100 Historic Buildings in Utah

#41 Kearns St-Anns Orphanage

2015-01-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

Located in the heart of South Salt Lake the Kearns St-Anns Orphanage stands proud as one of the most beautiful buildings in the valley. It was designed by the same architect the Cathedral of the Madeleine, Carl M. Neuhausen. Construction took place in 1899 by the Roman Catholic Church, but it required a donation from the widow of Senator Thomas Kearns in the amount of $55,000 to pay for much of the land and construction costs. In 1954 it was converted into a school and remains so to this day.

#40 Uintah Stake Tabernacle

2015-01-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

The Uintah Stake Tabernacle, now known as the Vernal Temple, was built in 1899-1907 using mostly volunteer laborers from the local wards. The Deseret News wrote that the cost totaled about $30,000 to complete. It was considered "the finest building in all of Eastern Utah."

The tabernacle was closed in 1984 for safety reasons and sat unused for the next several years. In 1994 it was announced that the building would be modified and converted into a temple for the LDS Church. The work was completed and the temple was dedicated on November 2nd, 1997.

#39 First Methodist Episcopal Church

2015-01-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

The First Methodist Episcopal Church is the oldest surviving Methodist Church in Utah and located a short walk away from Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City. It was designed by Frederic A. Hale and constructed between 1905-1906 at a cost of $80,000. Hale was a very prominent architect in Utah and its neighboring states. He designed many other buildings in Salt Lake including the old Salt Lake City Library, but only one church.

#38 Beaver County Courthouse

2012-09-25T09:39:00.000-06:00

The Beaver County Courthouse located in the center of the city of Beaver was completed in 1882. An election was held in 1876 in which it was decided to build a courthouse for the county that created in 1856. The architect, who is unknown today, used a Late Victorian style in designing the structure. A fire destroyed part of the building in 1889 but it was rebuilt soon thereafter. It has recently been restored again and offers tours to the public.

#37 Territorial Statehouse

2012-08-30T00:41:00.001-06:00

Long before Utah was recognized as a state, Brigham Young had big intentions for the territory then named Deseret. In that dream he envisioned Fillmore as the capitol due to its central location in the territory. The territorial statehouse that is standing today was not that completed vision, but only the south wing of the planned building.

Construction on the south wing began in 1852 and ended in 1855. After only a year of service it was decided that Salt Lake City was better suited as the capitol. In 1930 the Daughters of Utah Pioneers opened a museum as is still ran as such and in 1953 it became a state park.

#36 Wasatch Stake Tabernacle

2012-07-20T16:02:00.000-06:00

The Wasatch Stake Tabernacle is located in picturesque Heber City just 20 minutes west of Orem. Designed by Alexander Fortie, the foundation was laid in 1887 and completed in 1889 at a cost of $30,000. It was used by the LDS Church until 1965 and was then sold in 1980 to the City and is now used as an administration building.

#35 Fairfield District School

2012-06-28T15:16:00.001-06:00

The Fairfield District School is a fine example of a historical building that was saved and restored after falling into disrepair. The school was designed by the architect Richard Watkins who also designed the Maeser School in Provo. It was competed in 1897 and eventually a gymnasium was added followed by restrooms later on. The town of Fairfield began to shrink in the early 1900s and in 1937 the school shut down. The town used the building for meetings for some time and in 1977 the gymnasium was taken down and the building donated to the Utah State Division of Parks and Recreation. Finally in 2005 the school was restored and is once again used for town meetings.

#34 Piute County Courthouse

2012-06-07T14:45:00.001-06:00

Piute County owes most of its development to the impressive mining operations that used to flourish throughout the area. This courthouse was built in 1903 out of locally made brick and for 94 years served as such until a new courthouse was built. It was then sold to a private buyer and can presently be rented out for family reunions and other events.

#33 Salt Lake City Library

2012-02-01T16:18:00.000-07:00

Nowadays it is most widely known as the old Hansen Planetarium, but this structure has been sitting here long before that housing thousands of books instead of stars. John Quakenbos Packard, who struck it rich in the mining industry, donated the land and the money to build the 3-story structure at a cost of about $100,000. It was completed in 1905 and replaced the library that was located in the Salt Lake City and County Building.

In 1964 a new library was completed and this building was converted into the Hansen Planetarium at the request of Gail Plummer, a professor at the University of Utah, and with a $400,000 donation from Beatrice Hansen. The planetarium remained in operation until 2003, when the Clark Planetarium opened at the Gateway District just a few blocks west.

The O.C. Tanner company bought the building in 2007 for $1.2 million and then did an extensive $24 million restoration project.

#32 Capitol Theatre

2012-01-27T00:51:00.001-07:00

Designed by G. Albert Lansburgh, the Capitol Theatre in downtown Salt Lake City was built in 1913. It served in its theater role for 14 years before being converted into a cinema. It was later restored in 1972 after being purchased by the county. It is very common for popular Broadway shows and ballets to be performed here and recently it even served as one of the audition locations for "So You Think You Can Dance".

#31 Park City Egyptian Theater

2012-01-22T00:00:00.004-07:00

Before the Egyptian, the Dewey Theater stood here until the roof collapsed from too much snow. This theater was completed in 1926 and became the first theater in Park City to play recorded sound along with the films. Egyptian styled buildings became popular in the '30s after the discovery of King Tut's Tomb in 1922. There are eight Egyptian theaters remaining in the US and Canada, and two of them happen to be in Utah. The other one being Peery's Egyptian Theater located in Ogden. It is probably one of the more well known out of all of them though due to its location and part in the Sundance Film Festival.

#30 American Fork City Hall

2012-01-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

American Fork's old city hall was built in 1903. Previously, the government had essentially been combined with the local church leadership but this building marked the permanent separation the two. The 1,200 pound bell originally hung in the belfry when it the building was completed but was removed in 1956 due to deterioration of the wooden supports. It was then given to the Daughters of Utah Pioneers and they placed the bell in a park located a couple blocks away. But in 2006 when the hall was restored to its original glory, the bell was placed back on top of the building.

#29 St. Mary's Catholic Church

2012-01-20T01:14:00.000-07:00

St. Mary's Catholic Church is situated at the southern end of downtown Park City. It was built in 1883 and is the oldest Catholic Church and School Building in Utah still in use to this day. Irish immigrants who worked the coal mines made up a large portion of the population back then and almost all of whom were Catholic. A fire significantly damaged much of the building in 1951, but it was rebuilt by miners who were out of jobs.

#28 Randolph Tabernacle

2012-01-19T00:33:00.000-07:00

Although debate continues on whether this meetinghouse is actually a tabernacle, construction on this building just south of Bear Lake began in 1898 under the direction of architect John C. Gray. The dedication was performed by George Albert Smith on the 25th of July, 1914. Even though the building took 16 years to complete, the first meeting was actually held in 1905 in the basement. A very nice artistic rendition of the building by G. A. Garns appeared in the July, 2006 issue of the LDS Church's Ensign Magazine.

#27 Miner's Hospital

2012-01-17T23:11:00.002-07:00

The desire for a hospital in Park City began as a need due to the long distance that the miners had to travel to Salt Lake City to receive treatment, which was about 30 miles. The location was actually donated but was deemed a suitable fit because of the amount of sunshine it received and it was far enough from downtown to keep fire danger at a minimal as fires back then were a serious threat.

The hospital was run as the Miner's Hospital for 30 years, then changed hands about every ten. It also served as a private clinic, bar and restaurant, and a youth hostel. Then in 1981, in order to preserve the building, it was moved to its present location and restored to house the city's library. Today it houses a community center and was used as a welcome center for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

#26 Alpine Stake Tabernacle

2011-12-08T15:21:00.001-07:00

The Alpine Stake Tabernacle was constructed between 1909 and 1914 for a cost of just over $81,000. It was dedicated by the LDS President Joseph F. Smith. In 1910 a cornerstone was laid that contained a time capsule. Among the most interesting things placed inside was a Spanish coin from 1492.

#25 Assembly Hall

2011-12-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

The Assembly Hall in Salt Lake City was built by the LDS Church beginning in 1877. The building was originally called "the New Tabernacle", but was given its current name by John Taylor to avoid any confusion with the actual Salt Lake Tabernacle.

The total cost of the Victorian Gothic building was $90,000. It was designed by Obed Taylor and completed in 1882.

Photos copyrighted by me.

#24 Brigham Young Academy

2011-12-02T13:37:00.001-07:00

The Brigham Young Academy building was designed by the son of Brigham Young, Don Carlos Young. It was designed to serve 1,000 students and dedicated on January 4, 1882. The building has gone through a few different names throughout the years:

1882 - Brigham Young Academy
1888 - High School Building
1922 - Education Building

In 1968 the building was closed and remained empty for several years. It was very close to being demolished when finally in 1997 a $16 million bond was passed and $5.8 million was raised by the Brigham Young Academy Foundation to restore and convert the building into the Provo City Library.

#23 Union Pacific Depot

2011-07-18T21:34:00.000-06:00

Built from 1908-1909 the Union Pacific Station was originally known as just Union Station. It was built by a combination of three different rail companies for $450,000. Inside are two large murals. One of the transcontinental railroad completion, and one of the pioneers as they first entered the Salt Lake Valley. It also originally had separate waiting rooms for male and female passengers.

The building now is an entrance to the Gateway Shopping district and houses "The Depot", a venue for concerts and small conventions.

Photos copyrighted by me.

#22 Salt Lake Tabernacle

2011-07-15T11:53:00.000-06:00

Constructed between 1864 and 1867 with a ceiling that was 9 feet thick, the Salt Lake Tabernacle is an engineering marvel. Frank Lloyd Wright called the building "one of the architectural masterpieces of the country and perhaps the world."

A lot people thought that the roof would collapse but it has lasted with out any major problems. The roof's exterior look has changed three times. Originally it had shingles. In 1946 the shingles were removed and replaced with aluminum. Then, during the recent renovation project, the aluminum was refinished.

#21 Salt Lake City and County Building

2011-07-11T17:28:00.000-06:00

Not too many buildings in Utah are impressive by their sheer massiveness. This building is one of my favorites in Utah and it surprises me that it is not more well known as it was built by free masons to directly compete with the Salt Lake Temple as the crown jewel of the region's architecture. And it shows.

Construction began in 1891 and finished in 1894 at a cost of $900,000. It was built by a company that sounds like Harry Potter characters, Bird, Monheim, and Proudfoot.

Photos copyrighted by me.

#20 Cathedral of the Madeleine

2011-07-08T14:27:00.000-06:00

The "mother church of the Roman Catholic Church in Utah" was built between 1900 and 1909. The total cost for the entire project was $379,000.

In the '90s the interior of the church underwent a big $9.1M renovation project and was rededicated in 1993.

Photos copyrighted by me.

#19 Kaysville Tabernacle

2011-07-07T15:19:00.000-06:00

Constructed in its neo-classical design from 1912-1914, the Kaysville Tabernacle was built to replace an old church that had gotten too small for the large number of church-goers. The cornerstone happened to be laid by future Governor of Utah Henry H. Blood.

The tabernacle was nearly torn down in the '70s along with countless other historic landmarks in the state. But against all odds it was decided to keep the building and, surprise, surprise, everyone is happy about that decision now.

Photos copyrighted by me.

#18 Hotel Utah

2011-07-06T15:00:00.000-06:00

Opening the same year as the Rio Grande Station, the Hotel Utah was built by Parkinson and Bergstrom for $2 million. And even though the building was mostly owned by the LDS Church, one of the largest bars in the western United States was built in its basement.

In 1987 the hotel was closed and was extensively remodeled. It reopened in 1993 as the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

Photos copyrighted by me.

#17 Rio Grande Railroad Station

2011-07-05T16:34:00.000-06:00

Quite possibly one of the worst return on investments ever in Utah, the Rio Grande Station cost $750,000 to build and was sold 66 years later for just $1.

Opening in 1911, the station cost more then twice as much as the Union Pacific Station to build. It was meant to be a grand entrance into Utah's Capitol for anyone that traveled through and was many used by people coming and going from Denver, but soon another line to San Francisco was built.

In 1977 the building was sold to the State of Utah for a buck for the intentions of preserving it's and Utah State's history.