Utah Heritage Foundation

As you may know, what is being dubbed the Hub District has long been known as the Warehouse District.  That name even dates back to before The Gateway was even a thought!  The Hub District, an area with SL Central Station (formerly known as the Intermodal Hub) has been going through a planning process to give agency and government officials ideas as to what the future should look like.

As described by Envision Utah, the Depot District is one of six key locations identified in the Wasatch Choice for 2040 (WC2040). WC2040 is the land-use and transportation “Vision” for Salt Lake, Weber, Davis and Utah Counties, developed by elected officials and the public to improve our quality of life as our region experiences dramatic growth.  Implementing the Vision will allow us to absorb a 65% population growth (1.4 million additional residents) over the next 30 years, while enhancing our economy, protecting our beautiful natural areas, providing more housing and transportation choices, saving money and energy, and improving our air quality and health.

Utah Heritage Foundation has officially provided their support for the upcoming bond to save and rehabilitate Granite High School in South Salt Lake.  This would be a fabulous project that not only conserves an important historic structure, but could provide much needed flexible community space in the center of the valley.

Please join us to help inform voters in your neighborhood about the important Granite Bond election on November 8th. The City of South Salt Lake has proposed a $25 million bond to purchase former Granite High School and upgrade the campus into a community park, recreation center, arts center and public charter school. City residents are asked to vote to fund this project or not. This will be the only opportunity for the city to do so and the only way for your voice to be heard is to vote. We need your help informing voters!

Proposed Development Plan for Pleasant Grove Civic Center

Position Statement 

September 2, 2011

As you may recall, the Salt Lake Tribune reported back on August 7, 2011 that city officials, led by Mayor Becker, and the design and development team were looking at options for the Utah Performance Center (new broadway-style theater) that would demolish the historic Salt Lake Tribune building.  In the wake of that article, we've circulated the following statement.  How you can help is at the bottom of the statement.

August 16, 2011

Position Statement

Utah Heritage Foundation’s
Mid-Year Campaign is Underway

Your support enables Utah Heritage Foundation to provide the expertise needed by communities, grassroots organizations, and individual property owners when they embark on a historic preser-vation project. Contributions from our members and donors also make possible the public tours of significant Utah landmarks, such as the Salt Lake City & County Building and the Utah Governor’s Mansion, as well as rehab workshops and school programs. As we reach the half-way point of 2011, we ask for your donation to keep our technical and educational programs strong over the coming months.

Utah Heritage Foundation is grateful to KeyBank for supporting us during this appeal with a challenge to our donors and members: When your collective donations to our mid-year campaign total $3,000, KeyBank will contribute $1,000.
Help us meet our goal and give generously to preserve the unique character and craftsmanship of Utah’s historic buildings and neighborhoods.
You can donate now through our secure website or by calling 801-533-0858 ext. 107.

Thank you for supporting UHF!

Back on May 19, Salt Lake City Planning held a workshop with property and business owners, nearby residents, stakeholders, and other interested parties to discuss how to make 400 South a more inviting, livable corridor through good planning.  With large maps and markers, participants were able to describe their perfect neighborhood.  They included ideas about future land use, historic preservation, housing, transportation, jobs, walkability and transportation, and more.

This work is taking place thanks to a grant to the city from HUD to focus efforts on building better community around the three TRAX stops on the boulevard.

Of course, there are likely hundreds of historic properties within the 1/2 mile wide corridor that is being studied.  Many of those that exist today are in direct conflict with the city's zoning which allows up to 7 1/2 stories within the transit corridor, which is one block on either side of the transit line on 400 South.

The Salt Lake City Historic Landmark Commission is seeking nominations for its 2011 Preservation Awards Program. The program, to be held in August, will honor outstanding contributions towards the preservation of Salt Lake City's historic resources. To be considered, nominations must be for properties located in Salt Lake City and built no later than 1961. Rehabilitation work should be to the exterior of the property, completed between January 2009 and now. Nominations are due by Friday, July 8, 2011.

This is the first time that quality preservation work will be recognized by the city in about 10 years, which was the last time awards were presented.  This is a tremendous sign that the historic preservation program in Salt Lake City Corp. is moving along well and supported by both the Becker administration and City Council.  An annual awards program is also one of the key components included in the Citywide Preservation Plan, still awaiting adoption by the City Council.

The nomination form can be found at www.slcgov.com/ced/planning.

Historic Yalecrest National Register District Up For $25,000 Prize

With Enough Votes Neighborhood Can Win Money for Education and Marketing

Salt Lake’s Yalecrest neighborhood, with one of the finest collections of Period Revival homes in the state, has an opportunity to win a $25,000 prize from the National Trust for Historic Preservation as part of the annual “This Place Matters” national competition.

In the April 2011 Community Newsletter produced by the University of Utah, among the campus projects announced was the pending demolition of Carlson Hall.  This is the first time the long-rumored new building for the U of U Law School has been publicly announced to be on the site of the historic women's residence hall turned classroom building.

Located on one of the most prominently seen sites on campus (corner of University Street @ 400 South), this structure completed in 1938, was designed by prominent SLC architects Ashton & Evans and built with WPA funds.  Carlson Hall was named after August Carlson who bequested $121,519.22 to the university upon his death.  It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 and also served as classrooms for numerous departments, mostly recently Math and Humanities.  It may not only be a target due to its prominent location on campus and proximity to the current Quinney Law School building, but also due to its understated architectual style which was prominently used at the time of construction.  Buildings of this type were not ostentious and the public would not supported that type of building in an era of going without meeting basic needs which led to being fiscally astute.

While historic preservation has played a prominent role on President's Circle where the majority of the oldest structures exist, it's unfortunate that a university that pledges to be concerned about sustainability and green building principles cannot see how conserving an entire building supports that policy and implement a campus-wide policy for historic preservation and rehabilitation.  It's left up to each individual school or college and its Dean with nearly carte blanche acceptance of whatever they dictate as long as the financial bottom line is met.  In my experience, only federal judges may have more power to dictate building projects.