Old Hansen Planetarium
Encyclopedia
The Old Hansen Planetarium at 15 South State Street in Salt Lake City, Utah
has served many functions throughout its history. Originally built in 1904 as the Salt Lake City Public Library, the building was renovated in 1965 to become the Hansen Planetarium. After the planetarium closed and was replaced by the Clark Planetarium
in 2003, the building was remodeled into the O.C. Tanner Company Headquarters, which opened in 2009. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1979.
in Salt Lake City opened in 1898 and was located in the top floor of the Salt Lake City and County Building
. After the library quickly outgrew the venue, the city began looking for a location to build a new library. A group of women called the Ladies Literary Society helped out by persuading the mining millionaire John Quackenbos Packard to donate land and money for the new building, which cost $100,000 at the time. The new library opened in 1905 with librarian Joanna Sprague, for whom the Sprague branch of the Salt Lake City Public Library system
, also listed on the National Register of Historic Places
, is now named. The building would continue to serve as the main branch library until October 1964, when a new library building was constructed at 209 East 500 South.
When the building was constructed, it was described as a "combination of the Doric
and Ionian
styles of architecture", and would later be classified in the Beaux Arts style. It was designed by Hines and LaFarge of New York City
, and the local supervising architect was Frederick A. Hale. The library was three stories tall with a two story entrance pavilion constructed of oolite
limestone and 20000 ft2 of floor space. The roof was slightly flared, and the roofline was broken by a large carved stone gable
with a center arched window and four decorated pilasters. The entrance pavilion's sides were curved around the spiral staircases at both ends of the entrance foyer
. The pavilion was divided into three sections by four columns; each bay contained oak double doors leading to the foyer. After going through the foyer, the main reading room is revealed. In the center of the room stood a librarian's desk made of steel and topped by golden oak
, the same finish of the interior of the entrance foyer. On the upper floor, the main auditorium contained seating for 350 people.
and chairman of the Salt Lake City Library board, expressed interest in converting the old library into a planetarium
. Plummer had several conversations with Mrs. Beatrice M. Hansen, wife of the late George T. Hansen, in which Mrs. Hansen decided to fund the project. In 1965 she donated $400,000 to the city to build the planetarium in memory of her deceased husband. After Mrs. Hansen's death the building was renamed the Mr. and Mrs. George T. Hansen Planetarium, Space Science Library and Museum in honor of the couple. During its operation, the planetarium attracted 20% of the population of the city and had the highest per capita
attendance of any planetarium in the nation. The Hansen Planetarium continued operation until April 2003, when it outgrew the building and was replaced by the Clark Planetarium
in the Gateway District
.
When the Hansen Planetarium occupied the building, the center doors of the entrance pavilion were replaced by a large sheet of glass, and the center part of the steps was replaced with a fountain. A mezzanine
was added above the second floor in the entrance pavilion for exhibit in the planetarium. The same firm that did the original millwork for the 1904 building worked on these new additions. The local architect for the additions was Wesley Budd. A large dome was also added onto the rear wall of the building to give the planetarium extra space for its exhibits.
Upon the company's purchase of the building, O.C. Tanner's staff decided to try to mimic the original architecture as closely as possible. Because of this, the dome at the rear of the building was removed. Instead of simply demolishing the dome, however, it was systematically dismantled and donated to the Zion's Gateway to the Stars planetarium in Orderville, Utah
. Also, the front staircase was restored to its original condition by removing the fountain in the center, which, coincidentally, was donated by O.C. Tanner himself.
Only three of the four walls, the sides and front, were preserved in Tanner's restoration. Since the back had already been altered by the Hansen Planetarium and there were no original images of that wall from the 1905 building, Curtis Bennett, vice president of the company's retail operations, was allowed a little freedom with that design. The rear wall now consists of glass and stone, both etched with images of the building's history. The rear wall contains the largest laser stone-carving project in the world with 18 panels covering 900 ft2 and weighing 44000 lbs in all. The bottom of the rear wall contains repeated images from the library in 1905, the top contains images of a galaxy (signifying the Hansen Planetarium), and the middle contains an image of the founder of the company, O.C. Tanner. The image on the glass is a dot-matrix image, but the stone imaging required a new process developed specifically for this building.
Inside the building a new limestone
spiral staircase was built with a Flora Cascade chandelier
hanging in the center of the spiral. The chandelier was designed by Sharon Marston and includes about 4,000 strands of fiber optics, more than 14,000 interwoven shapes made of white polymer
and steel, and about 3,000 golden and amber glass leaves. Weighing 243 lbs and extending 26.4 feet (8 m) from the ceiling, the chandelier stretches nearly the entire height of the building.
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...
has served many functions throughout its history. Originally built in 1904 as the Salt Lake City Public Library, the building was renovated in 1965 to become the Hansen Planetarium. After the planetarium closed and was replaced by the Clark Planetarium
Clark Planetarium
The Clark Planetarium is situated within the Gateway District at the intersection of 400 West and 100 South in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, USA...
in 2003, the building was remodeled into the O.C. Tanner Company Headquarters, which opened in 2009. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1979.
Salt Lake City Public Library
The first public libraryPublic library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
in Salt Lake City opened in 1898 and was located in the top floor of the Salt Lake City and County Building
Salt Lake City and County Building
The Salt Lake City and County Building, usually called the "City-County Building", is the seat of government for Salt Lake City, Utah. The historic landmark formerly housed offices for Salt Lake County government as well, hence the name.- History :...
. After the library quickly outgrew the venue, the city began looking for a location to build a new library. A group of women called the Ladies Literary Society helped out by persuading the mining millionaire John Quackenbos Packard to donate land and money for the new building, which cost $100,000 at the time. The new library opened in 1905 with librarian Joanna Sprague, for whom the Sprague branch of the Salt Lake City Public Library system
Salt Lake City Public Library system
The Salt Lake City Public Library system is a network of public libraries funded by Salt Lake City. The Free Public Library of Salt Lake City first opened on February 14, 1898...
, also listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, is now named. The building would continue to serve as the main branch library until October 1964, when a new library building was constructed at 209 East 500 South.
When the building was constructed, it was described as a "combination of the Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
and Ionian
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
styles of architecture", and would later be classified in the Beaux Arts style. It was designed by Hines and LaFarge of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and the local supervising architect was Frederick A. Hale. The library was three stories tall with a two story entrance pavilion constructed of oolite
Oolite
Oolite is a sedimentary rock formed from ooids, spherical grains composed of concentric layers. The name derives from the Hellenic word òoion for egg. Strictly, oolites consist of ooids of diameter 0.25–2 mm; rocks composed of ooids larger than 2 mm are called pisolites...
limestone and 20000 ft2 of floor space. The roof was slightly flared, and the roofline was broken by a large carved stone gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
with a center arched window and four decorated pilasters. The entrance pavilion's sides were curved around the spiral staircases at both ends of the entrance foyer
Foyer
A foyer or lobby is a large, vast room or complex of rooms adjacent to the auditorium...
. The pavilion was divided into three sections by four columns; each bay contained oak double doors leading to the foyer. After going through the foyer, the main reading room is revealed. In the center of the room stood a librarian's desk made of steel and topped by golden oak
Golden Oak
Quercus alnifolia, the golden oak, is an evergreen oak species of Cyprus. Its common English name refers to the golden coloured lower surface of its leaves. Quercus alnifolia belongs to the endemic flora of the island and it is confined to the igneous geological complex of the Troodos Mountains...
, the same finish of the interior of the entrance foyer. On the upper floor, the main auditorium contained seating for 350 people.
Hansen Planetarium
After the new library was constructed in 1964, Gail Plummer, professor of speech and drama at the University of UtahUniversity of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
and chairman of the Salt Lake City Library board, expressed interest in converting the old library into a planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
. Plummer had several conversations with Mrs. Beatrice M. Hansen, wife of the late George T. Hansen, in which Mrs. Hansen decided to fund the project. In 1965 she donated $400,000 to the city to build the planetarium in memory of her deceased husband. After Mrs. Hansen's death the building was renamed the Mr. and Mrs. George T. Hansen Planetarium, Space Science Library and Museum in honor of the couple. During its operation, the planetarium attracted 20% of the population of the city and had the highest per capita
Per capita
Per capita is a Latin prepositional phrase: per and capita . The phrase thus means "by heads" or "for each head", i.e. per individual or per person...
attendance of any planetarium in the nation. The Hansen Planetarium continued operation until April 2003, when it outgrew the building and was replaced by the Clark Planetarium
Clark Planetarium
The Clark Planetarium is situated within the Gateway District at the intersection of 400 West and 100 South in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, USA...
in the Gateway District
Gateway District
The Gateway District is a large open air retail, residential and office complex in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The complex is centered around the historic Union Pacific Depot in downtown Salt Lake City...
.
When the Hansen Planetarium occupied the building, the center doors of the entrance pavilion were replaced by a large sheet of glass, and the center part of the steps was replaced with a fountain. A mezzanine
Mezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
was added above the second floor in the entrance pavilion for exhibit in the planetarium. The same firm that did the original millwork for the 1904 building worked on these new additions. The local architect for the additions was Wesley Budd. A large dome was also added onto the rear wall of the building to give the planetarium extra space for its exhibits.
O.C. Tanner Company
After four years of lying vacant, the O.C. Tanner Company bought the building in 2007 for $1.2 million. Before Tanner came along, two referendums to fund the empty building were rejected, but the jeweling company's clear plan got the votes it needed. The company spent two years and $24 million renovating the building, which opened in September 2009. The company itself supplied a majority of the funds ($13–15 million), and the remainder came from the community.Upon the company's purchase of the building, O.C. Tanner's staff decided to try to mimic the original architecture as closely as possible. Because of this, the dome at the rear of the building was removed. Instead of simply demolishing the dome, however, it was systematically dismantled and donated to the Zion's Gateway to the Stars planetarium in Orderville, Utah
Orderville, Utah
Orderville is a town in Kane County, Utah, United States. The population was 596 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Orderville is located at ....
. Also, the front staircase was restored to its original condition by removing the fountain in the center, which, coincidentally, was donated by O.C. Tanner himself.
Only three of the four walls, the sides and front, were preserved in Tanner's restoration. Since the back had already been altered by the Hansen Planetarium and there were no original images of that wall from the 1905 building, Curtis Bennett, vice president of the company's retail operations, was allowed a little freedom with that design. The rear wall now consists of glass and stone, both etched with images of the building's history. The rear wall contains the largest laser stone-carving project in the world with 18 panels covering 900 ft2 and weighing 44000 lbs in all. The bottom of the rear wall contains repeated images from the library in 1905, the top contains images of a galaxy (signifying the Hansen Planetarium), and the middle contains an image of the founder of the company, O.C. Tanner. The image on the glass is a dot-matrix image, but the stone imaging required a new process developed specifically for this building.
Inside the building a new limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
spiral staircase was built with a Flora Cascade chandelier
Chandelier
A chandelier is a branched decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. Chandeliers are often ornate, containing dozens of lamps and complex arrays of glass or crystal prisms to illuminate a room with refracted light...
hanging in the center of the spiral. The chandelier was designed by Sharon Marston and includes about 4,000 strands of fiber optics, more than 14,000 interwoven shapes made of white polymer
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
and steel, and about 3,000 golden and amber glass leaves. Weighing 243 lbs and extending 26.4 feet (8 m) from the ceiling, the chandelier stretches nearly the entire height of the building.