HERITAGE THE UTAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER VOL.44 NO.4 LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION By Trevor Snarr, Utah Film Commission Utah has seen more then 800 films in its time from the early days of John Ford and Monument Valley in The Searchers, to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Thelma and Louise. Now Utah has been host to a new vari- ety of films including the High School Musical genre, the recently released Fox Searchlight Pictures film 127 Hours, and the upcoming 2012 release of Walt Disney Pictures film John Carter of Mars. Did you know Utah has been the backdrop for Whoville in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, (Snowbird, Utah) planet Vulcan in Star Trek 2009 (San Rafael Swell, Utah) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End (Bonn- eville Salt Flats, Utah)? Most recently Utah doubled for the planet Mars in the film John Carter of Mars (Emery, Kane and Grand Counties) by author Edgar Rice Burroughs (Tarzan), directed by On set of Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde at the Utah State Capitol. Photo Award-winning filmmaker Andrew Courtesy of the Utah Film Commission. Stanton (Finding Nemo, Wall∙E) and produced by Colin Wilson (Avatar). background for a variety of films, there the soundstage for the recently released While the Utah scenery has been the have been several historic buildings Fox Searchlight film 127 Hours directed that have played staring roles in many by Academy Award Winner Danny Boyle films. The Wendover Historic Air Field (Slumdog Millionaire) starring James has been in several films including Con Franco (Spiderman) that tells the true Air, Independence Day and The Core. story of hiker Aron Ralston who saved The Utah State Capitol has doubled himself after being pinned by a boulder for for the United States Capitol in Legally five days in a remote Utah canyon. Three Blonde II: Red, White and Blonde. different replicas of Blue John Canyon Downtown Magna and the Masonic were built in the warehouse; the replicas Temple have appeared in Disney Chan- were so large the production company nel movies and the television series had to cut between the 17-foot-high floors Touched By An Angel and Everwood. of the warehouse to accommodate the Ogden High School doubled for the 30-foot-high “canyon.” New York Broadway Theater and was Southern Utah has seen many films the High School for the film Three including The Searchers (Monument O’clock High. Utah also doubled for Valley), Thelma and Louise, Mission Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China Impossible II (Dead Horse Point), Galaxy at certain areas of Library Square in Quest (Goblin Valley) and Planet of the Touched By An Angel. Apes (Lake Powell). Utah’s film history Most recently the old Granite Fur- has been economically viable for the state niture Warehouse in Sugarhouse was by the continued support of the Motion Picture Incentive Fund (MPIF), which offers a 20% post-performance tax credit or cash rebate to productions that shoot a Danny Boyle directing James Franco film and spend $1 million or more in the on the set of 127 Hours. Photo by Chuck (continued on page 9) Zlotnick. Utah Heritage Foundation is a non-profit, FIRST WORD IN PRESERVATION statewide, membership-based organization dedicated to preserving, protecting and promoting Utah’s historic built environment through public awareness, advocacy, and active preservation. Preservation AND THE Movies, DON’T LET your GOOD MEMORIES END Board OF Trustees We all get a little possessive when it comes Martha Bradley, Chair (SLC) to movies. Having our favorites is something David Richardson, Vice-Chair (SLC) to cherish, whether it’s those that we remember Chris Anderson, Treasurer (Spring City) from our childhood, from our teenage years, or Amy Gallivan Damico, Secretary (SLC) Bernie Allen (Ogden) whether it is something that can speak to us from Pete Ashdown (SLC) more personal experience. We relive our favor- Kendall Burwell (SLC) ites with children and grandchildren so that they Kim Casaday (SLC) can be passed down. A film can inspire us to do James W. Christopher (SLC) something unlike anything we’ve ever done, been John Dahlstrom (SLC) through, or can even imagine. That’s why we love Lewis Francis (SLC) Ceri Jones (SLC) the escape of a good movie. Craig Paulsen (SLC) Today this is big business with an ever- Michael Petersen (Holladay) escalating civil war of making movies in North Gary B. Porter (Centerville) America with debates about tax credits, unions, Kathleen Sacco (SLC) locations, available local talent, and shooting sea- Katie Shell (Draper) son. In Utah they’re also able to capitalize on the Kay Sundberg (SLC) Reagan Tolboe (SLC) wealth of resources including historic buildings Christopher Von Maack (SLC) that provide fabulous locations and unique oppor- tunities to create depth of character, families, and EMERITI DIRECTORS overall settings for the storylines. You can feel Ogden High School was featured in Ginette Bott (Pleasant Grove) the impact of a historic setting whether you are both Drive Me Crazy and Three O’clock watching a full length movie, a television series, or EXOFFICIO MEMBERS High, appearing in one of the promotional a 15-30 second commercial. Steven Cornell (SLC) movie posters. Millie Kay Francis (Farmington) Several years ago, the staff clued me in Don Stromquist (SLC) that I was missing out on a movie filmed in Utah Anita Winegar (Bountiful) and that I needed to see Drive Me Crazy. Luckily, television is kind to replay Melissa Joan Hart in her heyday quite often so you’re able to find it pretty easily. This is a liberal SHPO LIAISON showing of Utah’s finer points with an opening shot of the city from outside the City & Barbara Murphy (SLC) County Building, the State Capitol hosts the big dance, and Ogden High School doubles as Timothy Zonin High, or as the students call it Time Zone. With several scenes between two historic houses in an unidentified historic neighborhood, Hart and her male neighbor (Adrian Grenier, from Entourage) quickly become each other’s love interest. (Please let us know if you know which neighborhood this takes place!) Staff With movie magic happening all around us, I believe Kirk Huffaker this issue of Heritage is one of the most fun and enjoy- Executive Director Elizabeth Bradley-Wilson able I can remember. It will be one you’ll want to keep or Assistant Director hand out to your friends, or take a field trip to see some of Carolynn Bottino the historic places featured in these articles. In the mean- Memorial House Manager time, I’m still waiting to see that action-packed historic Susan Crook preservation movie, maybe at Sundance, if any producers Central and Southern Utah are out there. Utah would be a great place to make it! Field Representative Alison Flanders Public Outreach Director Brett Garner Office Manager Kathy Nielsen Kirk Huffaker Volunteer Director Executive Director Lisa Poppleton Development Director 2 HERITAGE NEWSLETTER OF THE UTAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION FALL 2010 Outreach AND Education Capitol Discovery Day September 18 With the help of the Capitol Preservation Board and many volunteers, UHF hosted our annual event to raise awareness of the unique architecture of our State Capitol Building. The Capi- tol Discovery Day activities included creating stencils, construct- ing gumdrop domes, drawing murals, and making mosaics. With over 750 people in attendance, our volunteers help kids understand why the preservation of the State Capitol is impor- tant and how the unique elements are what make this building so special. Thank you to Sweet Candy Company for donating the gumdrops for our domes and to all the volunteers who make this event such a success to share UHF’s mission. SL Modern’s Mini-Mod tour of Westshire October 9 Salt Lake Modern hosted a mini-modern tour in West Valley’s Westshire neighborhood. Featuring homes designed by local architect Ron Molen, this tour showcased classic mod- ern style. On the east side of West Valley City, this neighborhood of over 160 homes draws more attention than many. Westshire is one of the few unique neighborhoods in the Salt Lake Valley that was built in the modern style. Residents take pride in the interesting design of their houses, retaining their original look and feel. Beyond design, the neighbors have formed a tight-knit community. This is exactly the type of neighborhood that architect Ronald L. Molen set out to build when he designed Westshire starting in 1963. Not wanting to design the typical subdivision, Molen wanted to create a stimulating place for raising families with a modern appearance that would be competitive on the housing market. The center of homes in Westshire is often a sunken pit with benches focused around the hearth, giving the family an intimate gathering space. Molen also changed the traditional orientation of public space for Westshire houses, moving the primary focus to the back yard rather than to the street with large windows, prominent decks or patios, and the inclusion of twelve swimming pools in the neighborhood. Thank you to our sponsors - Mony Ty Mid-Century Modern Realtor and grassroots- modern.com - and to all the homeowners and volunteers for sharing their passion for modern design. Utah Theater Tours October 22-23 Utah Heritage Foundation and the Salt Lake Redevelopment Agency hosted tours of the Utah Theater. UHF volunteers gave tours on Friday night and Saturday morning to nearly 600 people. The Utah Theater, located at 148 South Main Street in Salt Lake, was originally host to vaudeville-type performances and was designed by Alexander Pan- tages, who built over 160 theaters in the early 1900s. Tour goers were able to see how the performing stage was transformed into two movie theaters, and see how this theater was meant to be the main event of a formal night out on the town.