421 N. Center Street

This one-story, central-block-with-projecting-bays type house, built in 1900, was designed in the Victorian-eclectic style commonly found in pattern books of the era.

The house was built for Alexander E. Carr who was an abstractor of title for 57 years.  He was the head of the Carr Abstracting Company and vice-president of Intermountain Title Guaranty Company, the first business of its kind in Utah.  He was also secretary of several state boards and the Salt Lake City Board of Education.

The house next door to the south has a small plaque that says “Built 1903 – Alexander Edwards”

George T. Spokes House

This house was built c.1900 by George T. Spokes, a local builder.  Although never lived in by Spokes, it remained in his family until the 1960s.  Designed by David C. Dart, the Victorian Eclectic architecture style of the house contributes to the character of this district.  The octagonal corner tower with conical roof, decorative brickwork, and round-arched windows are only a few of the design features.  In addition to designing houses for Spokes and others, David C. Dart was the architect for the Judge Building at 300 South and Main Street.

525 Center Street

Constructed c.1905, for Benjamin F. Cummings, this two-story, side-passage house represents a transition in architectural styles that was occurring shortly after the turn of the century.
Elements of the waning Victorian eclecticism of the era can be found in the paid Tuscan columns, window arches, and bay window, while details of the emerging Prairie School style are apparent i nthe low-pitched, hipped-roof dormer, and large, rectangular windows with flat lintels.

Benjamin, a journalist and genealogist, and his wife, Emily, lived here from 1905 to 1911. After the Cummings sold the house it was used as an apartment building, as was common for larger houses during this era in Salt Lake City. The house is currently (1999) a single family residence and is undergoing an extensive rehabilitation.

See other historic homes in Salt Lake on this page.