Buildings and sites of Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City, Utah has many historic and notable sites within its immediate borders.

Central downtown Salt Lake City as viewed from the north facing south

Definition of "Salt Lake City"

The Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area is often referred to as "Salt Lake City." This article is concerned only with the buildings and sites inside the Salt Lake City and Sugar House area.

Neighborhoods and Councils

See also: Salt Lake City, Utah - Neighborhoods

• Avenues
• Ball Park
• Bonneville Hills
• Capitol Hill
• Central City
• Downtown
• Eastside
• East Bench
• East Liberty Park
• Fairpark
• Foothill/Sunnyside
• Glendale
• Jordan Meadows
• Liberty-Wells
• Poplar Grove
• Rose Park
• Sugar House
• Sunnyside East
• University
• Wasatch Hollow
• Westpointe
• Yalecrest

Parks/Attractions

• Temple Square - Top tourist attraction in Utah; a downtown religious campus for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the LDS Church).
• Main Street Plaza - parcel of land that was once Main Street, which the LDS Church controversially bought to make a pedestrian thoroughfare and connect its major properties.
• Hogle Zoo - far east in the foothills.
• University of Utah - campus on east side of the city.
• Red Butte Garden and Arboretum - located in the foothills of Salt Lake City, has many exhibits and holds concerts in the summer.
• Salt Lake City Cemetery - Largest cemetery in Utah
• Gilgal Sculpture Garden - a small park featuring eccentric Mormonism-based stone carvings.
• Liberty Park - public park featuring an aviary and other attractions.
• Memory Grove - World War I and war dead memorial park.
• Sugar House Park - site of the first state prison, constructed for polygamists.
• International Peace Gardens - founded after World War II to promote peace. Located in Glendale.
• Utah Museum of Natural History

Olympic Attractions

• Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Cauldron Park - Located at Rice-Eccles Stadium, home of the Olympic cauldron, the Hoberman Arch, and Olympic visitor's center.
• Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Legacy Plaza - Located at the Gateway District, features the Olympic fountain, with a water show set to music every hour.

Buildings

Religious, particularly LDS buildings, are prominent in Salt Lake City.

Settled by Brigham Young and 147 other pioneers on July 24, these Latter-day Saints were fleeing persecution after the death of their first leader Joseph Smith, Jr. Young originally intended the city and territory to be a religious theocracy. Although the government has long been secular, and even though less than 50% of residents in Salt Lake City are LDS, the city has an unusual number of religious buildings. It is the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so can be considered a kind of holy city. As the largest single landowner in the city, the LDS Church also has been very influential throughout its history. It must be noted that the Roman Catholic Cathedral, Cathedral Of The Madeleine located on South Temple is one of the most beautiful in the nation and a significant landmark in the city.

Unless noted, all of these buildings are in or around downtown Salt Lake City.

Religious

LDS

• Salt Lake Temple - possibly the most significant building in Mormonism, on Temple Square.
• Salt Lake Tabernacle - innovative domed pioneer-era meeting hall on Temple Square. Lent its name to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
• Salt Lake Assembly Hall - another historic building on Temple Square.
• Salt Lake Conference Center - spacious new meeting hall that replaced the Tabernacle.
• Joseph Smith Memorial Building - formerly the elegant Hotel Utah.
• LDS Church Office Building - skyscraper and world headquarters of the LDS Church
• Lion House - Brigham Young's home and death place.
• Beehive House - another of Young's historic homes, next door.
• 19th Ward Chapel - Old and unusual LDS ward house on Capitol Hill featuring an onion dome steeple, now home of the small, professional Salt Lake Acting Company.
• Garden Park Ward - stately LDS ward house surrounded by beautiful gardens and duck pond with stream formed from the Red Butte Creek. A popular location for wedding photography in the Gilmer Park area of the city

Other Faiths

• Cathedral of the Madeline - Salt Lake City's Roman Catholic cathedral in the lower Avenues.
• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• St. Mark's Cathedral - oldest non-Latter-day Saint church building in Salt Lake still in use; cathedral of the Utah diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.
• First Presbyterian Church of Salt Lake City - second oldest non-Latter-day Saint church building in Salt Lake still in use.
• White Memorial Chapel - historic LDS chapel, now a non-denominational church house on Capitol Hill.

Government

• Utah State Capitol - on Capitol Hill, modeled after the nation's Capitol.
• Salt Lake City and County Building - historic seat of Salt Lake City government.
• Scott Matheson Courthouse - new state courthouse, home of the Utah Supreme Court.
• Frank E. Moss Courthouse - federal courthouse of Utah.
• Thomas Kearns Home - governor's mansion, on South Temple at the foot of the Avenues.
• Salt Lake City Council Hall - old Salt Lake City hall, on Capitol Hill.

Educational/Arts

The interior of the Salt Lake City Public Library

• Villa Theatre-A now closed movie theatre famous for its design and history
• Park Building - administrative and iconic building of the University of Utah.
• Marriott Library - University of Utah library.
• Utah Museum of Fine Arts - museum at the University of Utah specializing in Mountain West artwork.
• Salt Lake City Public Library - large new Main City Library designed by Moshe Safdie.
• Family History Library - largest genealogical library in the world, maintained by the LDS Church.
• Abravanel Hall - home of the Utah Symphony Orchestra.
• Capitol Theatre - home to Utah Opera Company, Ballet West, and frequently host to large-scale touring productions.
• Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre - large proscenium theatre, home of the regional Pioneer Theatre Company; on the campus of the University of Utah.
• Clark Planetarium - new planetarium at the Gateway.
• Hansen Planetarium - historic building old main library and home to the planetarium before it moved to the Clark Planetarium.
• Utah Museum of Natural History
• Clift Building - Home of the Off Broadway Theatre, which features plays and Utah's longest running improv comedy troupe, Laughing Stock.
• The Leonardo - former library building, now an arts center.
• Kingsbury Hall - center for the performing arts located on the University of Utah campus.

Commercial

• 222 South Main - Utah's first LEED certified high-rise.
• Crossroads Mall - Main Street downtown mall across from ZCMI mall
• Deseret News Building - former home of the daily Deseret News
• EnergySolutions Arena (formerly the Delta Center) - home of the Utah Jazz NBA basketball team
• First Security Building - 1950s international style skyscraper
• Gateway Mall - pedestrian mall
• Jon M. Huntsman Center - main indoor arena at the University of Utah
• Kearns Building - built by mining magnate and U.S. Senator Thomas Kearns. For years it was considered the center of business in Salt Lake City
• One Utah Center - twenty-four story granite-clad skyscraper
• Rice-Eccles Stadium - football stadium for the University of Utah; site of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics; also the former home to the Major League Soccer team Real Salt Lake
• Rio Grande Depot - historic railroad station, originally built by Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad in 1910 and also used by the Western Pacific Railroad, and Amtrak between 1986 and 1999. Today the headquarters of the Utah State Historical Society.
• Salt Lake City Union Pacific Depot - another historic railroad station, originally named the Union Station, built jointly by the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake and the Oregon Short Line Railroads.
• Salt Lake City International Airport - west of Rose Park, but only 5 miles from Downtown
• Salt Lake Regional Medical Center - hospital built around Sisters of the Holy Cross Chapel, originally Holy Cross Hospital
• Salt Palace - large convention center
• Tribune Building - Main Street (across from Kearns Building) named for The Salt Lake Tribune which had long inhabited it
• Walker Center - skyscraper built in 1912
• Wells Fargo Center - tallest skyscraper in Salt Lake City, built in 1998
• ZCMI Center Mall - A former downtown mall with façade of old ZCMI department store

Residences

• Alfred McCune Home - lavish turn-of-the-century Capitol Hill mansion.
• David Keith Mansion - partner of Thomas Kearns in the Silver King Coalition Mine.
• George M. Cannon House - 1890 mansion in the Forest Dale section built by George Mousley Cannon, the developer of Forest Dale and a member of the Intermountain West's prominent Cannon family.
• Thomas Kearns Mansion- built by mining magnate and U.S. Senator Thomas Kearns. Now the Utah State Governor's Mansion, the largest in the United States.
• Woodruff-Riter-Stewart Home - another Capitol Hill mansion.

Fraternal

• Salt Lake Masonic Temple - Seat of Freemasonry in Salt Lake City and Masonic government in Utah

Monuments

• Brigham Young Monument - monument south of the Main Street Plaza to Brigham Young and the original 147 pioneers.
• Eagle Gate - gate remnant to the original city wall.
• Seagull Monument - LDS monument celebrating the Miracle of the Gulls.
• This Is The Place Monument - Monument high in the east near Hogle Zoo commemorating Brigham Young's words when entering the valley: "This is the place."

Other

• UTA TRAX - Utah Transit Authority light rail system running nearly the entire length of Salt Lake County, beginning at the Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub in the western part of Salt Lake City proper. There is also a line east to the University of Utah and several extensions are under construction for lines extending to South Jordan, West Valley City and the Salt Lake City International Airport.

External links

• Official Salt Lake City site
• City visitor's guide
• Walking tour of Salt Lake City downtown