Crystal Palace Market Ghost Sign

The Crystal Palace Market ghost sign appeared briefly at 240 S 1300 E SLC.  I took this photo last night (4/15/2025) and by tonight (4/16/2025) it was covered with plywood.

The Crystal Palace Market ghost sign at 240 South 1300 East Salt Lake City

The building was constructed in 1935 and opened as Sewells United Stores, a grocery chain originating in Nevada and operating in the intermountain west.

The Crystal Palace markets were a competing chain in SLC.

In 1937 Sewells acquired 3 Crystal Palace markets and, along with their 2 other SLC Sewell stores (including this one), merged them under the name Sewells Crystal Palace.

In May 1938, Sewells sold their 5 SLC stores to John Gerendas, a Greek immigrant who had co-established the Success Markets in Helper, Utah.

Gerendas changed the names of all 5 markets to Crystal Palace, with locations at:

• No. 1: 525 E 1700 South
• No. 2: 304 E 100 South
• No. 3: 216 E South Temple
• No. 4: 914 E 900 South
• No. 5: 240 S 1300 East

This location near the University of Utah at 240 S 1300 East was Crystal Palace Market No 5.

Gerendas expanded and eventually owned 9 Crystal Palace markets.

Gerendas became ill and died in 1942. Before his death, he sold most of his stores to his employees. His son, Greg, continued operations of some of the Crystal Palace markets.

Gerendas helped employees Bill Ward and Harold Robinson purchase this location. They put a Robinson & Ward sign in the window but kept the big Crystal Palace sign on the building.

The market served the University of Utah area until 1988. It was the longest serving and last Crystal Palace market to close.

The building was converted into a restaurant space and opened as Pancho Villa U in 1989. It changed hands several times in the 1990s including Hot Rod Hundley’s Sports Family Restaurant, China Star, and Einstein Bros Bagels. It was most recently Coffee & Tonic.

SLC building permit plans indicate the new space will be a restaurant (named Henry Baker?). The renovation project includes an interior remodel, restoration of existing brick, facade renovation, window replacement, addition of a front canopy, small rear addition with steel stairs, and changes to entry walls and landscaping.

Salt Lake's Franklin Avenue as a Historic Black Neighborhood

General location of Franklin Avenue, between 200-300 South and State St-200 East

Between about 1885 and the 1920s, Franklin Ave (now Edison St) became home to a large population of Black Americans.

This mid-block alley situated within the original 13th Ward, started out like other blocks of the original SLC plat- residential and agricultural lands divided among early Mormon settlers of the 1840s-1850s.

After the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 (through Ogden) and the first railroad spur to SLC in 1870, new arrivals became more common. Coupled with the great western migration of Black Americans after the Civil War, Salt Lake (and Ogden) became a place for people to find work relating to the railroad and hospitality, often the only type of jobs that Black people were allowed to obtain, such as porters, waiters, cooks, maids, laborers, etc. As such, both Salt Lake and Ogden saw population increase of Black Americans and other groups.

A view of Salt Lake City in the 1870s. Although Franklin Ave is located outside the image, it gives a good idea of what the area looked like at this time.

 
Also, by 1870, those early log cabins and small adobe homes on large parcels belonging to the original Mormon settlers had largely fallen into disrepair and had been subdivided; sometimes sold for redevelopment and sometimes rented out to the new SLC arrivals, generally those economically disadvantaged newcomers who could afford these low-cost rentals. On Franklin Avenue, these tended to be Scandinavian speaking converts to the LDS church (through the 1870s-1880s) and eventually to Black Americans.

Franklin Ave had a reputation for being a tough neighborhood in the 1870s. At the time a large Scandinavian population lived on the street. As was common with mid-block alleys, a number of raucous characters were present. Newspapers noted that two families often indulged “in the unlawful practice of calling each other bad names, in the Scandinavian language.”

Brothels started up on Franklin Ave at this time as well. Mid-block alleys and the hidden center of city blocks were out of sight from the more respectable business along the main streets and thus became the preferred location of many vices. At this time the brothels on Franklin Ave seem to have only been run by White people, mostly women. By 1878 the Deseret News identified Franklin Ave as a “Bad Place” with “loose characters.”

The 1880s brought some Black people to the neighborhood. The first Black residents of Franklin Ave that I could find were Alice and Benjamin Nesbitt who resided there in 1884. Alice later became president of the Colored women’s Republican Club and worked to secure voting rights for Black women in Utah. The rooms and houses available for rent were owned primarily by White people; the most prominent owner being John Johnson who supplied rented housing and jobs to people on Franklin Ave.

Notably, many of the buildings were lacking in maintenance and sanitary conditions were atrocious. A sewer line was installed in 1888 but many of the older homes were never connected, and outhouses remained common. The street remained unpaved through this time, which is an important consideration of the sanitary conditions when coupled with lack of standardized garbage disposal, accumulation of animal waste, and the prevalence of coal burning stoves.

Franklin Ave in 1905. One of the earlier images showing the majority residential buildings.

By the time the first Black residents moved into Franklin Ave in the mid-1880s, the street was already a difficult neighborhood. Rents were probably cheap, but brothels and gambling dens were common.

Sanitary conditions were notably inadequate. The Salt Lake Herald complained for several years of the perpetual cesspool that existed on the southern end of Franklin Ave at 300 South; their 1888 article described it as a “slimy, green, stagnant pool [that] emits a very nauseating effluvia these warm days and is bound to make somebody sick…”

The 1890s saw a dramatic shift from White to Black residents, likely drawn by cheap rent. Some of this influx was due to the arrival of the 24th Infantry (Buffalo Soldiers) at Fort Douglas in 1896 with some of the Soldiers families living on Franklin Ave and some Soldiers choosing to stay in SLC after they were discharged from the Army.

The 1900 census shows all but one of the buildings on Franklin Ave were home to Black families, including Ella Phelps who, along with her husband James and son James Roscoe, ran a rooming house for other Black individuals at 249 Franklin Ave (now a parking lot). Notably the Phelps did not own their building.

The exception to Black residents was the Salvation Army’s Workingmen’s Hotel (which is now the Franklin Ave Theater building at 231 Edison- more on that later) which was occupied only by White men.

The Black population of SLC continued to increase, especially in and around Franklin Ave. Throughout the 1890s and early 1900s the Salt Lake Herald-Republican newspaper referred to the street as “Darktown.”

Many of the SLC Black organizations that exist today can trace their beginnings to the residents of Franklin Ave. Both Calvary Baptist Church and Trinity African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church began on Franklin Ave with the initial fundraising efforts and early church meetings.

In 1906, SLC changed the name of Franklin Ave to Edison St, largely to “rebrand” the street from Black residential to White commercial. The first White-owned business, Skelton Printing, moved into the Franklin Ave Theater building in 1906.

Throughout the next decade more business displaced the residents. The 1911 Sanborn Map indicates about half of the buildings on Franklin Ave/Edison St were residential, mostly on the southern half of the street. By 1926, the Sanborn Map shows no residential buildings.

Many of the displaced residents moved to the south end of the Central City neighborhood, mostly 400 South-900 South and Main St-500 East.

Edison Street (formerly Franklin Ave) in 1936, showing majority commercial buildings.

A note on Salt Lake's Black population:

In 1900, 278 Black people were recorded as living in SLC and in 1910 this increased to 737, most of whom (but not all) lived on or around Franklin Ave. The overall Black population in SLC was small during this time, only about 1% of SLC (even accounting for undercounting of the census).

• 1900: 278 black / 77,725 total SLC population = 0.4%
• 1910 737 black / 131,462 total SLC population = 0.6%

For comparison, the 2020 census records Utah's Black population as 2%

Sanborn Maps showing the transition of Franklin Ave to Edison Street, 1926-1950

Blue Houses = Residential Buildings

Red Shopping Cart = Commercial Buildings

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Christmas Street, aka Glen Arbor Street

Christmas Street, aka Glen Arbor Street (1735 S 1500 East), in Salt Lake City is a tradition that began in 1946. Every family on the street helped pay for Christmas lights and a tree. Each family also decorated their own house to make it a Christmas community.

Christmas Street, Salt Lake City. December 2024.

In 1947, the celebration took place on December 21st, also without any outside advertisement, for fear of congestion should word get out beyond the neighborhood. But the event was described by the Deseret News after the event occurred, and after 1947 the street became a Christmas destination to see.

Every house featured colored lights, bright ribbons, and decorated trees. A large Christmas Tree was decorated in at the end of the cul-de-sac. At the 1947, celebration there were 68 children in attendance, who ran through the street telling their neighbors it was time to celebrate. There was popcorn, caroling, a live nativity scene, and Santa who drove up in a sleek blue roadster.

Christmas Street in 1947 and 1971

Roy A. Menlove is credited with starting the tradition. He was the founder of Menlove Construction and built some of the homes on the street. He was a known as the co-founder of Menlove Dodge-Toyota in Bountiful. A neighborhood Christmas committee was established to plan each year.

The Christmas Street tradition continues today. The Deseret News recently had a story about how it nearly died this year but was rescued by donations to repair the vintage neon Christmas Street sign.

The Old Mill in Cottonwood Heights is often reported as haunted

The Old Mill, aka Granite Paper Mill, at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon

The Old Mill in Cottonwood Heights is often reported as haunted. People report shadowy figures, cold spots, odd lights, sounds of footprints, and voices. Several stories involve people and dogs who have died in fires, suicides, and curses.

These spooky stories are difficult to tie directly to its history. Located at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon, it was built in 1883 by the Deseret News to make paper for the newspaper.

The 3-story structure is built of granite from the same quarry as the Salt Lake City LDS Temple. It contains a basement and a prominent 100-foot elevator tower.

At the time of its operation, the main floor housed a machine room, engine room, rotary boiler, and cutting room. The upper story of the building was used for sorting material (mostly straw and rags) and the basement contained drainers and agitators. Power to the mill came from water forced into three separate power wheels through a 50-inch floodgate.

Image from USHS

 

Image from USHS.

A massive fire broke out in 1893 and gutted the entire building causing major damage to the roof structure and the papermaking machinery. A stockpile of paper also went up in flames. Insurance only covered a fraction of the loss, which, combined with the economical efficiencies of wood-pulp paper industry resulted in the abandonment of the mill.

In 1927, it was converted to a resort clubhouse; a portion of the building was repaired with a new roof and the south wing remaining uncovered. The Old Mill Club was originally advertised as a prestigious destination with horseback riding through Big Cottonwood Canyon, nightly dancing (except Sunday), trapshooting at its gun club, and plans for an 18-hole golf course to be designed by famed golf course architect, William H. Tucker. Other future plans included banquet and dining rooms to be run by a chef of “interesting fame,” swimming pool, and a toboggan slide.

As an aside – some of the names given to the 18 horses of the riding club are reminiscent of the roaring 20s.

• Smokey
• Kernal
• Buster
• Sox
• Moonshine
• Budweiser
• Blaze
• Snip
• Red Bird
• Dan Patch
• Shorty
• Smiler
• King Tut
• Zane Grey
• Queen Ann
• Cleopatra
• White Cloud
• Arabian

The Old Mill Club was intended to rival Salt Lake City’s Country Club and provide restful relaxation and complete privacy to its members. It also hosted theme events such as “Chocolate Night” and “Tabernacle Choir Night” and “Halloween Night.”

The Old Mill, ca 1930, when it was a dance hall, Big Cottonwood Canyon. Image from USHS.

 

Dancing at the Old Mill. Image from USHS.

 

Advertisements from the Old Mill Club
Left: The Salt Lake Tribune 1930-10-27 p11
Right: The Bingham Bulletin 1927-08-04 p5

 

Interior of the Old Mill, 1967. From HABS No U-39, NPS.

 
John Basil Walker operated the Old Mill Club from 1927 to 1942. He also owned Walker Sand and Gravel which operated the gravel pit adjacent to the Old Mill at 6950 Wasatch Boulevard.

The Old Mill Club closed during WWII, but the property remained in the Walker family for several more decades. The building had many phases of being empty and being used as an entertainment venue, including being utilized as a haunted house in the 1970s-1990s. The building was condemned by Cottonwood Heights City in 2005.

It has also appeared in several movies including “SLC Punk,” “Team Alien/The Varrow Mission,” “Halloween: The Curse of Michael Meyers,” “Hereditary,” “Bleep” and “March of Dimes.”

I have included some scenes from "Team Alien/The Varrow Mission", which can be viewed on YouTube.

 

Scenes from "Team Alien/The Varrow Mission"

The Old Mill in 2012

Sources:

• Granite Paper Mill HABS No U-39, National Park Service
• Davis County Clipper 1893-04-06
• Deseret News 1884-10-15 p7
• Deseret News 1893-04-01 p2
• Salt Lake Tribune 1927-07-21 p9
• The Bingham Bulletin 1927-09-15 p5
• The Bingham Bulletin 1927-11-23 p7
• Salt Lake Tribune 1927-09-23 p9
• Salt Lake Tribune 1927-08-26 p17
• Deseret News 1927-12-09 p14
• Salt Lake Tribune 1973-10-28 p66
• A Directory of the Mining Industry of Utah 1965. University of Utah Bulletin 79

The Purple Lady of the Rio Grande Depot

The Purple Lady, the ghost of the Rio Grande Depot at 300 S. Rio Grande St, Salt Lake City.

The building was constructed by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad in 1910 and was intended to outdo the nearby Union Pacific Depot at South Temple and 400 West and built a year earlier.

The story is about a woman who met her fiancée at the train depot; he was a soldier (either WWI or WWII) and she wore a purple outfit, often described as wearing a long purple dress or a 1940s light violet suit with matching shoes, hat, and veil.

The couple argued and the soldier threw the Purple Lady’s engagement ring onto the railroad tracks. When she ran to retrieve the ring she was struck by a train and died instantly.

I have been unable to verify these events in old newspapers articles.

Regardless, the Purple Lady has been sighted at the Rio Grande Depot for more than 80 years. She is often seen near the women’s restroom, downstairs near where the old Rio Grande Café used to be. While the building is currently vacant and undergoing repairs from the 2020 earthquake, it used to house the offices of the Utah Division of State History/Utah Historical Society, and staff often reported sightings.

Stories involve a woman singing in the bathroom, water being turned on, lights flickering and turning off, sounds of footsteps, and even a 3am call from an empty elevator’s emergency phone.

It’s not just the Purple Lady who is said to wander the Rio Grande Depot, many believe that there are numerous ghosts.

The building has been subject to numerous investigations.

Do you have any stories, post in the comments for everyone to read!

Source: Lost Landscapes: Utah's Ghosts, Mysterious Creatures, and Aliens by Linda Dunning. 2007.

Historic Intermountain Casket Building at 276 W 100 South

Intermountain Casket Co. building, constructed by the Villadsen Brothers, 1920.
Located at 276 West 100 South, Salt Lake City. Image from USHS.

The historic Intermountain Casket Building (aka Struve Distribution Building) at 276 W 100 South, in Salt Lake's Japantown, was built in 1920.

As discussed in my previous post about the Midwest Casket Building, several casket manufacturers were in Salt Lake City during the 1910s and1920s and one of them was the Intermountain Casket Company.

Intermountain Casket Company building, 2024.
Located at 276 West 100 South, Salt Lake City. 

Intermountain Casket was founded in 1919 by Alma O. Taylor (son of “Pioneer Undertaker” Joseph E. Taylor) and Lafayette Holbrook (quite wealthy from mining and commercial endeavors, former mayor of Provo, and well-connected political and religious relationships).

Alma split from his brothers Samuel and Joseph W. Taylor’s Salt Lake Casket Company and formed his own competing operation. There must have been some Taylor family drama there, especially factoring in that "Pioneer Undertaker" Joseph E. Taylor practiced polygamy, which meant that Joseph W. was the first-born of the first wife and half-brother to Samuel and Alma who were both from the third wife.

As a new company, Intermountain Casket built a new and modern 3-story factory at the corner of 100 South and 300 West. Construction started in 1919 and it opened in January 1920. 

As an aside- The property of the Intermountain Casket Company building was purchased from Annette “Nettie” Eliza Amussen Evans, who inherited it from her father Carl Christian Amussen who was an early Mormon Pioneer, Utah’s first jeweler and wo built the Amussen Building originally located at 62 S Main Street in 1869. The facade of the Amussen Building was relocated during the construction of City Creek Center and is now within a pedestrian walkway south of Deseret Book at about 45 W South Temple.

 I mention this because I wondered why Intermountain Casket built in SLC's Japantown, which would have been very active in the 1920s and Intermountain Casket (unlike the Midwest Casket Co) seemed heavily affiliated with the LDS religion, so it seemed an odd choice of location. However, it seems as simple as it was a large lot with a small adobe home owned by a Mormon pioneer family; the adobe house was being rented out and, like today, a large lot was more valuable for building upon so it was available for purchase. The lot was split with the Intermountain Casket Co building on the west half at 276 W. 100 S. in 1920 and the Japanese Church of Christ building on east half at 268 W. 100 S. in 1924. 

Japanese Church of Christ adjacent to the Intermountain Casket Company (note sign).
Unknown date.  Image from USHS.

The 3-story Intermountain Casket building was constructed by the Villadsen Brothers, who had recently opened an office in Salt Lake City. The Villadsen Brothers were authorities on reinforced concrete and one of the biggest general contractors in the Western US. They also built the Ford Motor Company Service Building at 280 S. 400 West and the Continental Bank Building (Hotel Monaco) at 15 W 200 South, Salt Lake City. 

Villadsen Brothers advertisement. Deseret News 1920-07-12 p11.

The Intermountain Casket building is made of reinforced concrete frame and brick infill that was popular around the time of WWI. The insignia of the Intermountain Casket Company “cIc” can still be seen on the second level of the façade along 100 South.

Intermountain Casket Company insignia "cIc"

Intermountain was described as having “the finest casket display rooms west of Chicago.” They were a wholesale company supplying Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, and Nevada.

In 1924, Intermountain Casket supplied 120 caskets for the victims of the Castle Gate Mine Disaster near Price, Utah.

Mass burial services for some of the Greek immigrants killed during the Castle Gate Mine explosion in 1924. Held in a hall at Castle Gate. Caskets supplied by Intermountain Casket Company in Salt Lake City.  Image from USHS.

Intermountain Casket closed business in 1943 with the company’s president Alma O. Taylor saying that WWII wartime restrictions had become too severe to manufacture caskets as ordered. He was quoted as saying “production of metal caskets and handles were ordered stopped by the war production board, a 50% reduction on silk for trimming was ordered, then the length was reduced, then came the limitation of styles, and with no priorities what can one do?”

These wartime restrictions were ordered by the War Production Board and included an order that steel could not be used for caskets so manufacturers switched to wood and concrete. I also found reference to “Order L-34 (caskets, shipping cases, and burial vaults)” which mandated reduction of length of certain percentage of caskets.

Consolidated Amusement purchased the building in 1943 and in addition to its own offices it also provided office space to a variety of other businesses.  Consolidated Amusement was known for jukeboxes. 

Consolidated Amusement 1945. Interior of the Intermountain Casket building.
Image from USHS.

The building in 1945, when it was the Consolidated Amusement Company.
Located at 276 West 100 South, Salt Lake City. Image from USHS.

Intermountain Casket Company building, 2024.
Located at 276 West 100 South, Salt Lake City. 

Struve Distributing Company purchased the building in 1966. They were known for pool tables, billiard supplies, and other amusement and tavern equipment. They closed 2011.

Struve Distributing Company advertising home pool tables.
From The Salt Lake Tribune 1967-12-16 p35. 

Struve Distributing Company advertising Elton John's Capt. Fantastic pinball machine.

From Marketplace Issue July 04 1976 (from International Arcade Museum)

Some comments on my Instagram post made reference to Real Ride Skatepark using the interior of the building (and all that concrete!) as a (private?) skatepark.   

Interior of the Intermountain Casket Company building, from LoopNet.

Interior of the Intermountain Casket Company building, from LoopNet.

Interior of the Intermountain Casket Company building, from LoopNet.

Currently the building is available for lease. It is located just east of the Delta Center and although not specifically identified for redevelopment, it is within the general area of the Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) redevelopment project.

Location of the building relevant to Japantown and Delta Center.

Sources:

• Goodwins Weekly 1924-08-23 p30
• Salt Lake Herald 1919-07-13 p23
• Salt Lake Herald 1919-06-11 p14
• SL Herald 1916-06-12 p7
• Salt Lake Herald 1919-07-13 p29
• Salt Lake Telegram 1924-03-10 p3
• Salt Lake Tribune 1943-02-11 p12
• 276 W 100 S USHS file
• Various Sanborn maps and FamilySearch data

Development of the SLC Glendale neighborhood as seen through aerial photography

While researching the history of the old Safeway building at 1179 Navajo St in the Glendale neighborhood of Salt Lake City, I found this serries of aerial photography showing the development of the neighborhood. 

Mi Casita Ghose Sign

Ghost sign, old Southeast Market building. April 30 2024.

A ghost sign on the old Southeast Market building at 422 E 900 South, SLC. This sign is for the Mi Casita Mexican Restaurant and dates to about 1992.

The building is undergoing a reconstruction but it seems like the original facade will be preserved.

The building was constructed in 1941 as the O.P. Skaggs Market (last slide, showing neon sign from 1947).

O.P. Skaggs building and sign, 1947. From Utah State Historical Society.

The building was sold by Skaggs in 1945 but kept the name for several more years, eventually becoming known as Sudbury's Foodtown, after long-time manager, turned owner, Ray F. Sudbury.

Sudbury sold the building in 1966 to William and Mae Tang, who operated it as Super Save Discount Market in the late 1960s.

Many businesses have used the space over the decades. The last ones to occupy the space were Southeast Market, Melewa Bakery, and Pho 28 (Photo 3, from Google Street View 2022).

Ghost sign, old Southeast Market building. April 30 2024.

Google Street View 2022

Hale Market Ghost Sign

The Hale Grocery ghost sign at 511 S 500 East, Salt Lake City, has been revealed during recent renovations. The old market is soon to become a new location of Piko Mexican Grill (of Victor’s Tires fame!)

Hale Grocery ghost sign at 511 S 500 East, Salt Lake City. Nov 2023.

Hale Grocery ghost sign at 511 S 500 East, Salt Lake City. Nov 2023.

Hale Grocery ghost sign at 511 S 500 East, Salt Lake City. Nov 2023.

Hale Market, as it was most commonly known, was established about 1925 by Parley W. and Olive Hale. They purchased and lived in the now adjoining home and converted the garage into a market.

In the first few decades, Hale Market was primarily known as a butcher shop, but it also sold dry goods, groceries, and notions (sewing accessories).

Parley Hale primarily worked at the store, and when his son Don C. Hale was old enough, he worked at the market too. The ca. 1940 photo shows both Parley and Don Hale in front of the market.

Hale’s Market with Parley and Don Hale, ca. 1940. From FamilySearch.

The son, Don C. Hale, wanted to go into business of his own and was intrigued by car hops. But having been denied the Big Boy franchise (it was purchased by someone else), Don decided to build his own burger shop and in 1959 opened Hires Drive-In at 425 S 700 East. Don was able to procure his fresh meat, bread, and produce through Hale Market. (Of note, it is called Hires because Hires Root Beer provided a sign if they agreed to sell Hires root beer.)

Glen Boldt took over ownership of the market in 1981. He started working at the market in 1954 as a bagger at the age of 14. He kept the old wood shelves and the pea-green wooden counter to keep that old neighborhood market feel that he loved.

As a local shop, Glen Boldt knew just about everyone in the neighborhood and extended credit to long-time customers.

 Hale Market about 2011, from Google Street View.

Even when the Smiths Marketplace (previously known as Fred Meyers) was built in 1995, Hale Market persevered.

Hale Market closed around 2016 and has been vacant since.

The building is located in the local Central City Historic District and any significant changes are subject to approval by the SLC Historic Landmark Commission.

Hale Market at 511 S 500 East, Salt Lake City. Nov 2023.

Hale Market at 511 S 500 East, Salt Lake City. Nov 2023.

The house adjoining Hale Market at 511 S 500 East, Salt Lake City. Nov 2023.