donald hosted Utah Heritage Foundation at the Stromquist House at our first Preservation Council event in 2000, and his great charisma was as much a part of the event as the house.

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