Heritage the Utah Heritage Foundation Newsletter Vol.42 No.2
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HERITAGE THE UTAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER VOL.42 NO.2 DOES PRESERVATION WIN OR LOSE WITH A DOWNTOWN CULTURAL DISTRICT? By Kirk Huffaker, UHF Executive Director Dinwoody Furniture, c. 1890 Dinwoodey Furniture, 2007Walker Bank & Trust, c. 1914 Walker Bank & Trust, 2008 Simply put, renovation of the Utah From the oldest building in downtown these buildings continue to house small Theatre would help revitalize down- Salt Lake City (Eagle Emporium, 102 S. and independent local businesses. All of town Salt Lake City. When you couple Main St.) to modern landmarks of tomor- these things help to strengthen the city by the possible renovation with the poten- row (Federal Reserve Bank, 120 S. State creating a strong connection between lo- tial benefi ts from having a downtown St.), these two blocks encompass build- cal business and historic preservation. cultural district, the entire Salt Lake ings small and large that epitomize the If a downtown cultural district or region could benefi t exponentially. A social, commercial, and retail history of Broadway-style theatre is proposed for stronger cultural presence in downtown downtown Salt Lake City. They remind this area, the proposal must incorpo- Salt Lake City means a stronger region us of how things used to be as well as rate these historic buildings with a plan and that inevitably leads to a stronger defi ning our history: the Dinwoodey including how they will continue to state. However, the biggest question Furniture Company (37 West 100 South) operate in new capacities rather than be on everyone’s mind is – how does this which was, at the turn of the century, one demolished. After all, Utah’s history is project happen? of the largest furniture manufacturers in part of its culture, and therefore integral While there are talks of establishing the Intermountain West; the Salt Lake to the proper development of a proposed a cultural district on Salt Lake City’s Tribune Building (137 S. Main St.) was cultural district. If redevelopment is not Blocks 69 and 70 (bounded by 100 built by Mayor Ezra Thompson and today an option, the best proposal to build a South on the north, State Street on the helps defi ne our historic Main Street new theatre would be to select vacant land east, 200 South to the south and West streetwall; and the warehouse-style build- in downtown. Temple on the west), what seems to be ings that compose Arrow Press Square Included in this edition of Heritage getting lost in the conversation is the (165 S. West Temple) once hummed with is the Heritage Information Brief that fact that there are additional historic printing presses and now awaits new uses provides background on the historic build- buildings within these blocks. The Utah in one of the few great urban spaces in ings that reside within these two blocks. Theatre is not the only great historic our downtown. Their strength is obvious as they form an building on these blocks, but it, and all Nowhere else can you see the repre- amazing mix of architectural styles as of these buildings, should be part of our sentation of this city’s business history. well as save pieces of our history. While collective preservation planning efforts. This area contains such a broad range there are many proposals being discussed The rehabilitation of the theatre cer- of architectural styles and building sizes for the building of these blocks, potential tainly has the potential to attract audi- that are characteristics of every period of demolition of several buildings will only ences, strengthen downtown’s economy, development in downtown. Several of detract from the character of downtown, and energize our architectural heritage. the cultural district itself, as well as dimin- These points are key incentives to start- ish the possibilities for attracting local ing this rehabilitation conversation. But businesses in the future. does not end here. (continued on page 10) Utah Heritage Foundation is a non-profi t, ABCDFIRST WORD IN PRESERVATION statewide, membership-based organization dedicated to preserving, protecting and promoting Utah’s historic achitecture through public awareness, advocacy, and active preservation. If you’re on the sustainability bandwagon, you are doing what you can to conserve energy, wa- ter, gas, and just about anything else. I admit that I’m sucked in. Today this movement of being BOARD OF TRUSTEES ‘green,’ creating a more sustainable environment or reducing your carbon footprint on the earth, is Pete Ashdown, Chair (SLC) one of the nation’s biggest movements. Martha Bradley, Vice-Chair (SLC) At the 2008 Utah Preservation Conference, we heard several messages directly connecting his- David Richardson , Secretary (SLC) toric preservation with this national movement of sustainability. The National Trust for Historic Jana Ward, Treasurer (SLC) Preservation is working to provide leadership that will integrate rehabilitation and revitalization Ken Ament (SLC) choices with the most popular measureable standard, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Sue Anderson Ball (Provo) Design (LEED). The non-profi t organization DesignBuildBLUFF is the evolving vision of Park James W. Christopher (SLC) City-ite Hank Louis. The purpose of his organization is to integrate social values with sustainable Tab Cornelison (SLC) architecture. His projects, located in southeastern Utah, have received national recognition for John Dahltsrom (SLC) sustainable building practices. Amy Gallivan Damico (SLC) Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon also voiced their Lisa Eccles (SLC) desire to have their respective areas in the forefront of national sustainability policy. Muffy Ferro, (SLC) At the Salt Lake Sustainable Building Conference, we also heard about the challenge given to Lewis Francis (SLC) reduce energy consumption by 50% in all existing buildings by 2030 (www.architecture2030.org). John Lambert (Erda) With many architects accepting this challenge and a projection of 150 billion square feet of prop- Allison Leishman (SLC) erty to be renovated in the next 20 years, there will be many historic preservation and sustainability Carolyn Nebeker (Ogden) issues to resolve. There are three major issues that will need to be addessed: 1) design, planning, Mayor David Newton (West Jordan) and innovation; 2) adding technology without violating preservation standards; and 3) purchasing Craig Paulsen (SLC) green renewable energy. The continued development of state and local incentive programs for both Anne Polinsky (SLC) historic preservation and sustainability will greatly assist in meeting these challenges. Gary B. Porter (Centerville) If you have a historic building, the solution is not to simply slap on some solar panels and call Katie Shell (Draper) it good! As preservationists, we believe that you should do everything you can to improve the long Kay Sundberg (SLC) term costs/benefi ts of your historic house. Older houses are built to last and by making the right choices during rehabilitation, including how to improve your building’s effi ciency, it could last even EMERITI DIRECTORS longer. Salt Lake City’s policy for solar panels in historic districts serves as a basic but excellent Tina Stahlke Lewis (Park City) model. It states that proposed solar panels should be located on non-street facing facades, below Robert Young (SLC) roof ridge lines, or on accessory structures. With good policies in place, historic buildings and his- toric districts can continue to reap the benefi ts that the green building industry promotes, meet the EXOFFICIO MEMBERS challenges of preservation and create good public policy. Jane Anderson (SLC) Making the right choice is easy. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. And rehab your building right. Sharon Cupit (SLC) Roger Durst (SLC) Kirk Huffaker Frank Pignanelli (SLC) Executive Director Don Stromquist (SLC) For 10 tips on ‘Greening’ your historic house, visit our website: www.utahheritagefoundation.org. SHPO LIASON Barbara Murphy (SLC) UHF THANKS 2008 UTAH PRESERVATION CONFERENCE SPONSORS STAFF Kirk Huffaker Presenting Sponsor - ZIONS BANK Executive Director Elizabeth Bradley-Wilson Sustaining Sponsor - Big-D Construction , Key Bank Assistant Director Carolynn Bottino Leardership Sponsor - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Copper Robers Memorial House Manager Simonsen Associates, Division of State History, Salt Lake County Brett Garner Offi ce Manager Preservation Partner - Abstract Masonry Restoration, Capitol Hill Construction, University of Mary Lou Gottschall Utah College of Architecture + Planning, Home-Tech, Inc.. Volunteer Director Lloyd Architects, Lowell Construction, MJSA Architects. National Trust Alison Muir for Historic Preservation, Park City Historical Society & Museum. Public Outreach Director Weber County Heritage Foundation, XMission Lisa Poppleton Development Director Preservation Associate - Downtown Alliance, Greater Avenues Community Council, Rob White GSBS Architects, Universty of Utah Honors College, Senior Advisor Paulsen Construction 2 HERITAGE NEWSLETTER OF THE UTAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION SPRING 2008 2008 PRESERVATION CONFERENCEABCD SHARES IDEAS FOR SUCCESS By Alison Flanders, UHF Public Outreach Director The 2008 city and that munity a chance to visit local vendors Utah Preserva- we should try that provide the services needed for most tion Conference: to mirror that rehabilitation and preservation projects. A Tradition of grandeur in Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres while Sustainability our build- mingling with their peers and listening to started with