 |
| Citizen Investment Co building at 540 W 200 South SLC, June 2021. |
This building at 540 W 200 South will be demolished as part of the Cinq Apartments, the same construction project that plans to preserve most of the nearby Central Warehouse building (see previous post).
This unassuming building has a sordid history and is the
last remaining building from “the Stockade,” Salt Lake’s officially sanctioned red-light
district built and managed in 1908 by Dora Topham, aka the Madame Belle London.
The building is named the Citizens Investment Co building
because that was the legal entity that was established by Dora Topham to
purchase the land, build the stockade, and manage other matters.
There are a lot of stories associated with this building and
plot of land. Before this building was
constructed in 1908 it was the location of George W. Boyd’s adobe house- he
built Boyd’s Pony Express Station in Utah’s West Desert, which remains today as
one of the best-preserved Pony Express Sites.
George was a Mormon polygamist with 3 wives and 15 children.
Exploring how Boyd’s property and the surrounding blocks morphed
from small Mormon Pioneer adobe houses into GreekTown should be interesting.
This also seems to be a good time to explore the life of
Dora Topham; she made quite the impact in Ogden but was only in SLC a few
years. Plus, she is the namesake for
London Belle Supper Club.
And then there is the red-light district itself. What did it
look like (and smell like?) and what was it like for the women who lived and
worked there. What did GreekTown think
of their new neighbors?
What other things interest you about this property and the
stories around it? Maybe I will find out for you during my deep dive and share
more interesting stories about SLC’s past.
There will likely be a few interesting posts to come out of
this topic so stick around.
In the meantime, swipe to read the historical marker
attached the building. I always stop and read the plaque!
No comments:
Post a Comment