Utah Heritage Foundation

If you like Prairie Home Companion, Garrison Keillor's venerable homespun show that is long on tradition and dry wit, then this new, locally produced show may be for you.  Story Road Utah is the ambitious attempt to tell Utah's story through music, traditional poetry and prose, and the art of storytelling.  Naturally there is a thread of Utah's heritage through most of the material.  The show is produced for and with a live audience for broadcast at a later date.

Two articles in three days have highlighted UPHA’s “Story Road Utah” which will begin its summer series at the Murray Amphitheatre (495 Ea. 5300 So.) this Saturday, June 11^th at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for seniors and children.

The Murray episode features host Marvin Payne and house band Enoch Train plus the Days of ’47 Royalty (Courtney Curtis, Ashley Kearl, Megan Howell), storytellers Holly Robinson and Wendy DeMann, and guest performers Jenessa Butters, who sings the part of a Native American mother, and Sarah Coon, singing the part of her child.

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The seismic retrofit workshop offered by UHF a few weeks ago will be reprised on Saturday, May 21 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. at Murray City Hall, 5025 S. State St., in the Council Chambers.  Structural engineer Barry Welliver (Welliver Engineering) and architect Charles Shepherd (MJSA Architects) will be the presenters.  Admission is FREE.

The Murray City History Advisory Board is also sponsoring a Vine Street Historic Home Neighborhood Walk preceding the workshop from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon.  The FREE tour will begin at the Superette Market at 335 East Vine St., Murray.

On Saturday, September 18, a free Preservation Workshop will give owners of historic buildings valuable information about the care and preservation of their buildings. The workshop, presented by the Murray History Advisory Board, will be held at the Murray Baptist Church, 4886 S. Poplar Street, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The workshop will begin at 9:30 a.m. with a short walking tour of historic buildings on Poplar Street (1/2 block west of State Street). During the tour, State History’s Don Hartley, state historical architect, will share his broad experience and knowledge about preservation solutions and maintenance issues. Hartley will then present a workshop on ways to update and maintain a building and increase energy efficiency while still retaining historic integrity. He will also discuss tax credits and other funding options. Professor Robert Young of the U of U College of Architecture and Planning will present a case study of historic home preservation and the integration of sustainability/green preservation. 

After lunch, participants may take an optional bus tour of historic Murray sites (cost for the tour is $5). The 90-minute bus tour will begin at 1:30 p.m.

Download the complete flyer here.

We just received word that Murray City is demolishing two houses in their downtown historic district on Poplar Street within a few days as nuisance abatement.  They are willing to let historic materials be salvaged before demolition.  One house is brick dating c. 1903.  If you are interested in making an appointment to see the houses, contact Tim Tingey at 801.270.2420.

The Hoffman Building, a handsome yet simple, two-story commercial building from 1897 and 1924 at 4828 South State Street in Murray is the latest victim to fall prey to the facadectomy compromise in the name of historic preservation.

Utah Heritage Foundation strongly advocated for the preservation of the entire building using a combination of preservation tax credits and local incentives, and given that the developer, Robert Azarvand, bought the historic structure knowing that it was protected by Murray's Downtown Historic Overlay District.  However, after going through a process of the History Review Board, Design Review Board, and Planning Commission, we understand that a compromise was reached with Azarvand so that he would only need to preserve the façade which will be incorporated into a new building that will stretch north to the corner of 4800 South and State Street.