This hotel was built in 1913-14 for the Helper Real Estate and Investment Co. Formed by people of many different ethnic groups, including Assyrian, Italian, and Jewish, this company reflected the diverse nature of Helper’s population. A favorite of traveling salesmen, or “drummers,” who came by train to display their wares to the local merchants, the Helper Hotel also housed the U.S. Post Office and was the location for the printing of one of Helper’s early newspapers.
This building was known as the Helper Hotel until 1942 when it was purchased by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. Train crews lived here until c.1980. Vacant for several years, it became the site of the Western Mining and Railroad Museum in 1985. This three-story commercial block structure contributes to the qualities of the Helper National Register Historic District.
The Helper Hotel is part of the The Helper Museum at 294 South Main Street in Helper, Utah
This two-story brick commercial building was constructed in 1929. The varied shades of tan bricks are unusual in the historic district. In the early 1930s, the right side of the building was occupied by the “Smart Shop” owned by N. A. Neilson, and the second story housed professional offices. Thorit and Janet Hatch operated the Helper Insurance and Loan Company here for many years.
The Helper commercial district is located within the present city limits of Helper, Utah. The District is entirely within the E 1/2 of the NE 1/4 of Section 24, Township 13 South, Range 9E Salt Lake City Standard Meridian. The District is bounded on the north by Janet Street, on the west by First West Street, on the South by Locust Street and on the east by the Denver and Rio Grande Western (D&RGW) railyards. The size of the district is somewhat less than 40 acres and includes, but is not limited to, the entire extent of Pratt’s and Mead’s Survey Platts.
The existing boundaries were selected because of their tight nature, delineating the main Helper commercial district, as well as access points to that area. The inclusion of residences was determined by both their presence on Main Street or their adjacent location to the street and within business district, other residences were excluded and may be part of a future multiple resource nomination.
Janet Street is the northern boundary, and with its underpass (to the east) represents the effective beginning of Helper’s Main Street. On the west is First West Street which contains some residences, but included major rear access ways to the commercial buildings on Main Street. Locust Street boarders the district on the south, representing the end of the main commercial area. The eastern boundary follows the Rio Grande Western railway yards, which formed a vital part of Helper’s commercial life.
The Helper commercial district consists of a total of 110 of which 98 sites have been judged to be potentially contributory to the historic character of the area. A wide variety of both residential and commercial structures, arrayed along both sides of Main street in a north-south manner, comprise the district.
The Helper Commercial District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (#79002491) on July 24, 1979.
The residential buildings are generally one story and are fairly modest in appearance. Several styles and building materials were utilized, including; hand hewn stone, wood frame, stucco, and several types of brick. The commercial buildings also exhibit a wide degree of variability, although they are generally consistent in scale, with almost all buildings being one to two stories in height. The predominate building material was red brick, although hand hewn stone stucco, wood frame, and other types of brick were also utilized.
Comparison of the present appearance of the district with early Sanborn maps and historic photos indicates that the area still retains much of its historic character. Prior to 1927 the area east of Main Street was dominated by Denver and Rio Grande Western (D&RGW) railroad company houses, but after that time, the area began to acquire the predominately commercial appearance it retains today. The modifications of the residential buildings have been fairly minor and have generally consisted of “modern” siding materials and additions, and modification of the porches. The commercial seen facade modifications, many of which are the installation of the enclosure or buildings have often minor and reversable.
A description of each contributory building along with its capsule history is given below. The buildings are listed by their Utah Historical Society site inventory number.
