Anderson Apartments

The north portion of this building was constructed in 1898 at a cost of $3,000.  It was the largest Main Street structure built after the 1898 fire which destroyed Park City’s commercial district.  The south section of the building was added around 1905.

The frame construction with rectangular gable roof and modified false front is a typical example of the vernacular commercial buildings of turn-of-the-century Park City.  The facade originally included a canopy and second floor balcony, as well as a different window configuration.

The building was originally occupied by E.D. Sutton & Co., which established a grocery and meat business in Park City in 1890.  Because the second floor was used as a meeting palce for the Masons and other social organizations, the building was called Social Hall.  The ground floor has been used by various commercial concerns in recent years, and also housed the Park City offices for Summit County services.  The upper floors have long been used as rental apartments.

Located at 461 Main Street on historic Park City Main Street in Park City, Utah.

The Alamo

Built in 1905 by the M.S. Aschiem Mercantile Company on property adjacent to its thriving, landmark store, this Mission style structure was one of the few brick commercial buildings on Main Street in its day.  The building has design features unique to Park City.  It is a Spanish Colonial revival design with decorative Queen Anne brickwork, and an interior ceiling composed of a series of barrel vaults.

Until 1911 the building was occupied by the Utah Independent Telephone Company, a rival exchange which eventually merged with Rocky Mountain Bell.  It subsequent changes of owners and uses, the building housed Utah Power & Light Company offices, a bowling alley and a liquor store, before establishing the Alamo Saloon existing today.  Careful restoration in 1981 presents a building whose facade today closely resembles  that of the building when constructed.

Located at 447 Main Street on historic Park City Main Street in Park City, Utah.

The Club

Built of wood after the great fire of 1898, this building has always functioned as a restaurant or saloon, and was originally called the Silver King Restaurant.  Construction took place in two phases: the southern half built first, and a mirror image of it added to the north several years later.  In 1907 the building shared the same wood porch with the two buildings to the north.

The interior walls are hung with a collection of animal trophies which have been looking down on the The Club’s patrons since longtime proprietor Heinie Hernan installed them in the 1930’s.  Moonshine was sold here during prohibition, and a memorable party occurred when President Roosevelt legalized alcoholic beverages in 1932.  This is the only saloon from Park City’s mining heyday whose interior remains substantially unchanged.

Although fairly typical of other commercial facades built along Main Street in its day, The Club is distinguished by its ornate wood cornice and bracketed wood lintels above the two double hung windows.  Its recessed entry and two story height are consistent with most commercial structures built in Park City at the turn of the century.

Located at 449 Main Street on historic Park City Main Street in Park City, Utah.

Jenkins Photography Studio – Jenkins Confectionery

The Jenkins Photography Studio, which produced many significant historical photographs, was opened in 1919 by Joseph Edward Jenkins and his wife, Marjorie Wilkes Jenkins.

In the 1920’s, the storefront advertising introduced the residents of Park City to the advent of the radio and photograph. J. E. Jenkins proudly played a radio on Main Street in front of the store so everyone passing by could listen to the new history-making invention.

A big change came in 1934 when the photography studio was converted to a confectionery named Pop Jenks. From then on and for the rest of their lives, J. E. Jenkins and Marjorie Jenkins would be known as “Pop Jenks” and “Ma Jenks” to scores of children, customers and friends.

Pop enjoyed his photography for many years. his daughter, Thelma Uriarte, later donated these photographs and negatives to the Park City Historical Society, so that all could enjoy the history he captured on film.

Located at 430 Main Street on historic Park City Main Street in Park City, Utah.

Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone Office

This two-story structure was designed by Richard Kletting, who at the turn of the century was considered Utah’s foremost architect.  Attesting to the company’s confidence in Park City’s future, Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone purchased the land in July, 1898, only a month after the devastating fire which destroyed most of the Main Street commercial district.  The building, completed later that year, was used as an office to serve the company’s local clientele, and when Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company purchased Rocky Mountain Bell in 1911, the building was retained  for the same purpose.

In 1964 the building was sold.  Since that time it has housed a real estate office, clothing store and, currently, a restaurant.  The second floor has generally been used for living quarters.

The structure played a significant role in developing communication in this burgeoning mining town.  It has had only minor  alterations since it was built, and is typical of the Victorian commercial buildings constructed in its time.

Located at 434 Main Street on historic Park City Main Street in Park City, Utah.

The Oak Saloon

This building was constructed in 1922 as an addition to the Oak Saloon, a frame structure which was located on the lot to the south.

The Oak Saloon was established in 1902 by Spriggs and Prior, with Henry Spriggs as manager.  It was one of the most popular, prominent and community-conscious establishments in Park City.  In 1903 the Oak Saloon financed the building of a bandstand next to Blyth Fargo’s “Big Store.”  In 1909 Spriggs founded the Commercial Club, whose members were in the town’s leading businessmen and whose activities benefited the entire community.  The Club’s meetings were held in the rooms over the Oak Saloon.

The frame structure which originally housed the Oak Saloon was destroyed by fire in 1974.  This addition to the saloon, because of its masonry construction, withstood the fire.  It has accommodated such diverse businesses as the Golden Nugget Pinball Arcade and the Mountain Flora flower shop.  From 1976 to 1984 it was the offices of The Newspaper, a weekly publication which merged with the Park Record in 1983.  The Park Record is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Utah.

Located at 419 Main Street on historic Park City Main Street in Park City, Utah.

Samuel LePage Raddon

On this site stood the office of The Park Record, Utah’s oldest weekly newspaper. It was owned and operated for 63 years by Samuel LePage “Dad” Raddon. A son of Henry George and Judith LePage Raddon, he was born in the Saint-Peter-Port, Isle of Guernsey, Great Britain, on May 13, 1858. Although the family later chose not to remain in the church, they were converts to the LDS faith and immigrated to Utah when Sam was ten years of age. Two years later he came a “printer’s devil” and was one of the earliest employees of the Salt Lake Tribune. There he learned the mechanics of newpapering and became a self-taught writer.

He moved to Park City in 1880 and for two years worked as a typesetter, then returned to the Tribune. In 1884 he again joined the Record staff, this time as editor and co-publisher, a title he held for 63 years. His 65 year association with one newspaper is a time span equaled by few, if any, western journalists.

The Record, under Sam Raddon, was the embodiment of “two-fisted journalism” in an early-west mining community. His goal was to produce the best paper possible, and so far as financial means permitted, he did so. Fiery editorials, addressing community needs and problems, often reflecting his own political leanings, earned him the respect of Park City residents as well as newspaper contemoraries. The paper was an example of classic journalism.

Historian J. Cecil Alter wrote of it, “Neither the sun, moon nor stars ever ran more smoothly than The Park Record…under Raddon’s management.

Sam outlived three competing newspapers, survived two major depressions and more than a few economic slumps in the mining industry which directly impacted the city’s economy. Even when a disastrous 1898 fire destroyed his plant along with much of the town, he never missed an issue, crediting “a little help from my friends” and the cost-free use of the Salt Lake Herald‘s production facilities. Financially, the fire was a major blow for the Record. Its recently occupied building and newly installed equipment were totally destroyed. For some time in its aftermath a tent was the paper’s office. Raddon was an influence for good in Park City and a key figure in contributing to and recording its rich history. In addition to leadership roles in civic, fraternal, and service organizations, he served as 1908 president of Utah Press Association. In 1948, less than a year after he tired and turned the paper over to his son, LePage, “Dad” Raddon died at the age of 89. In 1962, he was among the first journalists to be inducted into the Utah Newspaper Hall of Fame.

Located at 420 Main Street on historic Park City Main Street in Park City, Utah.