Utah's Present History

Urban Myth 3: Gilgal Garden and the Joseph Smith Sphinx

2013-04-28T19:56:00.003-07:00

For my third and final urban myth, I wanted to focus on an often circulation story about a sculpture in Salt Lake City that is a sphinx with the head of Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. Unlike the previous urban myths, this is not a myth at all; it is actually a real place. The sphinx of Joseph Smith is located in what I would argue is the most quirky sculpture garden in Utah: Gilgal Gardens.

The history of the Garden on Wikipedia reads: "Thomas Child, a masonry contractor and Bishop of the 10th Salt Lake LDS ward, conceived of a symbolic sculpture garden that would be a retreat from the world and a tribute to his most cherished religious and personal beliefs. He began building the garden in the back yard of his family home in 1947, when he was 57 years old, and continued to pour his time and money into the work until his death in 1963. Child named the garden Gilgal after the Biblical location where Joshua ordered the Israelistes to place twelve stones as a memorial. The name 'Gilgal' is sometimes translate to mean 'circle of standing stones,' an appropriate appellation for a sculpture garden. Gilgal is also the name of a city and a valley in The Book of Mormon, a sacred scripture in Mormonism.

"Many of the sculptures and quotations found at Gilgal refer to LDS themes: the restoration of the Priesthood, the great Mormon migration west, and the many similarities Child saw between the ancient Israelists and his LDS forefathers.

"Although Child was not a classically trained artist, he went to great lengths to obtain and shape the perfect stones for his beloved garden. He created a complete workshop in his yard for handling and cutting the stones, proudly stating that all the finish work for his statues was completed on the site.

"The finished statues are likewise unconventional, even eccentric: a sacrificial altar, a shrine to Child's beloved wife Bertha, even a sphinx with the face of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. Child, who shared the garden with thousands of visitors over his lifetime, knew that not everyone would appreciate his particular vision. His primary concern, however, was the the garden would succeed in marking people think: 'You don't have to agree with me,' he said. 'You may think I am a nut, but I hope I have aroused your thinking and curiosity.'

"Until 2000, the Garden was owned by the late Grant Fetzer family. Fetzer was a neighbor who bought the property after Child's death in 1963. Only open on Sundays, the garden was visited and often vandalized by late night trespassers. The family, tired of keeping up the garden considered making it the centerpiece of an apartment development. Later a plan was floated by a Canadian company to teach down the garden and put in condominiums.

"Instead, a group of citizens called the Friends of Gilgal Garden, headed by Hortense Child Smith, the widow of Child's son, purchased an option to buy the property provided they could raise funds by January 10, 2000. The group arranged a $400,000 commitment from Salt Lake County and $100,000 each from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation, covering the lion's share of the purchase price. However these commitments were conditioned on the garden becoming a city park, which Salt Lake City Council was reluctant to take because of a budget crunch. The property was eventually purchased for $679,000 and turned over to the city. On October 21, 2000, Gilgal Garden reopened as a city park. At a ceremony celebrating the occasion, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson called the Garden 'an absolute jewel.'"

Gilgal Garden, the only visionary art environment in Utah, is located at 749 E 500 S in Salt Lake City. It is sandwiched between two houses and is incredibly easy to miss if you don't know its there. In fact, I have talked with several locals that did not even know that it exists. The Garden is open from 8 AM to 8 PM from April to September and from 9 AM to 5 PM from October to March.

My favorite art piece at the Garden is one of Child himself. Child created a statue of himself with brick pants. He pieced all the bricks together before firing to make sure the statue would look correct, he disassembled the bricks, and numbered each one. However, during the firing, the numbers ran off. Child had to reassemble the brick pants much like a jig-saw puzzle in order to put the statue back together.

Below are several pictures of the Garden. Immediately below is the location of the garden, between the two houses on the north side of the road. As I said earlier, it can be easy to pass by.

Similar to Hobbitville, there are several stones throughout the Garden with sayings carved into them. Most of the sayings are scriptures from the Mormon Canon (the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price)

Photo courtesy of visitusa.com

The piece below is a representation of a sacrificial altar.

The famous brick pants.

Courtesty of bestroadtripever.com

An archway with a very large keystone and four books representing the Mormon canon.

At the Gardens are a couple of really cool bird houses.

Gilgal's wife. Yes, it does look as spooky in real life.

A representation of Daniel 2

Gilgal Garden is one of my favorite place in Salt Lake, simply because of it one-of-a-kind quirkiness. It is a beautiful area and a fun place to visit. If you would like more information about the Gilgal Garden or would like to make a tax deductible donation, please visit the Friends of the Gilgal Garden website.

While researching Gilgal Gardens, I came across some really cool artwork by Ryan Perkins. I wanted to include his piece entitled "The Man Child (in Gilgal)" which is an image of the statue of Child wearing the brick pants.

Courtesy of ryanperkins.net

LOST IN HISTORY: Thomas Child was the bishop of the ward that met at the 10th Ward Meeting House. This building still stands. Where in Salt Lake is it located? As an additional help, there is an image of the building behind the statue of Child wearing the brick pants.

Urban Myth 2: Salt Lake City Cemetery (Ghost of Emo, Lilly Gray, and the 666 beast)

2013-04-14T13:15:00.001-07:00

This past Halloween I was disappointed when I realized that I had class at the University of Utah the same night. Not having any time to participate in night time revelries, my roommate and I decided to go on another adventure fitting for Halloween: explore a few of the urban myths located at the Salt Lake City Cemetery.

According to Wikipedia, "The Salt Lake City Cemtery is in the Avenues neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah. Approximately 120,000 persons are buried in the cemetery. Many religious leaders and politicians, particularly many leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) lie in the cemetery. It encompasses over 250 acres and contains 9 1/2 miles of roads. It is the largest city-operated cemetery in the United States.

"The first burial occurred on September 27, 1847, when George Wallace buried his child, Mary Wallace. The burial was two months after the Mormon pioneers had settled the Salt Lake Valley. In 1849, George Wallace, Daniel H. Wells, and Joseph Heywood surveyed 20 acres at the same site for the area's burial grounds. In 1851, Salt Lake City was incorporated and the 20 acres officially became the Salt Lake City Cemetery with George Wallace as its first sexton.

"As of mid 2012, only 1,000 cemetery plots remain unsold. Cemetery officials predict that the cemetery will be completely sold out in 10 years."

Below is the entrance to the Cemetery at the corner of 4th Ave and N and the Sexton's house which is located behind the arch.

One of the most often cited urban myths in Salt Lake is that of the "Grave of Emo." According to Enjoyutah.org, "Urban legend tells us that if you light a candle and walk backwards around the grave three times, when you peer into the crypt you will see the face of Emo the Ghost. Every person you talk to in Salt Lake City 'knows somebody who knows somebody' who has tried this ritual, and has seen Emo."

The grave at the center of the legend is that of Jacob E. Moritz, a prominent politician in early Utah history and founder of the Salt Lake Brewery, one of the largest breweries outside of Wisconsin in its day. In 1910, Moritz grew ill and returned to Germany where he died. Due to his connection to Utah and its history, his ashes were shipped back to Utah and placed in an urn inside the crypt bearing his name in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.

Because of all of the visitors to his gravesite, the urn with his ashes was eventually removed and replaced with an empty bottle. No one really knows where or when the legend regarding the ghost of Emo got started. The only thing that I have read that relates Moritz to the fabricated ghost of Emo, who supposedly was a serial killer or a child molester, is that Jacob E. Moritz name spelt out includes "EMO" (jacobEMOritz).

On Halloween when I went to the cemetery to test out the legend, I was not sneaky enough and was quickly caught by security. They politely told me to leave the cemetery, so I have yet to actually try to the legend. If you would like to give it a try, the crypt is located in the Jewish section of the cemetery, and the exact location of the gravesite can be found by clicking here.

Below are pictures of the crypt, the replacement urn, and the M on the front of the crypt. If you look close enough at the 'M' you can see that someone has engraved 'EMO.'

The reason that I first went to the Salt Lake City Cemetery was the rumor that someone buried there had "taken by the beast 666" inscribed on her gravestone. This myth is true and is the gravestone of Lilly E. Gray. When looking for the grave, the grounds keeper who directed me where to go pointed out very clearly that the grave is located in the Mormon section of the cemetery and not the Catholic side.

The only thing in inscribed on Gray's tombstone, beside her name, date of birth, and date of death, is "Taken by the beast 666." The most surprising thing to me upon finding the location is that she died in 1958; I was expecting her to have died in the late 19th century. Little is known about Lilly. She moved to Salt Lake around 1950, around the same time that she married Elmer Gray, who is also buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery but far away from Lilly.

The most common assumption is that Lilly's husband, Elmer, suffered from some severe mental problems. Since he was the only surviving relative of Lilly, it was his responsibility to plan all of the funeral arrangements, including the headstone. The best example of Elmer's insanity can be found in Elmer's request to the Utah State Board of Parols for parol. In it, Elmer states that he was held for 10 years by "Democrat kidnappers and their friends" and that his parents died of grief after the kidnappers murdered his wife. Although the request was written 3 years before marrying Lilly, it can be assumed that his erratic and crazy behavior continued for several years, resulting in the odd tombstone.

Lilly's grave (which is located in the X1 section of the Cemetery) can be a little difficult to find. The easiest way to find it is by going to the Catholic area (Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemeter), which is the most eastern part of the Cemetery. The hill is somewhat steep, and at the top of the slope is a section of tall pine trees in a row. Go to the third tall pine from the east (not counting the little tiny one furthest east) and continue up the cemetery in a straight line north from that tree. The tombstone is pretty small and lies on the ground so keep an eye out. I have always seen things left at the site (flowers, pennies, cigarettes, candles) and people often visit. Below is a picture looking south with Lilly Gray's tombstone in the foreground and the large pines in the background.

The Salt Lake City Cemetery is an incredibly interesting place full of history. The EnjoyUtah.org site has several stories about the Cemetery. For example, the site discuses the potential burial site of the Sundance Kid (of Butch Casidy and the Sundance Kid fame), the Christmas Box Angel monument, the location of the burial sites of several Mormon prophets and leaders, a scavenger hunt, and the story of Jean Baptiste, a early cemetery worker who stole clothes from the bodies of hundreds of people that he buried; Baptiste was later banished to Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake as a result. It is kind of a crazy story, and interestingly BYU just came out with a movie about Jean Baptiste, which you can find below.

LOST IN HISTORY: It is interesting that with all of the LDS prophets that are buried in the Cemetery, the prophet that established Salt Lake City, Brigham Young, is not. Brigham Young is buried in a different part of Salt Lake. The Lost in History question for this post is where in Salt Lake was Brigham Young buried?

Urban Myth: Salt Lake City's Hobbitville (aka Allen Park)

2013-02-28T20:09:00.001-08:00

Salt Lake City is a city of stereotypes. Most people have some idea about Salt Lake before ever visiting. I wanted to start of by dispelling some of those stereotypes, or at least a few urban myths.

When living down in Utah County, the most common myth that I heard multiple times about Salt Lake City was in regards to Hobbitville. Hobbitville is a supposed neighborhood in Salt Lake City that is inhabited completed by little people (some people call them midgets, but I will call them little people in this post). Rumors are that the neighborhood is located somewhere within the Sugar House area. I had heard that the area is full of little tiny houses. However, you would have to be extremely careful if ever trying to get into Hobbitville because the residents are extremely protective and would yell at you and chase you out of the area.

I don't know how this myth ever got started. I think it probably worsened when TLC started a show called The Little Chocolatiers about a little person couple from Salt Lake City that ran a chocolate shop. I heard from multiple sources that the couple from this show lived in Hobbitville. Local adventure seekers that love to share the lore of their dance with death by the hands of little people have only added to the legend. One website that I found state that "Legend has it that if you run through 'Hobbitville' at night, magical creatures and evil hobbits will come out and lock you in their tiny cages."

So now for the truth: Hobbitville doesn't really exist. Sorry everyone. I was pretty disappointed myself because it sounded like a really cool urban myth. That being said, the urban myth is only half false. Hobbitville has an actual location, it just isn't full of little people. The place that everyone supposes is Hobbitville is actually called Allen Park.

Allen Park is located directly across from Westminster University on 13th East in Salt Lake City and is situation along the Emmigration Creek. Examiner.com has a great history of the place. Their page reads:

"Allen Park was established in the 1930s by Dr. George Allen and his wife Ruth Larsen Allen as a bird sanctuary. For nearly 30 years, Dr. Allen collected more than 700 bird and wildlife specimens from around the world and housed them in Allen Park.

"The bird sanctuary was open to the public every Sunday until Dr. Allen's death in 1961.

"In order to help financially sustain Allen Park, Dr. Allen began to incorporate rental residences into the neighborhood and he built or relocated several small structures to Allen Park in the 1930s and 1940s. Some of the cabins were built by local craftsman in exchange for free medical care by Dr. Allen.

"Allen Park became home to many nature lovers. The houses are small, even by historic standards, so most of the individuals living in them were single without families or children.

"Allen Park continues to be a nature lovers rental paradise. Not as many bird species reside in Allen park today but it is home to many waterfowl and peacocks. it is also one of the few rental places that is within Salt lake City that still has the feeling of living in a wooded cabin near a peaceful stream."

I found another interesting article about the residence that Allen built. "In keeping with the rustic natural habitat, Allen built several log cabin dwellings on the property, including his own lodge-like residence, unique in its construction without the use of metal nails and thought to be the only one of its type in the US. Originally consisting of 24 rooms, it was partially reduced in size by a 1981 fire. Allen resided there until his death in 1961."

When I went to Allen Park, I ran into the current manager of the property, who I believe is Allen's daughter. She lamented the fact that they can't keep up the property like they used to in the old days and that they can't afford several of the exotic birds that used to be housed on the property. She was an extremely nice lady and I couldn't figure out why everyone said that Allen Park is so unfriendly. I asked her if I could walk around and she obliged.

As I began to talk down the road, I said hi to the grounds keeper. He gruffly rumbled back a hello. I asked him how he was doing. He stammered out an "I've doing okay, considering the circumstances." He paused a good ten seconds and said quite loudly, "I would be better if people would just leave us the f*** alone!" I ignored the statement that was clearly directed towards me and started walking deeper into the property. As I traveled further from the man (into a dead end), he continued to scream profanities at no one in general. It was very unnerving, but once I got deep enough into the property, the distance drowned out his voice.

Allen Park is enchanting. I almost felt like I was in Narnia. There are lamp posts throughout that have sayings and quotes on them. Also throughout there are several cool cement pieces that have quotes. All of the buildings and structures have a unique, made-by-hand look to them. Emigration creek wanders throughout the area, making it even more stunning.

I do have to say that the people there were all very private. I felt somewhat imposing just walking through and taking pictures. I did receive permission from Allen's daughter to walk through. There are several no trespassing signs posted throughout. I do believe that the legends that have grown around the unfriendliness of the area probably stem from the grounds keeper, who scared me quite a bit.

There aren't very many birds left, only a few peacocks, chickens, turkey, and geese. Most of these birds are caged right along 1300 East. If you are walking down 13th East, it is hard to miss them on the east side of the street.

I was very disappointed when trying to research Allen Park with the complete lack of photographs, both current and historic; everything I could find was taken from directly on 13th east. As a result I have included several photos of Allen Park. Once again, it is private property so if you would like to do some exploring, make sure you have permission.

Allen Park is very easy to miss. There are a couple of pillars on 13th East (at around 1850 S) that mark the entrance. They are in a state of disrepair.

The bird cages abut the street and the birds seem to really enjoy humans. Here are a couple of photos that I took of them:

This turkey was especially photogenic and followed me around his pen for several minutes.

After walking down the lane, this building is the first one that I came across. I think it used to be a place where people would have bonfires.

After continuing on a little further I came across these cool fountains. I have ridden my bike to this part during the summer and I don't think that they are even actually turned on.

The fountain stand directly in front of the main house that Allen built several years ago, which currently has some cool bird figurines of it.

The house below is located next to Allen's original house. This house is called the rooster house, named for the rooster painted on the front of the house.

I thought that the following two houses are very unique. The owners had to park on this side of the river and then walk across a cool wooden bridge to the other side of the stream to get to their house.

Several of the homes have a very unique, hand made feel, such as large stones that says "Mary Rose" or hand crafted walk ways.

I found several references to a pond or pool that was located in Allen Park. Below is the area that surrounds the pond, including an old cement dear that was missing its head. The pond is currently empty and I don't know whether it is full during the warmer months of the year.

Below is a walk way leading down to Emigration Creek.

Below is an old well. It is currently filled in, but it is several feet deep and I believe that it is the original well for the property.

This is a view from the end of the street looking back towards 13th East. The street that travels through Allen park ends at a roundabout.

Below is a view of Emigration Creek, just west the old Garfield Elementary building on 15th East.

One of the most interesting parts of Allen Park are all of the hand made light posts throughout the property. Most of the posts have interesting quotes on them.

Below is the lamp post that is located in the middle of the roundabout at the end of the road. On one side it says, "God's in his heaven all's right with the world," on another it says, "Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground," the third side it reads, "Intelligo ut credam," and on the final side it reads, "Pour down your warmth great sun."

In addition to the light posts, there are several large cement blocks with quotes on them. Below are a few of them.

Yes, the block below does say, "Lo, the poor indian whose untutor'd mind." I don't know what the rest says because it is covered by snow.

So as a summary, Allen Park: still a cool place even though the residents are normal sized.

Salt Lake City Garden Park Ward

2013-02-17T09:19:00.000-08:00

Historical photo courtesy of the Utah State Historical Library. Current photo courtesy of ldsarchitecture.wordpress.com

After several years of posts from Utah County, I am taking the blog up north, to Salt Lake City. I wanted to start with one of my favorite places in Salt Lake, the Garden Park Ward Building.

After moving to Salt Lake, I had an incredible experience as I was riding my bike around one day. I came across a church building and I felt like I had found a secret garden. The building, the Garden Park Ward, was hidden in the middle of a neighborhood, but had the most incredible grounds I had ever come across for a church building. Here are some pictures from 1939 and what it looks like today:

Historic photo courtesy of the Utah State Historical Library

The chapel is located at 1150 E Yale Ave in Salt Lake City. Outside of the chapel is a plaque that reads:

"The historic Garden Park Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is situated where the Red Butte Creek flows into the Salt Lake Valley. Brigham Young in 1857 conveyed his deeded property to his younger brother, Lorenzo Dow Young. In 1880 it was acquired by Lorenzo's daughter, Josephine Young Carter, who transferred 21 acres, including this site, to Le Grand Young. Le Grand was Brigham Young's nephew and general legal counsel to the LDS church. Le Grand and Lorenzo planted trees, many of which remain on this site. In 1918 it was sold to John C. Howard who enlarged the home and added the walls and smaller buildings. The estate was bought in 1928 for the Garden Park Ward Chapel, which was dedicated April 2, 1939 by President Heber J. Grant.

"The chapel stands on a foundation constructed for the Howard mansion. The oak grove, the giant trees, the stream and pond, walks, walls, and gardens provide a place of worship with historical ties to pioneer days.

"President Gordon B. Hinckley 15th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints rededicated the Garden Park Ward building and grounds on January 20, 2008. This was President Hinckley's last public appearance prior to his passing on January 27, 2008."

The final picture of the three that I posted above is what is called the Scout House or is sometimes known as the Carriage House. I do not know if this was the original house on the property that was later enlarged by John Howard or if it was constructed at the same time as the chapel. The picture above is from 1941, which leads me to wonder at what time it was enlarged, since it currently includes an additional wing that was not included in the original rendering.

One interesting part of the building can be seen in the picture above of the chapel. Unlike most LDS chapels, rather than having pews, the chapel has seats. They remained after the 2008 renovation and are still in place.

The best part of the chapel are the gardens in the back. It is an extremely popular place to take wedding photos and it is common to find a bride or two roaming around. I love to go and sit by the pond or lay under one of the huge trees. The chapel is available for wedding receptions, but only for those individuals that live within the stake boundaries. Anyone can take photos, as long as it is on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday. For more information, please visit gardenparkward.org.

Below are several photos of the building and the grounds.

LOST IN HISTORY: The Red Butte Creek, which flows through Garden Park Ward, has been scene to a recent environmental controversy. What environmental issue recently occurred (within the last 5 years) happened on Red Butte Creek? If you get tired of searching, you can read a good article about it here.

Provo Center Street

2013-02-02T20:58:00.001-08:00

I have enjoyed my time in covering historical buildings in Provo and much of Utah County. While looking through photos of downtown Provo, I came across some photos of several historic buildings downtown that I wanted to share.

The picture below is from the corner of Freedom Blvd and Center. A plaque on the corner building reads: "In October 1875, President Brigham Young executed a deed of trust to establish an academy. First classes were held in January 1878. Warren N. Dusenberry, principal. Karl G. Maeser became principal April 1878 to 1892. First school held on this site in Provo's first brick structure. Destroyed by fire in 1884. Classes continued in temporary quarters, then ZCMI warehouse until education building was dedicated 1892. During those years, A. O. Smoot, president of trustees, arranged financing. Benjamin Cluff, Jr., [romo[a; 1892-1903. Academy changed to Brigham Young University 1903."

Historical photo courtesy of the Provo City Library

A view of Center Street, looking east, from 100 West

Historical photo courtesy of the Provo City Library

A view of Center Street from 100 West, looking West. A plaque on the corner building reads: "R. Spencer Hines, a pharmacist who made his money in the Tintic mines, constructed this building in 1885 as a drug store and saloon (The Palace) and rebuilt it to its present shape in 1890. Hines was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.), the first fraternal order formed in Provo, an organization which utilized the second floor of this building during 1890-93. In 1893 the second floor was rebuilt to create a rooming house. The drug store continued in operation and eventually became known as Hedquist Drug Store, Ivan's Drug, Stone Drug, Sanitary Cafe, Cozy Cafe and Provo Pharmacy. Restaurants, such as the Vienna Care, have operated in the former saloon area."

A plaque on the second building from the corner, the Southworth Block, reads: "Built in 1900 by Henry L. Southworth, this building was known historically as the Southworth Block and originally housed four businesses with a public hall of the second floor. Some of the businesses that operated in this building include the Palace Meat Market, Pal Butcher Shop, the Boston Store, theHub Clothing Co., the Cystal Restaurant, Leven's Men's Store, Heindsleman's, Daynes Optical, and the Hyde House which rented out rooms on the second floor. This building was restored in 1990."

Historical photo courtesy of the Provo City Library

Buildings located around 350 W Center Street.

Historical photo courtesy of the Provo City Library

A building located around 50 W Center Street.

Historical photo courtesy of the Provo City Library

The following two photos are of the Utah County Clothing House, which was located on the northwest corner of 200 West (Freedom Blvd.) and Center Street, where the Utah County Convention Center is currently located. The first photo is from 1900 and the second from a latter date.

Photo courtesy of the Provo City Library

A view of Center Street from around 200 West (Freedom Blvd), looking east:

Photo courtesy of the Provo City Library

Historic buildings located on the west side on University Ave between Center and 100 North:

The Union Block, located around 50 W Center, and other buildings located next to the Union Block:

The building located at Center and 300 West which has recently been remodeled and turned into the Madison:

The building located at Center Street and Freedom, where Bingham Cyclery is located:

The building located at the corner of 200 West and Center, where Smoke Break is located:

LOST IN HISTORY: Provo is currently constructing a splash pad at Pioneer Park, on the west side of downtown. The splash pad will reference different people that have been instrumental in the history and foundation of Provo. I found at least four groups of individuals that will be referenced in the cement work around the splash pad. What are the four groups?

Knight Block

2013-01-27T14:39:00.003-08:00

Historical photo courtesy of the Provo City Library

The most recognizable historical business building in Provo is probably the Knight Block, located on the Northeast corner of Center and University Ave. The building was built by Jesse Knight, who at the time was the wealthiest business man in Provo. He made his fortune from mining claims in the Eureka area. He was instrumental in the construction of several business and houses throughout Provo and has been highlighted in a number of previous posts.

Before the Knight Block was constructed, the Northeast corner of Center and University was where the Provo Cooperative Institution, or the Co-op, was located. The picture above is second Co-op building and the original Co-op building can be found in the picture below. The Co-op was demolished when the Knight Block was constructed.

Historical photo courtesy of Brigham Young University, Lee Library, L. Tom Perry Special Collections

According to the Provo City website, the Knight Block was "constructed in 1900 on the site of the Provo East Co-op Mine owner and entrepreneur Jesse Knight built it as the headquarters for his commercial enterprises. Richard C. Watkins, a Provo and Ogden architect, designed the Knight Block. Knight hoped the new building would be the most imposing business structure in Provo. With the tabernacle, court house, and the Provo Commercial and Saving Bank sharing the corner of University and Center, the Knight Block became a community landmark. The building was divided into public and private places. The public place on the street level featured large plate glass windows that show cased the Schwab Clothing Store. The upper, private part of the building was visually different from the lower level."

Historical photo courtesy of Brigham Young University, Lee Library, L. Tom Perry Special Collections

According to a Deseret News article featured in the post about the Gates-Snow Building, the Knight Block was purchased by the Provo Town Square Associates. Its restoration was completed in 1984. While that restoration was only completed 40 years ago, another possible restoration is in the works, if the University Tower is constructed. The University Tower is a proposed 10 story building which will be located between the Knight Block and Wells Fargo Tower that is located at 100 North and University Ave. The agreement, which was initially signed in 2007 but has staled due to the economy, would also restore the facade of the Gates-Snow Building and add 2 additional four story buildings to Center Street, one between the Knight Block and the Gates-Snow and the other just to the west of Los Hermanos, the old Ottavio's. All three buildings will be interconnected.

The Knight Block was designated on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Below are some additional photos of the building throughout the years.

Photo courtesy of Brigham Young University, Lee Library, L. Tom Perry Special Collections

Photo courtesy of the Utah State Historical Society

LOST IN HISTORY: Jesse Knight was famous for his mining claims in Eureka. Unfortunately, Eureka is a shell of its former self and Main Street is filled with abandoned store fronts. Besides the gas station and mining museum, there is one attraction to Main Street, a cabin of a famous Mormon pioneer. Whose cabin is located on Main Street in Eureka?

University and Center: Provo's Most Dangerous Intersection

2013-01-21T09:21:00.002-08:00

Historic photo courtesy of Brigham Young University, Lee Library, L. Tom Perry Special Collection

In April of 1917, a group of artisans in Provo decided to add an innovative, concrete fountain to the intersection of University Ave and Center Street. The fountain marked what became a meeting place for Provo residents; several community events were organized and held around the fountain, including bike races, hikes, and pageants. The fountain was eventually removed in 1931.

The Daily Herald wrote an excellent article about the fountain. One of my favorite stories recounted in the article is how the fountain was used to "duck," or throw people in the fountain, several Provo High School students who did not show up to a mandatory day of service. I also enjoyed the story about a group of kids who would hold onto car bumpers in the intersection and get a quick ride down the street.

The fountain was eventually moved because it was a traffic hazard. Automobile accidents were extremely common around it, especially in the winter time when the fountain froze over and the ice spilled onto the street. Since University Ave is a state highway, the state offered to remove the fountain. Although several individuals wanted to move the fountain to a local park as a commemoration of the horse and buggy era, the city accepted the states offer when no funds could be found to move the fountain.

Below is an additional photo of the fountain looking towards the east.

Historic photo courtesy of Brigham Young University, Lee Library, L. Tom Perry Special Collection

In the first photo of this post, you can see one of the most prominent buildings in Provo, the First National Bank Building (which may be known as the Commercial and Savings Building), which is currently part of Provo Town Square. Below is a picture of the building from 1880 and what it currently looks like.

Historic photo courtesy of Brigham Young University, Lee Library, L. Tom Perry Special Collection

The Provo City Website has an excellent summary about the history of this building. It reads:

"Businessmen A. O. Smoote organized the First National Bank of Provo in 1882 and constructed their first building on this site in 1884. In 1894 the Provo Commercial and Savings Bank took over First National. Reed Smoot, president, had organized the new bank in 1890. Provo Commercial and Savings constructed this building in 1904. Like the Knight Block, the architect for this building was Richard C. Watkins. Watkins also designed College Hall and other commercial buildings on University and Center during the real estate boom in Provo at the turn of the century. The new bank resembles the Knight Block and is late Richardson Romanesque-Commercial. The ground level has been altered, eliminating the large arched window. Look especially for the capitals on the free standing and engauged columns. They have some of the finest hand carved masonry work in provo. The carving which are also are Richardson Romanesque inspired, included Gothic creatures and naturalistic designs such as leaves. The second level has remained essentially intact."

As nerdy as it sounds, I got really excited when I read that the building is in the Richardson-Romanesque style because my favorite building in Salt Lake, the City and County Building, is also Richardson-Romanesque. One additional historical note is that the first building at this site held class for Brigham Young Academy after the Lewis Building was destroyed in 1884.

Below are a couple of additional photos of the building throughout the years.

Photo courtesy of Brigham Young University, Lee Library, L. Tom Perry Special Collection

LOST IN HISTORY: The other day I read about a building in Provo that has been lifted off its foundation and is resting on stilts about 5 feet of the ground so that a 38 foot basement can be dug. Which building is it? As a couple extra hints, it is located in the vicinity of the First National Bank Building and it has been covered in a couple of previous posts. If you would like to see pictures of it rest on stilts, take a look at the Skyscraperpage Forum.

The Old Provo High School

2013-01-13T20:26:00.001-08:00

I came across a blog a while back that photoshopped photos of Russian cities with the same location as it appeared during World War II. I loved the idea and wanted to incorporate it into my blog. I am going to start each of my blogs with a photo in the same style. Above a picture of the old Provo High School, which is the currently location of the Provo City Hall.

On the corner of 300 West and 100 South, where the fire station is located, there is a plaque commemorating the old high school. It reads:

"August 20, 1812, the Board of Education agreed 'that a high school be established in Provo city.' The so-called high school began with 'one year' then 'two years' and then more until it became a four-year school. At the close of the school year of 1920-21, Provo graduated students from the public high school for the first time in the city's history. A high school yearbook of 1918 lists the names of eight students who were in the eleventh year. The ten-year period, following the close of World War I, was a time when the high school grew rapidly. In the spring of 1924, there were 65 graduating students, and at the close of the school year of 1924-25, one hundred-sixteen pupils graduated. By 1956 more than 1,000 students attended school at Provo High School. The last graduating class of 1956 had 336 students. More than thirty-five class groups emerged into life from this edifice."

The high school was eventually moved to the corner of University Ave and Bulldog. After the school was moved, the original building was demolished and replaced with the Provo City Hall, which includes the main police and fire station. Below are pictures of what the school looked like after construction and what it currently looks like.

Photo courtesy of Brigham Young University, Lee Library, L. Tom Perry Special Collections

LOST IN HISTORY: There is only one building from the original high school that still stands. What is this building? As a hint, it is located on the corner of 300 West and 100 South and two pictures of it are below (if you want to figure it out yourself, do not look too closely at the second photo, where the name of the building can be found).

An Opera and a Beer in Provo

2013-01-05T09:22:00.002-08:00

There has been a lot of talk recently in Utah news about the new performing arts center that will soon be coming to Salt Lake City and even the possible relocation of the Hale Center Theatre from West Valley City to Sandy. With all of the talk about performing arts, it is interesting to note that Provo used to have one of the premier Opera Houses along the Wasatch Front. The Provo Opera House was located about 50 North 100 West.

Courtesy of Brigham Young University, Lee Library, L. Tom Perry Special Collection

Opera House--- BYU, Lee Library, L. Tom Perry Special Collection

Provo: the garden city of Utah: its resources and attractions stated about the opera house, "Perhaps no other city of double its population in the United Sftates has so fine a building of amusement as Provo. The Provo Opera House has a seating capacity of 900, and cost over $30,000. Like all other public institutions in Provo, everything is new and contains all the modern advantages in the line for which it was erected. It may be unnecessary to state that a city with such a building has a good record among traveling theatrical companies for the number of its amusement-loving inhabitants."

The best information that I could find on the Opera House was from the BYU website where the picture was originally published. The site states, "Although plays, debates, and lectures were held in College Hall, the old Opera House in downtown Provo (constructed in 1888 on First West between Center Street and First North) was the scene of many large-scale BYU productions, such as operas and major drama, before 1920. Later the seats were removed and the building was used for dances and boxing and wrestling matches. According to Professor J. Homer Wakefield, who took this photograph, it was the site of Jack Dempsey's boxing debut. In the 1920s it was converted to a National Guard armory, and it was razed in the 1950s."

Who can enjoy a good night at the opera without a large drink of beer? Well, for those lucky opera goers, the Palace Saloon was located directly across the street. There is a complete lack of information about the Palace Saloon on the internet. In fact, when googling "Palace Saloon Provo," only six results were provided, five of which were photographs from photo databases. The Palace Saloon was located on the west side of 100 West between Center and 100 North. What surprised me even more than the lack of information on the internet is that the building is still standing, just to the south of where Sammy's is located.

Courtesy of Brigham Young University, Lee Library, L. Tom Perry Special Collection

Sorry the above picture is such poor quality; I promise that it isn't from the 1970's. For some reason, I didn't take a picture of the building face on and had to use the picture from Googlemaps. Below is a better picture of what the building currently looks like.

One of the pictures that I came across while researching the Palace Saloon was a great flicker account in which old historic buildings are combined with modern pictures of the same building. Here is the picture I found. If you want to look at some more buildings in downtown Provo, check out chisbateman's photostream.

LOST IN HISTORY: Time for the second installment of Lost In History, an interactive part that I am going to include and the conclusion of the posts to help the blog be more interactive. Once again, if you have any comments or ideas for rewards or giveaways that could be given to the first person who responds, let me know. For todays Lost In History, I thought that the lack of information about the Palace Saloon was unfortunate. However, it reminded me of perhaps the biggest connection that Provo has to saloons. Provo's most notable resident around the turn of the 19th century was an individual who was famous for having the only "saloon-free and prostitute free" mining camp in the US. Who was he and what connection did he have to Provo? To help you out, he did built several houses around Provo which have been featured in previous posts, and as an additional hint, his name is on the most notable historical business building in Provo.

Doing A Little Historical Searching Yourself...

2012-12-29T08:42:00.002-08:00

I recently came across a couple other pictures of historic buildings around Pioneer Park in Provo. The first is of the Provo Foundry and Machine Company. Here is a picture of the old building from 1908 and the 1930's:

Courtesy of the Provo City Library

Courtesy of Brigham Young University, Lee Library, L Tom Perry Special Collection

This building used to sit on the corner of 500 West and Center Street, right where the Fresh Market (previously Albertsons) parking lot is. I found a really interesting book called Provo: The Garden City of Utah: Its Resources and Attractions. It was published in 1888 by the Provo Chamber of Commerce as a means of informing people as to what Provo had to offer. About the Provo Foundry it reads:

"It should be stated here also that the largest operating company for the manufacture of machinery and the working of brass and iron in Provo city, is the “Provo Foundry and Machine Company,” of which an organization was effected in January of 1886…. The main building occupied by the works of the company is 80x32 feet. It is two stories high and is built of adobe and brick. A commodious moding room in the rear of the building is 60x40 feet, besides engine rooms and shops which are usually constructed of such works. The company has all the latest and most improved machinery—planers, turning lathes, power drills, and furnaces necessary for brass and iron casting, and the baking of cores for hollow iron works, with wide capacity, and facilities which do not include those used in the manufacture of machinery. At present, but a limited number of workmen are employed by reason of the heavy cost of pig iron now imported from the east. This difficulty will, however, be overcome at no distant day, as the company heretofore mentioned, which has in its possession the largest iron beds in the country, but a few miles from this city, contemplate the erection of furnaces for the manufacture of pig iron as soon as possible. The foundry company has been thoroughly successful in its work, and is daily turning out machinery and castings fully equal to those produced by eastern institutions of a like kind."

I had a very difficult time finding any information about this building or company. I believe the company was owned by a man with the last name Pierpont, who built and owned several of the homes around Provo. The Foundry produced heating and plumbing pieces, many that are still being used in houses around Provo. Although the second photo is from the 1920's or 30's, I do not know when the building was finally demolished.

Around the corner from the Foundry at 630 W 100 N is a really cool row of buildings called the Silver Row Apartments. Here is a picture of it from around 1900 and what it looks like now:

Courtesty of Utah Valley Houses

Wikipedia has a great article about these apartments. It reads:

"Built in 1890, the Silver Row Apartments were very representative of the times in the state of Utah. Row houses, such as these, were prevalent in the larger cities of Utah and represent much of the lower-income residential architecture of the time period. Few of the these examples remain today, making these apartments a valuable and significant asset to the state of Utah's history. The Silver Row Apartments were disgnated to the provo City Historic Landmarks Registry on April 26, 1996.

"The original owner of Silver Row was David P. Felt. Felt was born in Salt Lake City in 1860. After marrying Nora Civish, Felt relocated to Provo, Utah. Silver Row was built by him about 1890."

There are a couple of other places in that neighborhood that I wanted to include. Here is an image from 1900 of the Bullock House, which was located just west on the Foundry between 500 and 600 West on Center Street, where the Fresh Market parking lot that currently is located:

Courtesy of Brigham Young University, Lee Library, L Tom Perry Special Collection

Below is the 3rd Ward LDS Assembly Hall, located at 500 W and 100 N in Provo. The building is currently part of Discovery Academy, a residential treatment center.

Courtesy of the Provo City Library

Below is Center Street at 700 West, facing west. These houses pictured in this photo can still be found at the location, although trees have grown along the sidewalk, completely obstructing the view:

Courtesy of Brigham Young University, Lee Library, L Tom Perry Special Collection

Finally, the Strickland Residence, which was located at on the Southwest corner of 500 West and 100 North.

From the Utah State History Photo Library

I was originally confused about where the Strickland residence was located at. I finally found some old maps labeled the "Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps." I was able to find the residence on the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map #10. Its octagonal shape was easily distinguishable on the corner or 500 W and 100 S, located just north of the Foundry. Below is the image that I am talking about.

Courtesy of the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library

I really enjoyed looking at the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. If you are interested in researching about downtown Provo, or any other cities in Utah such as Salt Lake or Ogden, I would recommend checking out the Insurance Maps. The best place is to go to the Mountain West Digital Library and search "Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps." You will have to be specific about what city you want because there are almost 2,000 results from multiples years from places like Ogden, Provo, Salt Lake, Milford, Lehi, and many others.

The map that I included above is from a set from 1900 which shows several of the buildings located around the downtown Provo area, from 600 West to 400 East and from and from 600 North to 700 South. Several of the buildings are labeled, and some you can distinguish by the shapes of the building, such as the octagonal shape on the Strickland residence. In the Maps Center Street is 7th (and 100 North is 8th, 100 South is 6th) and University is J or Main (I is 100 West, K is 100 East; as a reference if you ever look at any other old maps, you may see University Avenue listed as Academy Avenue). I encourage you to do a little bit or research ourself and learn more about the historical buildings in Provo area, or really any area in Utah, that may be of interest to you.

As a final note, even though there are a couple more posts about historical buildings in downtown Provo, this is the last post about historical houses in Provo. As I was researching this, I came across an interesting blog about historical homes in Utah County called Utah Valley Homes. I hope you enjoy it as well.

I wanted to start some type of trivia/riddle/interactive puzzle somewhere in each post to try to involve readers and get them interested and involved in history. I decided to call it "Lost in History." I would love to offer some type of prize of reward, but since I am a poor college student, I don't have anything. I might try to collect stuff as I travel around Utah photographing places, so if you have any suggestions, let me know. Also, let me know what you think about this new section and any suggestions or comments you may have.

LOST IN HISTORY: The most popular "Utah's Present History" post, by far, about Provo has been the one about the Utah State Mental Hospital. Although the Hospital is not located in downtown Provo, it is part of the Sanbourn Fire Insurnace Maps from 1900. There are 25 sheets altogether, coving all of downtown, and a little more. Which sheet is the Mental Hospital located on? As an additional hint, you may want to follow the directions above about finding historical buildings around Provo (look at the paragraph below the Sanbourn Fire Insurance Map picture)

The Old Provo Library

2012-12-23T16:48:00.001-08:00

When I think of historical buildings in Provo, one that immediately comes to mind is the Brigham Young Academy, which currently serves as Provo's library. The Academy has only been used as the city library since 2001. So where was Provo's library located before 2001?

According to Wikipedia, the "Provo City Library was founded in 1905. It first opened in the basement of the Provo City courthouse in October of that year and operated until 1908. During its operation in the courthouse, it acquired 1,423 books donated by individuals in the community. Soon after that, the collection doubled to 3000 volumes by April 1908. On December 1, 1908, the library moved into a new building provided by a grant of $17,500 from Andrew Carnegie. Over the years, the library grew in size, by obtaining approximately 65,000 volumes and 125 periodical subscriptions.

"In 1989, the library moved to another location, the City Center Building. Although it was bigger than before, it became inadequate within a couple of years.

"In February 1997, a $16 million library bond passed which allowed the library to move to a bigger location. The bond helped preserve and renovate the historical Brigham Young Academy building. On July 9, 1999, city officials broke ground to initiate renovations for the new library, and then on September 8 2001 the library began full operations."

The Carnegie Library that was built in 1908 was located at the Northwest corner of 100 East and Center Street. This building was enlarged and modernized in 1939, which is why it currently has an art deco type look as compared to its original look. The City Center building that the library moved to in 1989 was located at 425 W Center Street, the current location of the Covey Center. Below are a couple of pictures of the Carnegie library from 1908 and what it looks like today:

Courtesy of BYU, Lee Library, L Tom Perry Special Collections

Andrew Carnegie changed the library system across the United States by donating millions towards the construction of 2,509 libraries. Twenty-three such libraries were built in Utah including the Springville Library which I previously did a post about. If you would like to read more about Carnegie Libraries, check out this Wikipedia article.

Historic Downtown Provo... but for how long?

2012-11-04T07:37:00.000-08:00

I love downtown Provo. I think that has a great charm and is really fun and entertaining to walk around. However, if I currently have one major issue with downtown Provo, it is the dramatic rate at which historic buildings are being demolished. I wanted to address some of Provo's architectural gems that have been lost over the last couple of years.

The first is the Hotel Roberts. The hotel Roberts was built in 1882 on the corner of 200 S and University Ave. For several years, Hotel Roberts was the center of social life in Provo. Between 1900 and 1926, the hotel went through several renovations and additions which gave it the mission-style look it retained throughout the rest of the century. In 1919 the hotel was purchased by Mark Anderson and remained in the family until 1995. In 1995, the hotel was sold due to the high cost of upkeep. The hotel was purchased by Jo Ann and Scott Mills who had the intent to restore it. However, due to a lack of investors, profound structural and water damage, and being a locale for transients, the Provo city condemned the building and demolished it in 2004. Here is what it originally looked like (it didn't get the mission style look until 1926, which is why it looks different in the first photo) and what it looked like with the mission style exterior:

Courtesy of the Provo City Library

Since its demolition, the lot has stood empty. Here is what it currently looks like:

The LDS church recently purchased this block in order to do some type of visitors center or other type of development in relation with the Provo tabernacle which is being restored as a temple. While it is nice to see some going in at the vacant lot, it would have been wonderful to somehow include the old historic building in the new design. For more pictures of the Hotel Roberts, click here.

Next on the list is the St. Francis Catholic Church. The church was constructed between 1923 and 1936 and is the only know mission style structure in Provo City (Hotel Roberts does not count because it was not originally constructed as in the mission style). In 2000, the parish moved to Orem in hopes of selling the property, and use the money to build a new church. That seemed possible in 2007 when a developer offered to buy the property if allowed to demolish it and replace it with condos. The one problem was that the building needed to be removed from the Provo's historic registrar, which prevented its demolition. The city voted 4-1 in favor of the new condo project, the building was subsequently demolished, and the developer eventually pulled out. Now citizens in Provo are left with an empty lot and Utah Valley Catholics are still worshiping in a basketball gym in Orem where they have been located since 2000. Here is what St. Francis looked like before demolition and what it looks like today:

Photo courtesy of Provo.org

Photo courtesy of Googlemaps

Next is the Kress Building. I have looked for a long time and have always struggled finding information on the Kress Building, when or why it was built. It was located on the corner of 100 W and Center Street. A few years back, Nu Skin presented a proposal to build a large addition to their office building. The addition would come at the cost of five historical buildings, including the Kress Building and the Firmage Building, in addition to closing 100 West between Center Street and 100 S. Once again, Provo City Council had to take these buildings off the historical register in order for them to be demolished. The Council voted to take them off, stating that the large amount of changes to the facade of the Kress and Firmage Buildings over the years had resulted in them no longer being historical. Here is a picture of the buildings, the Kress Building during demolition, and what the new addition will look like:

Courtesy of the Utah Heritage Foundation. As a reference, the Firmage Building is where Bio Medics is located and the Kress Building is the large three story building between the Firmage Building and Nu Skin's office tower

I really like the old lettering that you can see in the middle of this photo. The 'ess' of 'Kress' is visible over what was the door.

Photo courtesy of Nu Skin

If you would like to watch a video of the demolition of the Kress Building, click here.

Continuing on down Center Street, you will notice two additional holes, one at where Lloyd's Business Machines stood and the other at the Roasted Artichoke Building. Here are pictures of what they looked like before:

Photo courtesy of googlemaps

Both buildings were demolished because they were dilapidated. In their places stands dirt lots. In addition to these two, a large section of Center west of Freedom (where Atchafalaya was located) was demolished to make room for the new convention center.

While the historic nature of downtown Provo could be an excellent asset, Provo is currently treating it like a burden. The Utah Heritage Foundation wrote an excellent article on the subject. It seems that Provo City and developers are attempting any way possible to remove buildings from the historic registrar, whether that be allowing them to be altered and thus no longer historic, allowing them to fall apart, or simply demolishing them to build the next big thing.

I understand the need for progress and totally support it. However, progress and preservation do not need to be competing entities, as they currently are in downtown Provo. I find it saddening that so many historic buildings are being demolished for the next shiny building, when there are so many empty lots and parking lots around downtown where a new building could just as easily be built. I hope that in the future, preservation and progress will be able to work together and Provo will keep its historic charm.

"What this country needs is a good 5-cent cigar"

2012-08-10T12:35:00.002-07:00

After all of this history regarding history about Provo, you are probably wondering where all the pioneers and their relatives bought the most fashionable armoire or the most up to date French fauteuil (or essentially where they brought their furniture). Today's post is meant clean up that question, and all of the answers revolve around the Gates-Snow (sometimes written as Gates/Snow) Building in downtown Provo. Here are some photos of the Gates-Snow Building from 1900 and what it looks like today:

Courtesy of the Brigham Young University Lee Library's L. Tom Perry Special Collection

The best history of this building is reported by the city of Provo's website. They state: "When Provo residents wanted to buy furniture in the 1880s and 1890s, they had two large choices--Snow Brothers and Taylor Brothers.

"In 1887 the newspaper declared, 'There appears to be just enough competition' between the Snows and the Taylors. In 1889 the Snow Brothers expanded their store and moved from the first floor of the Academy boarding house to the old Factory store across the street from the courthouse. They added a story to the building.

"In May 1889 the Salt Lake newspaper declared, 'Snow Brothers, the furniture deals, are now established in the new quarters--prouder than ever.' The next year Snow added J. F. Gates as a parter [as a side note, I previously covered Jacob F. Gates actual house in a post, although unfortunately it was at some time torn down and replaced with an apartment complex]. The new company tore down the existing building and completed a three story building. The paper bragged that it could be expanded to a five story building.

"The business' success did not last. In 1890 a depression hit Provo, Utah, and the rest of the United States. The impressive building was completed in October 1890. By April 1891 the store was going out of business.

"According to the Daily Enquirer, 'Owing to the stringency in business circles, the Gates-Snow Furniture Company has decided at least temporarily to suspend business and rent their large building.' The owners planned to rent the bottom floor as two stores, the second floor as offices, and the their floor for lodge rooms.

"In 1898 Jesse Knight purchased the building for $3,600. In 1902 Gates and Snow dissolved their furniture partnership, and M. Snow continued to sell furniture.

"In the 1890s walking by the Gates-Snow Building could be a 'shocking' experience. According to the Daily Enqurier, the steel front 'was strongly charged with electricity... on account of defective wiring.' As a rest, 'a great many persons standing on the wet ground and coming in contact with the building received an electric shock. The defect was soon remedied.'" On an additional note, according to this website, it has one of the best tin-pressed fronts in the state.

While searching for more recent history regarding the building, I came across an incredibly interesting article from the Deseret News from 1984 about the Gates-Snow Building and several other very recognizable, historic buildings in downtown Provo. Here is what it said:

"Dedication ceremonies for Provo Town Square were barely over Thursday when developers announced the purchase of six more buildings in downtown to continue the project.

"Provo Town Square Associates has been busy in Provo for the past year renovating nine buildings in downtown Provo on Center Street and University Avenue.

"The multimillion-dollar project has revealed the historic past of Provo and boosted what was once a faltering downtown business economy.

"When completed the project with house 35 retail, restaurant, and office tenants, with a potential occupancy of approximately 70 businesses and merchants.

"Craig Call, amaging partner for the project, has restored the Knight Block, Avenue Block and Union Block and the six new buildings to be renovated will mean a majority of downtown Provo will soon look like it did at the turn of the century.

"Ceremonies for the dedication and grand opening were held as carpenters were still nailing up boards and new merchants filling up freshly stained shelves.

"Call said taking apart the old buildings and putting them back together has given him a sense of the humanity that lived and worked in Provo years ago.

"'Someone picked up all those old bricks and put them up and that in a way gives us all a tie to the past,' said Call.

"The Gates/Snow Building, 43 E. Center, Princess Theatre, 25 E. Center, Utah Office Supply Building 69 E. Center, Sweetbriar Shop, 82 W. Center, Palace Drug and Saloon, 104 W. Center, Farmer and Merchants Bank Building, 290 W. Center, have been acquired by Provo Town Square.

"Plans for the six buildings are still uncertain, Call said, pending decisions by existing tenants and other potential users of each property.

"Call said the building is a fine example of metalworker’s art because all the façade details were made of pressed metal attached to a wooden framework."

The Gates-Snow Building was restored, in addition to several of the other buildings that were mentioned in the previous article. However, one that was not was the Princess Theatre, located at 25 E. Center, which has an interesting connection to the Gates-Snow Building. The following photo from 1971 was the only one that I could find of the theatre. You can see the Princess Theatre, which later became the Uinta Theatre on the right hand side of the photo:

Courtesy of flicker.com

In 1991 the Uinta Theater was demolished, and a advertisement painted on the wall of the Gates-Snow Building that had previously been hidden was exposed. It is an advertisement for cigars and if you look closely you can see that it says "a great 5 cent cigar."

Courtesy of the Deseret News

The advertisement has come up in recent controversy because of a proposed development at the Princess Theatre lot. Currently, nothing has been built on the parking lot where the theater once stood, but recent plans have called for a new building up to 11 stories tall. Some individuals are concerned that the building will once again cover the sign and are pushing for the developers to design the building is such a way that the sign is still visible and to restore it as well.

To finish off, when the Deseret News first published the story in 1991, a Thomas Riley Marshall was quoted saying that "what this country needs is a good 5-cent cigar." Whether the country actually needs a good 5-cent cigar of not, I think that downtown Provo definitely benefits from this uncovered piece of history, and I for one hope that it remains as a show of previous life in Happy Valley.

Utah County Courthouse

2012-07-22T18:56:00.004-07:00

It has been a long travel through Provo. If you haven't noticed, most of the city has been covered except for one gaping hole: Center Street. Provo's Center Street may be the most historical area in Utah County, and since it is also the most overwhelming, I have avoided it untill now.

One of the most prominent buildings on Center is the Utah County Courthouse. The history of this building is best reported by Utah County Online, which I will be using as my main source. Here is what they say about the building:

"In 1860, $2,000 was appropriated to build a courthouse. This was Provo's first building constructed to be used as a courthouse. The one-store brick structure was started in 1866 and finished in 1867 at a cost of $5,092.16. It was built on First West between First and Second North.

"It served as a jail and courthouse for five years and then was sold to the Provo Woolen Mills. A notable event in the history of this building was the trial, conviction, and execution of Chauney M. Millard on January 26, 1869. He was executed for the murder of two herders north of Utah Lake while people, filling the square, watched."

Here is a picture of the original courthouse from 1866 (and if you would like to see the block where the Courthouse used to stand, click here):

Courtesy of the Provo City Library

"In 1870, Provo City posted bids for the construction of a new courthouse. The work on this building began in 1872 and was completed in 1873 at a cost of $21,478.80. Brigham Young was at the dedication of the Courthouse on October 14, 1873."

Here is a picture of the building from 1875 in addition to a picture of Center Street from the top of the courthouse in 1878 with the Woolen Mills in the distance:

Photo courtesy of the Provo City Library

"The building was constructed facing north on Center Street on City and County land. The contractors were paid one-third in cash, one-third in grain, and one-third in shares of the Provo Woolen Mills stock. By 1919, the courthouse was found to be too small for the needs of the growing city and county, and plans were then made to construct a new and larger city and county building. It was razed between 1919 and 1920 when the present Courthouse building was begun in 1920.

"While the present Courthouse was under construction, court sessions were held on the third floor of the Knight building.

"In the early part of 1919 the citizens of Utah County and Provo City respectively voted bonds for the erection of a joint city and county building to be built in Provo. The agreement between the two corporations was that the County should pay for two-thirds of the building and occupy a corresponding portion of it, while the city should pay one-third of the building.

"The city and County officials jointly engaged Joseph Nelson of Provo as the architect for the building...

"It was decided that a tour of the West Coast be taken to see what had been done in other communities in the way of administrative buildings. On July 9, 1919, a party of city and county officials and the architect left for California. Visits were made to various localities of interest from Los Angeles on the south to Everett, Washington, on the north. This trip largely determined the type, size, and cost of the building that was to be erected....

"The work was begun in the spring of 1919 and competed in the late fall of 1926, so that the time consumed in the work is a little more than six and one-half years" at a cost of $576, 495.30.

Here is a picture of the building in 1926 and what it looks like today:

Courtesy of the Provo City Library

On the Utah County Online website, there is an interesting quote from the architect regarding the sculpture found in the pediment (the triangle part above the pillars where the entrance is). He said, "The building is a courthouse, therefore, quite consistently, Justice stands with her balances resting upon the law, in one hand, and with her sword in the other. The building is also to house the city and county offices, therefore, on the right hand of Justice sits a woman representing the County, supporting with one hand a shield bearing the inscription, 'County of Utah' and in the other a cornucopia, or horn of plenty, overflowing with the good things produced in the region. Then the various arts and industries are represented at her side. Her horticulture is represented by the fruit trees; her dairying and stock raising by the front quarters of an animal projecting beyond the tree; her lining by the pick and shovel at the side of the tunnel entrance to the mine in the mountain; and further down, her sheep raising and poultry farming, respectively.

"On the other side of Justice sits likewise Provo City, enthroned and supporting a shield with the inscription 'City of Provo,' emblazoned thereon. She is flanked by the hard and viol, the vase, the cogwheel, a stack of books, and an artist's palette; these represent her arts, her industries, and her educational advantages."

Behind the Courthouse is one of the coolest trees I have ever seen in my life. It is an Ulmus Americana. The odd thing about the tree is that rather than growing up, it grows outward. The branches are spread out over a large area and metal poles have been placed to help support the massive limbs. When I took these pictures, there was a fence up around the tree, but generally there is not, and I've been told that County employees enjoy sitting on the benches underneath the tree. Here are some pictures of it:

The plaque below the tree reads: "The exceedingly rare Ulmus Americana tree (also known as a White Elm or a Weeping American Elm) was planted in 1927 by Moroni Wilford (Roni) Christopherson of Spanish Fork, Utah. Roni was an employee of Utah County for twenty-seven years.

"Sometime in 1927, the county commissioners sent Roni and Elmer Pulley to Ogden to buy trees, shrubs, and flowers for the Utah County Couthouse grounds as a landscaping project. The nursery owner gave Roni this tree as a gift. The tree was an experimental ornamental tree created by budding different trees together.

"Roni chose to plant his gift tree east of the new Utah County Courthouse where people could stop and admire its beauty. The nursery owner came to Provo several times to check the tree in its growing state. The nursery owner called the tree a Weeping American Elm."

I want to conclude this post with a bit of a picture mystery. While surfing on a construction website, I came across the following picture of the Provo City Offices:

Someone asked where this building was located. I thought that it was located on the corner of University Ave. and Center Street. You can see a building to the right which is the County Courthouse and the mountains in the background clearly distinguish its location on University. However, I am confused as to why this building would have ever been built since Provo owned a portion of the County Courthouse (unless the offices were built before the Courthouse was). I also have yet to hear any confirmation that University and Center is the location of this building. If you have any information, feel free to share.

Power, Pools, and Pioneers

2012-07-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

One of the most prominent buildings in Provo is the Provo Power Company Building, located near the corner of Freedom (200 West) and 800 North. Here is what the building looked like in 1949 and what it currently looks like:

Courtesy of the Provo City Library Historical Photographs

The photo was hard to reproduce due to the growth of the trees in the area. I tried to get some good photos of the building and have added them below.

The best history that I found of the Provo City Power Company Building is on the Provo City website. It states:

"Provo's quest for public power is rooted in the Great Depression of the 1930's when banks, businesses and utilities were failing across the country. many citizens believed the time had come for Provo to gain control of their electric utility, as Logan, and other western cities had previously done. prominent civic leaders envisioned a municipally owned electric utility as a vehicle to enhance city funds and to provide local jobs to the community..."

"On October 1, 1936 Provo residents voted affirmatively to issue bonds for the construction of a Provo Power Plant. Lawsuits and delay tactics on the part of Utah Power & Light waylaid construction of the power plan until 1940. At the dedication of the Power Plant on April 1, 1940, Provo's residents realized their dream of a locally owned, locally controlled power utility.

"From 1935 until 1940, resident's need for electricity increased by 80 percent. The postwar years through the rest of the 40's and 50's brought a building boom and again more power needs. By 1947 it was evident that the plant would need to be expanded. The construction was completed in 1949, nearly doubling the plant."

Near the power plant are located quite a few other historical spots. Next to the Power Plant is the Provo City Recreation Center. This building is currently undergoing a huge transformation, as Provo recently voted on a bond to build an entirely new recreation center. Here are two photos of what the area previously looked like and what the area looked like last year.

Courtesy of the Provo City LIbrary Historical Photographs

More updates about the Recreation Center can be found here, here, here, and here.

Located by one of the corners of the fence surrounding the water park is an interesting plaque. It is labeled "Craghead field"and reads:

"This was the former site of Craghead Field and the location of the Western Boys' Baseball Association LIttle League World Series in 1961. Named after Jack Craghead, owner of Craghead Plumbing, this field was home to the American and Central Boys Caseball Leagues. Jack served as coach, league president, district director, and general tournament chairman for the 1961 WBBA World Series.

"While serving as tournament chairman, Jack spent countless hours contacting local business for donations to renovate the facility. This effort resulted in the construction of a new backstop, outfield fenching, dugouts, a scoreboard, and concession stand with announcers booth above. At the time, it was considered one of the best little league or youth ballparks in the west.

"Craghead Field remained in use until a new youth baseball four-plex was built at Fort Utah Park in 1994. The Jack Craghead family felt that this splash pool addition would be an excellent use as a continued recreational site for the youth of today and the future."

Located just to the west of the water park is the Provo Pioneer Museum. Here is a picture of it from 1937 and what it looks like now, in addition to some photos of the pioneer village which is located next to it:

Courtesy of the Provo City Library Historical Photographs

The plaque in front of the museum states that it was "constructed by Provo City, assisted by Provo Daughters and Sons of Utah Pioneers and the Works Progress Administration, 1935-1937." An additional plaque in front states "Provo was settled by Mormon Pioneers March 12, 1849. East of this monument a second fort was built in April, 1850. It was here that the settlers were threatened with massacre by Chief Walker and his band of indians, but were saved by Chief Sowiett's stern warning, 'When you attack you will find me and my braves defending.'" The picture of the carving of the Indian chief above is of Chief Sowiett.

According to a Daily Herald article, the pioneer village "originally opened in 1931 under the care of the George A. Smith chapter of the Sons of Utah Pioneers (SUP); by 1998 the chapter was dissolved and the village deteriorated. By 2006, with just a few of the chapter left, they joined with the Brigham Young chapter and the village got a new lease on life." The village contains the Haws cabin, built by Oliver Haws in 1854, and the Turner cabin, built by John W. Turner in 1853. The Turner cabin is one of the oldest structures still existing in Utah. The Turner cabin was the first moved to the site and the village slowly formed around it. In addition, the village contains a one-room schoolhouse, which was originally a shed until 1883 when the city of Provo purchased it, and one of two remaining oxen lifts of that particular style in the United States. The lifts were used to hoist an ox so a blacksmith could shoe it.

Additionally on the site is an interesting stone. You can see the stone directly in front of the Museum in the first picture above. Here is a close-up:

The plaque below it reads:

"Old Tabernacle Lintel Stone. This sandstone lintel capped the front entrance of the Provo Meeting House (Old Tabernacle), once a landmark of the Tabernacle Block.

"The building was dedicated by apostle John Taylor, August 24, 1867 at services conducted by President Brigham Young. It was dismantled in 1918-18 by George Albert Clark and sons. The Clark family donated it to the Sons and Daughters of Utah Pioneers of Provo for preservation. Stone placed here July 24, 1954."

If you would like to read more about the Older Tabernacle, click here.

I can't leave a post about this area without talking about the Quill and the Sword Club at BYU. The club mainly involves Medieval recreation, which means mostly sword fighting. Individuals from the club can be found sword fighting at the park near the Pioneer Museum throughout the year. And finally, speaking of the Quill and the Sword Club, check out this awesome video about a flash mob that involved a similar club at BYU Idaho.

Who's house stood where your apartment is located?

2012-06-05T22:56:00.003-07:00

Have you ever wondered what Provo looked like before all the apartment buildings appeared? My favorite neighborhood in Provo is the Joaquin Neighborhood, which is roughly bound by University Ave., Center Street, 800 North, and 900 East. The neighborhood holds Provo's most historic collection of houses. However, the area has recently been overrun with college students, who have moved into the houses and the many new apartment complexes.

Over the years many of the houses, especially in the northern part of the Joaquin Neighborhood have been demolished and replaced with apartments. I love the historic houses, and I often wonder what the area looked like before the apartments were constructed. I found one specific house especially interesting —it is located at 640 N University Ave.

Here is what it looked like previously and what it looks like today:

Courtesy of the Provo City Library

I find this specific house so interesting because it was the house of Gerrit de Jong, Jr., for whom the De Jong Concert Hall was named. The concert hall is located in the Harris Fine Arts Center (the HFAC) at BYU. De Jong was the first dean at the College of Fine Arts at BYU. Wikipedia states that "even though he was dean of the College of Fine Arts, and very skilled in this area, he spent most of his career teaching foreign languages. He spoke so many languages that he would joke that it was as logical to ask him how many languages he spoke as to ask him how many songs he could play on the piano.

"He was known as Mr. Portuguese and in his time was probably the most knowledgeable professor at BYU in the subject of Portuguese and Brazilian literature." De Jong also wrote LDS Hymn #11 "Come Sing to the Lord."

If you would like to see what other places around Utah used to look like, check out the website historicaerials.com. The website contains pictures of the Wasatch Front from multiple years between the 50's all the way up to today. It is an amazing website (I would actually describe it as addicting) and I recommend you check it out if you want to know how development around Utah has progressed over the years.

Where Your Grandpa Lived When He Went To BYU

2012-05-24T16:38:00.004-07:00

There is a cool building located at 800 N and University in Provo that has always confused me a little bit. I first went there in about 2004 when I was trying to apply for the art program, since thats where the fine arts department was located for some reason. It is the Amanda Knight Hall. However, the story of this building actually begins with another building located nearby, the Allen Hall (located at 700 N 100 E in Provo).

The Allen hall was one of the first dormitories at BYU. The Allen Hall, named for Ray Eugene Allen and his wife Inez Knight, was built in 1938. Inez Knight was the daughter of Jesse Knight, a prominent Provo business man that has been covered in several previous posts (such as this one and this one). He partially funded the construction of Allen Hall and additionally the Amanda Knight Hall.

Allen Hall was so successful that BYU decided to build an additional dormitory for women, which would become the Amanda Knight Hall. The Knight Hall, built in 1939, was named after Jesse Knight's wife, Amanda.

The Allen Hall was switched to a female dormitory around the time of WWII due to the large influx of women at the BYU campus. In the 60's, both halls were converted into dormitories for missionaries while the LDS church's Language Training Mission (which I assume is what is now the MTC) was under construction. Since that time, I believe that both buildings have had sort of a hodge podge of uses (as was seen by the Knight Hall being the home of the visual arts department). Allen Hall is currently the location of BYU's Museum of People and Cultures.

Here are pictures of both buildings (Allen Hall is first, from 1938, and then follows the Knight Hall, from 1939) and what they look like today:

Courtesy of the Lee Library University Archives, Brigham Young University

Whenever I think of the Knight Hall, I always think about feminism. I was reading a blog online that said how BYU does not value women and as an arguing point stated that no buildings on campus were named after women. Someone shot back, stating that BYU does value women, as seen by the two buildings on campus that are named after women (the Knight Hall and the Harman Building, which if you even know where that one is, kudos to you). I found it ironic and ridiculous that the argument to defend BYU and that it respects women was based on the idea that two of the nearly 100 buildings on the BYU campus are named after women (although not all of the rest of the nearly 100 buildings are named after men). Based on the criteria of the original post, it could be argued that most universities across the nation don't respect women due to their lack of buildings named after women (for example, the University of Utah). I think that both sides of the argument were poorly defended and whenever I see the Knight Hall, I am reminded of the stupid argument.

Which Mormon Temple is the Ugliest?

2012-05-13T22:05:00.001-07:00

To me, Provo and Mormonism go hand in hand. BYU has a huge impact on the town, as does the Missionary Training Center (the MTC, where most Mormon missionaries go before they actually leave to go on what is termed their "mission"), which technically is part of BYU. Just up the hill from the MTC is the Provo temple. Here is a picture of it from 1972 and what it looks like today:

Courtesy of the Lee Library University Archives, Brigham Young University

The best information regarding the Provo temple is found from the Wikipedia article that follows:

"The Provo Utah Temple was the 17th constructed of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

"Since Provo's early years, a hill just northeast of downtown Provo was known as "Temple Hill." Instead of a temple, however, the Maeser Building was built on the hill in 1911 as a part of Brigham Young University campus. A 17-acre block of property at the base of Rock Canyon was chosen as the site for the Provo Temple.

"The LDS temple in Provo was announced on August 14, 1967, and a groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 15, 1969 with construction beginning soon thereafter. Emil B. Fetzer, the architect for the Ogden and Provo temples, was asked to create a functional design with efficiency, convenience,and reasonable cost as key factors.

"The Provo Temple is one of the busiest temples the LDS Church operates. Because of its location, the temple is frequented by students attending the nearby Church-owned Brigham Young University. The temple also receives many missionary patrons since an LDS Missionary Training Center is just across the street.

"The exterior design of the Provo Temple (along with the original design of its sister temple in Ogden, Utah) has its roots in scriptural imagery. The broad base and narrow spire represents the cloudy pillory and the fiery pillar (respectively) that the Lord used to guide the Israelites through the wilderness under Moses."

The main reason that I wanted to include the Provo temple is because of the controversy surrounding the architecture of the building. The Ogden and Provo temple are essentially identical (you can tell the difference in photos because the Provo has larger mountains in most of its photos). As was stated in the Wikipedia article, the temple was designed to symbolize a cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night. However, it is generally considered among Mormon circles to be the ugliest of all temples. In fact, many people joke that it looks like a birthday cake (which it does) or a rocket ship. Although it is one of the busiest temples in the world, rarely does anyone actually get married there because it is considered so "ugly". Mormon couples often prefer to travel to other temples, such as one in American Fork or the Salt Lake Temple.

I bring this up for two reasons. The first is because the temple has been in the news a lot lately, due to the construction of a new temple in Provo. It was decided that the tabernacle which burnt down a year and a half ago is going to be restored into a temple. The tabernacle will be renamed the Provo City Center Temple and I have yet to find out if the original Provo temple will be renamed. I am torn that the tabernacle will be turned into a temple, mainly because it used to be such an important part of the community. Members from several churches used it from time to time. As a temple, it will only be available for Mormon members with a recommend. That being said, I prefer that the tabernacle, which is a beautiful building, be restored than what would likely occur in most situations, which is that it would be demolished and replaced with an ugly building. I am glad that the tabernacle will remain to be a beautiful reminder of the Provo's history, and as a result I prefer it being turned into a temple rather than demolished. Also, my sister told me that when the tabernacle is restored, the LDS church is going to attempt to replicate a lot of the pioneer era craftsmanship that existed in the original building.

The second reason that I discuss the Provo temple is because of a possible renovation which is has been rumored that will occur at the Provo Temple. Currently, the Ogden temple is undergoing an extensive renovation (they essentially demolished the entire building except for the skeleton and are reconstructing it). Here is what it will look like when completed (and remember, originally it looked exactly like the Provo temple, minus the mountains):

I find it extremely interested that the Ogden temple is currently undergoing renovation because although it was not stated, I assume that it is because of how "ugly" it is. Some believe that the Provo temple will undergo a similar renovation as well (here is one of many discussions about it), and I would assume that it would look just like the Ogden one. I am guessing that this renovation would occur once the tabernacle restoration is completed, so that there is at least one temple in Provo at all times. However, the LDS church stated in 2010 that the Provo temple will not be renovated (although it will be interesting to see if they hold firm to that statement). I am very happy (as is this columnist) that it isn't being renovated. I agree that it may be ugly, but it has character. I like the ugliness and want it kept that way. I don't mind them changing the Ogden temple, but I don't think that they should get rid of both of the birthday cakes. I feel like it is a little slice of history, albeit ugly, similar to how the Provo tabernacle is a slice of history of when it was constructed.

I have to add one final thing about the temple. Just up the road from it is Rock Canyon, which may be my favorite place in Provo. It is a beautiful canyon with some nice hiking and running trails. Also, it is a great place to go rock climbing. If you have a chance, I recommend going and checking it out. It also has some of the best views of Utah Valley that I have ever seen.

Tape Art

2012-05-13T14:01:00.002-07:00

I wanted to put a plug in for the art that I have been doing. I have posted a couple things on here from time to time, but I feel like it relates quite a bit to the blog because my art (which is made out of tape) centers on historic and culturally important places around Utah. You can see it at chadfarnes.com. Also, I have recently put a lot of it up for sale. If you would like to check that out, visit madetostick.etsy.com. I hope you like it and feel free to share it with your friends!

Here are a couple of pieces that I have done:

The Park Building at the University of Utah

The Salt Lake City and County Building

Gooseneck State Park

Indian Paintbrush, a flower commonly found throughout Southern Utah

BYU Now and Then

2012-04-25T20:35:00.001-07:00

Between the 50's and the 70's, BYU went through a big construction boom. A year ago, I took several pictures of these buildings. Truthfully, I don't find their architecture very interesting or really care for the stories involving the buildings, but I thought that I would at least include the photos because they are somewhat interesting to see how they have changed. Here they are:

The following building is the (George Albert) Smith Fieldhouse. The building was originally constructed in 1951. Inside is a 5,000 seat arena (which is where volleyball teams play), a running track, several offices and the student gym (which is really quite pathetic, although I have heard that it has improved dramatically in the past few years). Additions were added to the building during the early 60's. The pictures are what it looked like in 1964 and what it looks like today (which unfortunately involves a large tree in front of where the previous picture was taken)