Capitol Hill, Salt Lake City, Utah
Encyclopedia
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
gets its name from the Utah State Capitol
Utah State Capitol
The Utah State Capitol is the house of government for the U.S. state of Utah. The building houses the chambers of the Utah State Legislature, the offices of the Governor of Utah and Lieutenant Governor of Utah, along with other supporting offices for the Government of Utah...
prominently overlooking downtown. In addition, Capitol Hill can be considered a neighborhood of Salt Lake City.
Geography
The hill slopes down to the south so that it handsomely overlooks the Salt Lake City downtown area. The Utah State CapitolUtah State Capitol
The Utah State Capitol is the house of government for the U.S. state of Utah. The building houses the chambers of the Utah State Legislature, the offices of the Governor of Utah and Lieutenant Governor of Utah, along with other supporting offices for the Government of Utah...
, which the hill is now named after, was built from 1912 to 1916 in the prime spot to overlook the city. State Street, a road which runs through the whole state as highway 89, leads up Capitol Hill toward the Capitol which can be seen from miles away as the symbolic end of State Street. Main Street also climbs Capitol Hill one block to the west. The entire Salt Lake City metro area is impressively seen from Capitol Hill, and the Great Salt Lake
Great Salt Lake
The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere, the fourth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of around , but the lake's size fluctuates substantially due to its...
glistens miles to the west.
The hill is home to many historic buildings. The west sloping side of the hill is called "Marmalade Hill", since the streets are named after various fruits that are often used in making marmalade
Marmalade
Marmalade is a fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits, boiled with sugar and water. The benchmark citrus fruit for marmalade production in Britain is the "Seville orange" from Spain, Citrus aurantium var...
. It is renowned as a uniquely diverse neighborhood. The east slope descends sharply into City Creek Canyon. Over the small canyon is another Salt Lake City neighborhood called "the Avenues". Above and to the north of the Capitol building is the Wasatch Springs area named after nearby natural hot springs. The sloping south face of Capitol Hill is sometimes called "Heber's Bench" after Heber C. Kimball
Heber C. Kimball
Heber Chase Kimball was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement. He served as one of the original twelve apostles in the early Latter Day Saint church, and as first counselor to Brigham Young in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his...
, former resident and Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Marmalade District's borders are generally considered to be a small triangular area bounded by 300 North on the south, 500 North on the north, Center Street on the east, and Quince Street, the district's "Main Street", on the west.
Marmalade District
The western slope of Capitol Hill is called the "Marmalade District" after marmaladeMarmalade
Marmalade is a fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits, boiled with sugar and water. The benchmark citrus fruit for marmalade production in Britain is the "Seville orange" from Spain, Citrus aurantium var...
fruit jam because of the streets named after fruit tree
Fruit tree
A fruit tree is a tree which bears fruit that is consumed or used by people — all trees that are flowering plants produce fruit, which are the ripened ovaries of flowers containing one or more seeds. In horticultural usage, the term 'fruit tree' is limited to those that provide fruit for...
s imported and planted there such as apricot
Apricot
The apricot, Prunus armeniaca, is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation.- Description :...
, quince
Quince
The quince , or Cydonia oblonga, is the sole member of the genus Cydonia and native to warm-temperate southwest Asia in the Caucasus region...
and almond
Almond
The almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...
. Most of the original streets of Salt Lake City are aligned to and named after cardinal direction
Cardinal direction
The four cardinal directions or cardinal points are the directions of north, east, south, and west, commonly denoted by their initials: N, E, S, W. East and west are at right angles to north and south, with east being in the direction of rotation and west being directly opposite. Intermediate...
s, and exceptions to this rule are often named. The Avenues are one example. The irregular, narrow, and steep roads of the Marmalade District are another.
The district is often considered among the most architecturally diverse in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
residential neighborhoods. Early examples of Utah vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
sit alongside diverse turn-of-the-century styles such as a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-influenced LDS meeting house, Gothic revival homes, Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
mansions, and eclectic houses of various combinations of adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
, brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
, and carpentry
Carpentry
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
.
Notable buildings and sites on Capitol Hill
- Utah State CapitolUtah State CapitolThe Utah State Capitol is the house of government for the U.S. state of Utah. The building houses the chambers of the Utah State Legislature, the offices of the Governor of Utah and Lieutenant Governor of Utah, along with other supporting offices for the Government of Utah...
- Salt Lake City Council HallSalt Lake City Council HallThe Salt Lake City Council Hall is currently home to offices for the Utah Office of Tourism and The Utah Film Commission and is located on Capitol Hill in Salt Lake City, Utah...
- old Salt Lake City Hall relocated from downtown to across from the capitol building. - White Memorial Chapel - 1883 Latter-day Saint 18th ward Gothic revival chapel that was privately rebuilt across from Capitol building for non-denominational services.
- Pioneer Memorial Building - home of Pioneer History Museum, and a replica of the Old Salt Lake City Theater.
- Kimball-Whitney Cemetery - a small cemetery for the Kimball and Whitney families, which is the final resting place of Heber C. KimballHeber C. KimballHeber Chase Kimball was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement. He served as one of the original twelve apostles in the early Latter Day Saint church, and as first counselor to Brigham Young in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his...
. - Dickson-Gardner-Wolf Home - large 1905 Classic revivalClassical architectureClassical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
mansion on East Capitol Street for US District AttorneyUnited States AttorneyUnited States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
William H. Dickson. - Alfred McCune HomeAlfred McCune HomeThe Alfred McCune Home is one of the mansions on Capitol Hill in Salt Lake City, Utah, from around the turn of the 20th century. Built for Alfred W. McCune on the inclined south side of Capitol Hill at the northeast corner of 200 North and Main Street, the mansion has 21 rooms and is on the...
- 1901 Main Street mansion for IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n-born railroad and mining businessman Alfred W. McCuneAlfred W. McCuneAlfred William McCune was an American railroad builder, mine operator, and politician from the state of Utah. Owner of several retail and construction businesses, he helped build the Montana Central Railway in Montana and a portion of the Utah Southern Railroad in Utah, founded the Utah and...
. - Ashby Snow Home - 1909 State Street prairie-style mansion built for LDS apostleApostle (Mormonism)In the Latter Day Saint movement, an Apostle is a "special witness of the name of Jesus Christ who is sent to teach the principles of salvation to others." In many Latter Day Saint churches, an Apostle is a priesthood office of high authority within the church hierarchy. In many churches, apostles...
. - Woodruff-Riter-Stewart HomeWoodruff-Riter-Stewart Homethumb|left|300px|Woodruff-Riter-Stewart Home in 2002.The Woodruff-Riter-Stewart Home is a mansion on Capitol Hill in Salt Lake City, Utah. It sits on the corner of State Street and 200 North on the south slope of Capitol Hill.Originally built for Edward D...
- 1906 second renaissance revivalRenaissance architectureRenaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
State Street mansion.
In the Marmalade District
- 19th Ward Chapel - RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-influenced Latter-day Saint (LDS) chapelChapelA chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
featuring "onion dome" steeple. (List of Registered Historic Places in Utah) - 19th Ward Relief Society Hall - the last remaining separate LDS Relief SocietyRelief SocietyThe Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA and has approximately 6 million members in over 170 countries and territories...
hall. The 19th Ward Chapel and Relief Society Hall are today the home of the Salt Lake Acting Company, or SLAC, one of two professional theatre companies in Utah. - John Platts Home - a very early 1856 vernacular adobeAdobeAdobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
house with an 1860 fired brickBrickA brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
second story added when bricks first became available in Utah. (List of Registered Historic Places in Utah) - Morrow-Taylor Home – c. 1868 Victorian Italiante home once allegedly the residence of LDS church president John TaylorJohn Taylor (1808-1887)John Taylor was the third president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1880 to 1887. He is the only president of the LDS Church to have been born outside of the United States....
while evading federal authorities. - Richard Vaughen Morris Home - 1860s adobeAdobeAdobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
house of Nauvoo LegionNauvoo LegionThe Nauvoo Legion was a militia originally organized by the Latter Day Saints to defend the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, . To curry political favor with the ambiguously-political Saints, the Illinois state legislature granted Nauvoo a liberal city charter that gave the Nauvoo Legion extraordinary...
naire Richard Vaughen Morris. (List of Registered Historic Places in Utah) - Thomas Quayle Home - 1884 gothic mansion relocated in 1975 from downtown.
Also of note
- Memory Grove - A park dedicated in 1920 to the victims of World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Memory grove is in a small canyon immediately east of Capitol Hill.
Events
Throughout the summer, the Capitol Preservation Board offers "Movie Under the Stars." This is an outdoor movieOutdoor cinema
An outdoor cinema consists of a digital or analog movie projector, scaffolded construction or inflatable projection screen, and sound system....
series that shows different types of movies. This summer, there has been Kung Fu Panda, My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a 2002 Canadian and American romantic comedy film written by and starring Nia Vardalos and directed by Joel Zwick. The film is centered on Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos , a middle class Greek American woman who falls in love with a non-Greek upper middle class "White...
, Shrek the Third
Shrek the Third
Shrek the Third is a 2007 American animated film, and the third film in the Shrek series. It was produced by Jeffrey Katzenberg for DreamWorks Animation, and is distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was released in U.S. theaters on May 18, 2007...
and Ant Bully
The Ant Bully (film)
The Ant Bully is a 2006 American computer-animated film written and directed by John A. Davis based on the 1999 children's book of the same name by John Nickle...
. The last two are Iron Man
Iron Man (film)
Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, an industrialist and master engineer who builds a powered exoskeleton and becomes the technologically advanced superhero, Iron...
on August 12, and Bedtime Stories
Bedtime Stories (film)
Bedtime Stories is a 2008 American family-fantasy-comedy film directed by Adam Shankman that stars Adam Sandler in his first appearance in a family-oriented film...
on August 29. The movies are shown on a blowup screen on the south lawn of Capitol Building.
Also, during the summer, the Capitol Preservation Board hosts Capitol Discovery Day. It is a day to come up and see the Capitol Building and enjoy fun games and activities. Throughout the day there is bands playing and choirs singing inside. This year, it is on August 29 and starts at noon and ends with "Movie Under the Stars."