This two-story brick Victorian Eclectic style building, built in 1909, is distinguished by the Tudor style arches over the door and storefront, and is part of the Avenues Historic District, one of Salt Lake City’s oldest and most remarkable residential areas. The Avenues area is noteworthy because it documents a large variety of architectural styles from the 1850s to the 1930s, the Avenues had become a well-established residential area with a growing number of community amenities such as churches, schools, shops, and stores.
Thomas G. Allen was a contracting electrician who did a variety of electrical wiring and general repairing, including the original electrical work on the Salt Lake Temple. His store carried an assortment of electrical, hardware, and cutlery goods. When Mr. Allen died in 1929, the store became A.G. Electric Supply. The next occupant was William O. Bennett who used the building for a grocery store. He operated Bennett’s Market from 1934 until his death in 1956. The building was later converted to apartments. In 1999/2000 Cruser Rowland and Sandra Jensen restored the building and returned it to commercial use. As of 2018 it is currently Jack Mormon Coffee.
The same sun, moon and stars shone over these everlasting hills when old Lake Bonneville’s waters reached midway up these mountains. Later, native American hunters roamed these lands which they called Woebequachee. Here they fished Pe-Ogway (Bear River) and streams draining into the salty sea they named Onaba.
Pioneers came to Deseret in 1847 and went north among the Shoshone Indians. By 1852 Willow Creek, 3 Mile Creek, Box Elder and Call’s Fort were established as new settlements. Many trestles and miles of steel helped to span and conquer these new lands. The Golden Spike driven on 10 May 1869 at Promontory, brought a hive of industry to the west.
Brigham City was one of the most prosperous and progressive settlements in this territory. During the 1870-80 era, the city realized a high point of achievement in living the United Order. Brigham City experienced a healthy expansion as choice people, fruit and crops made the desert blossom like a rose. And now, in more recent days, America has reached the moon and other galaxies, inspired by thoughts and actions of people in the Brigham City area. The sacrifice, commitment and charity of all generations of those who lived, loved and died here is symbolized and honored by this building. May this dancing fire of the human spirit continually burn within us and renew our faith and love for one another.
In 1961 the Box Elder Chapter of the Sons of Utah Pioneers sold the Community Center property to Brigham City Corporation, then donated $10,000 to Box Elder County Commissioners for the purchase of this site for a nursing home. Besides the Sons of Utah Pioneers, countless others have given time, talent and patience to develop this facility known as Pioneer Care Center.
Constructed in 1936, this building represents the significant impact of New Deal programs in providing both jobs and public facilities. It is one of over 240 buildings constructed in Utah by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and other public works programs. As Utah was especially hard hit by the Great Depression, these programs were of particular importance. The federal government typically paid the workmen’s wages if the city provided the building site and construction materials. The total cost of this building was approximately $18,000, two-thirds of which was paid by the federal government. Local men did most of the work including some volunteers using many local materials such as the stone on the chimney and foundation which was obtained from rock canyon. The new building provided much-needed space for municipal functions. In addition to the large meeting room and city offices, it housed the public library, jail, and fire station. Additions were made to the fire station in 1962 and 1982.
The building is also architecturally significant as an important example of Colonial Revival/Neo Classical styling. Notable features include the bell tower, the symmetrical main facade, and the classically obtained entry with transom and capped stone pilasters, urns and sunburst. Marker placed in 1992.
Located around the City Hall grounds are several historic markers:
The beautiful, original structure can be found at First Avenue and E Street, no longer a church, but housing an architectural firm. Planning for the very first Mount Tabor structure began before 1902 when the United Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church raised some funds overseas and sent missionaries to Utah. Harold Jensen, a native of Tvilumgaard, Denmark, came to Salt Lake and in 1907 began seeking old and new Lutherans while starting to build the first church. The state Church of Denmark furnished nearly $15,000 to purchase property and the formal dedication of the First Avenue and E Street Mount Tabor Lutheran Church came in August 1911.(*)
By 1960, when the membership was about 400, an acre of property was purchased at the current location 700 East and 200 South and the “round church” designed by current congregation member, Charles D. Peterson, was built. The new structure was dedicated in 1965 by then Pastor Arthur V. Sorenson. Mount Tabor has since added on to its present facility expanding its fellowship and entrance areas, office space, handicap accessibility, and classrooms in 1996 under the leadership of Pastor Grant Aaseng.
JCPenney was founded in Kemmerer, Wyoming, in 1902 by James Cash Penney. The first store, named The Golden Rule, set the standard by which we have operated for over a century – to treat others as we would like to be treated. Today, we operate over 860 locations across the United States and Puerto Rico – and while fashion and shopping patterns have evolved, our focus on customer service remains unchanged.
Built in 1939, the Midvale City Hall was designed by Clark W. Scott and George W. Welch, prominent Utah architects. Rectangular in plan, this two-story brick building with parapeted gable roof is an excellent example of the Art Moderne style. Characteristic of that style is the streamlined appearance archived by the curved windows and rounded corners of the entry, extensive use of glass block, and curved capitals on the buttresses along the side walls.
The Midvale City Hall was the center of local government and community activities from 1939 to 1976 and housed the clerk’s office, city council chambers, city fire and police departments, a public auditorium, and recreation rooms. The cost of constructing the building was supported by a Public Works Administration (PWA) grant of $31,500 and a city bond of $38,500. The impact of the depression on Utah was so great that federal programs, in particular building programs, were important to bolstering the state’s productivity and were widely implemented. The Midvale City Hall was one of over 240 buildings constructed in the state, and one of 20 in Salt Lake County, to be funded under New Deal era programs.
This photo is from the Midvale MuseumMidvale Honors Utah Centennial 1896 – 1996 August 5, 1996
Built in 1940-41 as a WPA-project, the Salt Lake County Library is exceptionally significant the original headquarters of the Salt Lake County Library System, and as part of the Public Works Buildings Thematic Resources nomination. It helps document the impact of New Deal programs in Utah, which was one of the states that the Great Depression of the 1930s most severely affected. In 1933 Utah had an unemployment rate of 36 percent, the fourth highest in the country, and for the period 1932-40 Utah’s unemployment rate averaged 25 percent. Because the depression hit Utah so hard, federal programs were extensive in the state. Overall, per capita federal spending in Utah during the 1930s was 9th among the 48 states, and the percentage of workers on federal work projects was far above the national average. Building programs were of great importance. During the 1930s virtually every public building constructed in Utah, including county courthouses, city halls, fire stations, national guard armories, public school buildings, and a variety of others, were built under federal programs by one of several agencies, including the Civil Works Administration (CWA), the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), the National Youth Administration (NYA), the Works Progress Administration (WPA),or the Public Works Administration (PWA), and almost without exception none of the buildings would have been built when they were without the assistance of the federal government. The construction of this library marked an important step in the development of a county library system for Salt Lake County. As headquarters of that system, this building was the center for processing and distributing books for the entire 19-branch system.
Midvale is located approximately seven miles south of Salt Lake City. Together with the nearby area of Murray, Midvale became a center in Utah’s mining industry, serving as a central location for the smelting of metal ores. In 1902 the United States Smelting, Refining, and Mining Company completed its smelter at Midvale, and rendered the town as a primary settlement for southern and eastern European immigrants who were utilized as labor for the plant. “Americanization1 and educational efforts among the state’s foreign-born population, especially during the 1919 national Americanization movement, became important as Utah became one of few states to pass an Americanization law. This act was part of the 1919 Utah Educational Program which also included provisions for county library systems. The reading and writing of English was seen as paramount to Americanization, and as such, libraries became of special significance.
Until 1919, only incorporated cities and towns in Utah could raise taxes for libraries. Consequently, unincorporated areas had no publicly supported library service. In 1919, however, the Utah State Legislature passed legislation providing that county commissions could levy taxes up to one mill to establish and support a county library system. Between May 1919, when the law took effect, and August, 1919, ten counties established library systems: Cache, Grand, Iron, Morgan, San Juan, Tooele, Uintah, Wasatch, Washington, and Wayne. Salt Lake County did not establish its own system until nearly 20 years later. Until then, it had public libraries in only two cities, Murray and Salt Lake City. The rest of the county either had no libraries, or inadequate private library “associations.”
In the fall of 1938, Calvin Smith, Superintendent of the Granite School District, and C. N. Jensen, Superintendent of the Jordan School District, headed a drive for a Salt Lake County Library system, and in the spring of 1939, it was established, with a budget of $33,822; Ruth Vine Tyler as the head; and a staff of four people. The first Library Board was made up of the following members: Superintendents Smith and Jensen, Mrs. Alf G. Gunn, J. R. Rawlins, and J. Hollis Aylett, Mayor of Midvale. Temporary quarters were established in two rooms of the Midvale Elementary School at 575 East Center Street, and plans were laid to construct a new building. The Library Board decided to build it in Midvale, at least partly because Midvale City donated a piece of land 178 feet x 910 feet at the southeast corner of Main and Center Streets on which to construct the building.’ The project became a WPA effort, illustrating the federal government’s role and concern not only in public works, but also in funding buildings to be used for public and educational needs.
The architectural firm of (Raymond J.) Ashton and (Raymond L.) Evans designed this PWA Moderne-style building. Ashton and Evans, a prominent firm, also designed several other public work buildings during the 1930s and ’40s, including the Wayne County High School, the Thomas Library at the University of Utah, and the Wasatch County Library in Heber City, the design of which is very similar to this building.
The architectural drawings for the building were completed by the end of 1939, the building contract was awarded to Jense Bros, in the spring of 1940, and construction began in June of that year. Construction was completed in August 1941 and a grand opening held August 9, 1941. The building was intended to serve as the Midvale City Library, and as the center for processing and distributing books for the entire Salt Lake County system, which by that time had 19 branches: Bacchus, Bingham, Copperton, Draper, East Mill creek, Garfield, Granger, Herriman, Holladay, Magna, Mill creek, Riverton, Sandy (2), South Salt Lake (2), Taylorsville, Union, and West Jordan. Its facilities included an adult reading room, a children’s room, a board meeting room, several offices, a work and stack room, and shelves for 30,000 volumes.
The building served as a library until 1976, when it became the Midvale City Hall.
The Salt Lake County Library is one of 233 public works buildings identified in Utah that were built during the 1930s and early 1940s. Only 130 of those 233 buildings are known to remain today and retain their historic integrity. This is one of 20 buildings constructed in Salt Lake County, of which 10 remain. It is one of six public works library buildings constructed in Utah, of which five are known to remain. Libraries were included in at least five other public works buildings in the state, but the primary function of those buildings was as a city hall.
This building was added to the National Register of Historic Places (#82004129) on July 26, 1982.
The Thurber School was built in 1910. In 1985 it became the Spanish Fork City Office Building. It’s a beautiful addition to the area and the architecture really stands out.
The Pleasant Grove Town Hall, built in 1887, replaced the city’s first town hall, which was a one-room log building. It was used as town hall building until 1940, when a third town hall building was built in the city. The Pleasant Grove Town Hall building was then used as a lunchroom for Pleasant Grove High School until 1949. Since that time, it has been used as the home of the Pleasant Grove First Baptist Church and the Pleasant Grove Public Library. Today it is home to Bliss Photo Studio and Boutique.
Built in 1887 from the widely used native soft-rock. The one-story rectangular building has the block massing of early Utah civic buildings. The symmetrical three bay façade features the center door covering of an angular pediment portico supported by Roman Doric columns. The angular pediment is repeated on the hip roof as a decorative dormer directly above the portico. Under the roof is a wide plain entablature.*
The Ivanhoe apartment building, constructed in 1908 by the Finch, Rogers, and Mulvey investment firm for the cost of approximately $50,000, is one of many downtown area apartments built in Salt Lake City during the first three decades of the twentieth century, representing a period of unprecedented expansion, growth, and urbanization.
The 1908 Ivanhoe 19-unit apartment building boasted the newest flooring, tiling, lighting, and heating of the time. Its exterior was constructed of light buff-pressed bricks with white sandstone trimming. The Neo-Classical and Colonial Revival style featured stamped metal cornices with block modillions, brackets, classical porticoes at the entrances, bay windows, and horizontal brick banding on the first floor. The primary feature of the building was a handsome court between the two wings of the building which opened onto the street.
The building was designed by local architect Bernard O. Mecklenburg, who worked on many prominent commercial, religious, and residential structures throughout Utah during the early 1900s, including the Broadway Hotel, Bank of Vernal (also known as “the Bank that was sent by Mail”), Maryland (Mecklenburg) Apartments, and Cathedral of the Madeleine (in collaboration with Carl M. Neuhausen).
See other historic apartment building in Salt Lake City here.
417 East 300 South in Salt Lake City, Utah
From the NRHP nomination form: Constructed in 1908, the Ivanhoe Apartments is a U-shaped three-story brick building with a parapet roof, sandstone foundation and Neo-Classical/Colonial Revival styling. No significant alterations have been made to the building.
The Ivanhoe is a variant of the basic “walk-up” type apartment building. The basic walk-up contains six units, is three stories in height, one apartment deep and two units in width across the façade. It has a central entrance/stairway with two apartments opening off each landing. The Ivanhoe incorporates three basic walk-up units in its U-shaped plan one at the back and one each along the sides with a courtyard in the center. Unlike the basic walk-up, the Ivanhoe does not have projecting front porches, though it does have balconies over the entrances. Also unusual are the interior rear stairways on the side units; the rear units have external frame porches and stairways on the back of the building.
Neo-Classical and Colonial Revival features include the stamped metal cornice with block modilions, brackets, classical porticoes at the entrances, bay windows, horizontal brick banding on the first floor creating a quoin-like effect, and six-over-one double-hung windows.
Constructed in 1908, the Ivanhoe Apartments is one of over 180 “urban apartments” built in Salt Lake City during the first three decades of the twentieth century, a period of unprecedented expansion and urbanization. Over 60 percent of those buildings are either listed or eligible for listing in the National Register. Urban apartments are significant under Criterion C as a distinct and important type of residential building in the city. Apartments are remarkably consistent with one another in terms of building plan, height, roof type, materials, and stylistic features. These and other characteristics mark them as a new and distinct type of early twentieth century residential building. Under Criterion A, urban apartments are significant for their association with the rapid urbanization of Salt Lake City during the 1890s-1930 period. The growth that took place during those decades spurred the construction of two opposing types of housing in the city: urban apartments and suburban homes. Suburban homes represent a rejection of urban conditions. Apartments, on the other hand, document the accommodation of builders and residents to the realities of crowded living conditions and high land values. They were a significant new housing option that emerged in response to the growth that transformed Salt Lake City into an urban center during the early twentieth century.
The building permit for the Ivanhoe Apartments was issued on April 2, 1908, to Finch, Rogers and Mulvey, an investment firm. Estimated cost of the 19-unit building was $30,000. Harry L. Finch, Richard E. Rogers and Martin E. Mulvey were partners in the firm which had the apartments constructed. In August 1908 they transferred ownership of the building to their newly created corporation, Ivanhoe Investment Company. The building remained in Ivanhoe ownership until 1943, when it was purchased by Jedd L. and Mary E. Jensen.
Soon after the building permit for these apartments was issued, the following article describing the proposed building appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Ground already has been broken for a new apartment building on Third South near the corner of Fourth East, to cost $65,000, and which promises to be unique for this sort of building in Salt Lake. The structure, which is being financed by the Finch-Rogers Mulvey company, will have a frontage on Third South of 100 feet, with a depth of 110 feet. The feature of the building will be the handsome court between the two wings of the building, opening on the street, and so arranged that all of the apartments will open on the court. There will be grass plots, a fountain and statuary in the court, which is expected to make the new building especially attractive as a summer residence.
There will be twenty apartments of five and six rooms. All of the interior finish will be of hardwood and the hallways and bathrooms will be tiled. Heating and lighting will be of the latest and most approved design. The exterior will be constructed of light buff pressed bricks, with white sandstone trimming. A garage for automobiles will be located at the rear of the building, with a driveway at the side. The foundation already has been completed, and it is expected that the building will be ready for occupancy by July 1. Plans were drawn by B.O. Mecklenburg, architect.
Bernard O. Mecklenburg was an accomplished local architect. He was born in Nebraska in 1878 and came to Salt Lake City in 1898. He practiced architecture here until 1919, when he moved to Los Angeles. His work includes completion of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, additions to Holy Cross Hospital, the Mecklenburg Apartments, and a number of substantial residences in the city.
The Spanish Fork High School Gymnasium was originally built as a Public Works Administration project. It is not part of the current Spanish Fork High School campus, but is used by the Nebo School District as part of its main offices.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
