Judge Building, Salt Lake City

1909 Postcard of the Judge Building, Salt Lake City.

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The Judge Building, 8 E 300 S SLC, built in 1907 by Mary Judge and designed by the Judge family architect David C. Dart who also designed the Judge Miner's Home, now part of Judge Memorial High School.

Mary and her husband John made their wealth primarily from the Daly-Judge Mine in the Park City Mining District. John died in 1892 and Mary took over business operations and invested in real estate.

She also contributed the establishment of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, YMCA, and All Hallows College.

Judge Building in 1908. Image from USHS.

Judge Building 1939. Image from USHS

Judge Building 2023

Then and Now: The Rio Grande Depot

Then and Now: The Rio Grande Depot at 300 S. Rio Grande St, Salt Lake City.  

Then is ca. 1920-1930. It is a historic photo of the Rio Grande Depot from the Denver Public Library Special Collections (Number GB-5633). Now is from 2018 Google Streets View.

At the time of the photo, the building was known as The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Depot.

Note the trolly tracks in the foreground. Passengers disembarking from the Depot could then access Salt Lake’s large network of trolley lines in all directions.

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.

How did Salt Lake City's 300 South become Broadway?

How did 300 South become Broadway?

Salt Lake City's Broadway (300 South), shown here at the intersection with Shelmerdine Ct (235 East).

In 1912, SLC business owners petitioned the SLC Commission (now City Council) to change the name to highlight the newly developed shopping/business district.

This new 300 South business district was significant in that it was located away from the traditional commercial sectors of Main and State Streets. Many new large department stores had recently been constructed such as Auerbach’s, the Paris, Keith-O’Brien, Walker Bros Dry Goods, and other prominent businesses such as the Judge Building, J G McDonald Chocolate Factory, Peery Hotel, and the Colonial Theater (old Yardstick Building). Many of these buildings are still standing.

Two-page spread in the December 8 1912 edition of the Salt Lake Tribune detailing Broadway shopping between Main and State Streets.

Two-page spread in the December 15 1912 edition of the Salt Lake Tribune detailing Broadway shopping between West Temple and Main Streets.

In May 1912, the Auerbach Company petitioned to rename 300 South, between the Rio Grande Depot and State Street, to Broadway Street- after Broadway in New York City.

Proponents wanted “a distinctive name that commands attention.” They wanted visitors who disembarked a train at the Rio Grande Depot to see a grand boulevard of shops and exquisite buildings, complete with electric streetlights.

There was pushback. Nearly 1,500 Salt Lakers signed a protest against the name change. Many didn’t like the idea of deviating from the SLC’s grid system. Others indicated there was already an alley named Broadway (eventually renamed and is now the northernmost section of Regent Street that runs through City Creek Center). The postal workers were especially against the idea.

I was not able to find any documentation of the official change of name, nor what section was designated as Broadway. I searched various online repositories. Presumably, there is some documentation in the paper records at Salt Lake County archives. Regardless, it seems that maps were eventually updated with the new Broadway Street, although even today maps vary on which section of 300 South is Broadway.

Nowadays, it seems that Salt Lake County retains control of street names. According to their data, Broadway is the section of 300 South between 455 West and 549 East.

The signage of Broadway is a little sporadic. My quick field recon showed that primarily the area between the Rio Grande Depot and State Street is signed as Broadway – except for my photo here at the intersection with Shelmerdine Ct (235 E).

Sources:
Salt Lake Telegram 1912-05-29 Pg 10; 

Salt Lake Tribune 1912-06-18 Pg 6; 

Salt Lake Tribune 1912-07-06 Pg 7; 

Salt Lake Telegram 1912-07-11 Pg 12; 

Salt Lake Tribune 1912-11-10 Pg 20; 

Salt Lake Tribune 1912-11-24 Pg 21; 

SLC Infobase; 

various Sanborn Maps

2023 Recap with Demolished Salt Lake Podcast

I was a guest on episodes 31 and 32 of the Demolished Salt Lake Podcast. “2023 Preservation Wins, Loses and What to Watch in 2024.”

We discussed some of the buildings we lost in 2023, the ones that were saved, and those that are in danger of demolition in 2024. We had more saves than losses this year, which was greatly needed after the past few years.

In this first of two parts, we talk about the loss of the Pink House and the Yardstick Building earlier this year. Discuss the status of the land on which some historic buildings used to stand in my “Still a Parking Lot” segment (ahem... the La France Apartments) and move on to buildings that will be demolished in 2024. Saving the best for last, we end with good news for a few of our historic buildings and areas.

We know we missed some buildings, but these are some of the standouts.

With – Wendi Pettett and Chris Jensen of Demolished Salt Lake Podcast and Adrienne White of House Genealogy

Photos of some of the highlights:

1. The Pink House (Covey House), 666 E 300 South SLC
2. Mountain Bell Building, 205 E 200 South SLC
3. Elias Harrison House, 10 N 300 West SLC
4. Cramer House, 241 Floral St SLC
5. Liberty Wells Center, 707 S 400 East SLC
6. Musser House, 2157 S Lincoln St SLC
7. 2nd Ward Assembly Hall, 483 E 700 South SLC
8. Jerald and Sandra Tanner House / Utah Lighthouse Ministries, 1350-1358 S West Temple SLC
9. Brinton House, 4880 S Highland Circle Holladay
10. Wells Ward Chapel, 1990 S 500 East SLC

Videos of the Yardstick Building Demolition

A couple videos of the demolition of the Yardstick Building at 52 E Broadway, Salt Lake City.

This clip shows the walls and windows being knocked down.

This clip shows the interior floors being demolished. Chomp, Chomp. Crumble, Crumble.

Demolition of the Yardstick Building in Photographs

Demolition of the Yardstick Building, Nov 6 - Nov 21, 2023. Thanks to Zack Gates (@jawa1896) for providing half of these photos!

Next up for this property will be a long-term lease and/or build-to-suit.

From LoopNet

Hidden details uncovered during the Yardstick Demolition

I documented much of the demolition process of the historic Yardstick Building at 52 E Broadway Salt Lake City and I was able to photograph some interesting details.  These images were taken November 6-21, 2023.

I saw the demolition process as akin to archaeological excavation (which is also a destructive process).

As the building was slowly removed beginning at the front of the building and toward the back, different profiles emerged of the layout including little details such as corridors, clawfoot bathtubs, wallpaper, crown molding, and the original wood-framed windows.

Here are a few selections of those details.

 Original façade of the Yardstick under the modern false facade.

North side of the building, profile showing 3 floors and a basement

North side: Doors, archways, and theater entrance (lower right).

North side: detail of door with original hardware. And pink/green floral wallpaper.

North side: Wood-frame window and green leaf wallpaper.

South side: Windows and frames.

South side: showing 3 floors with doors and hallways.

South side: Bathroom sink and a corridor on the top floor.

South side: Clawfoot tub on top floor, and wallpaper on middle floor.

South side: Crown molding with doors and hallways.

History of the Yardstick Building

The Yardstick Building at ~50 East 300 South, Salt Lake City, has been demolished, so let’s dive into its history... as told in three parts.

The Yardstick Building as it appeared in 2022.
52 E Broadway, Salt Lake City.

Part 1: Origin Story

This property has long ties to two early SLC Jewish families- the Brooks (Brooks Arcade Building at 268 S State) and the Auerbach family (Auerbach Department store at 324 S State) as represented by one woman: Eveline Brooks Auerbach (1860-1924).

Eveline was the daughter of Julius and Fanny Brooks, the first Jewish family to settle in SLC, in 1864. The Brooks family first lived in a small adobe house at the busy corner of 300 South and Main St. Both Julius and Fanny were entrepreneurs, both operating businesses, owning rental property, and buying more property along 300 South between Main and State St. They integrated well with LDS Church members and even attended LDS Sunday School before the first Jewish Synagogue was built in SLC in 1875.

In 1879, The Brook's daughter, Eveline, married a member of another prominent Jewish family, Samuel H Auerbach and Eveline’s parents allowed the newlyweds to build on a portion of land between Main and State streets, what is now the Yardstick (although the Brooks family retained ownership of the land).

By 1883 Eveline and Samuel built a new 2-story family home made of brick, located at 52 E 300 South. They also built 2 rental units just to the west at 48-50 E 300 South of the same style of their home, so much so that it looked to most that the family home and the 2 rental units were a single building.

 

 The home and rental units of Eveline and Samuel.
Original illustration from USHS.

Clip of the 1884 Sanborn Map showing their home and rental units.

They marketed their rentals as “elegant houses with modern improvements… suitable for dentist and doctor’s parlors.” In addition to dentists, musicians, and other professionals who rented these properties from Eveline, 2 notorious (and fraudulent) spiritualists also rented from her in 1902-1903: the Arnold-Dickson brothers (see a previous post from my #SpookySLC series).

These buildings replaced a log cabin that was previously located on the site and occupied by Alexander Pyper’s family, an early Mormon pioneer.

At the time, most of this section of 300 South was a mixture of old adobe homes originally built by early Mormon settlers and a few updated structures made of wood frame or brick, a much more rural setting. There was even a large “Chinese Vegetable Garden” located on the south side of block at about 45 E 400 South.

But the neighborhood was quickly developing into an urban district and by the 1890s their home and rentals were surrounded by large new buildings such as Freed Furniture & Carpets, the Telluride Hotel, and, of course, the Brooks Arcade building across the street (the façade still stands today). And much of this section of the 300 South was owned by the Brooks and Auerbach families.

Eveline formally inherited ownership of the property (and the Brooks Arcade and other property) when her mother Fanny died in 1901.

By 1908 Eveline and Samuel were living full time in NYC and they decided to demolish their SLC home and rental units and build a new theater and hotel in its location at 44-52 E 300 South. This is the building that became the Yardstick and is now being demolished.

Eveline Brooks Auerbach wearing a fashionable ostrich feather hat.

Eveline's husband Samuel Auerbach.

Part 2: Eveline’s Theater

In 1908 Eveline Brooks Auerbach constructed a new hotel and theater at 44-52 E 300 South at the site of her previous home (see last post), this building is what eventually became known as the Yardstick.

Eveline’s building was mixed-used with commercial on the ground floor, a rathskeller (bar/restaurant) in the basement, a hotel above (men’s bachelor quarters), and a large theater in the back. This was Eveline’s property, but she was living in NYC so she had her son George S. Auerbach oversee the construction (the location of his birth!).

Eveline’s husband Samuel H. Auerbach and her sons George and Herbert were involved with other endeavors in the area, namely Auerbach’s Department Store and other properties totaling more than 10 acres- making the Auerbach family the largest owner of commercial real estate in downtown SLC in 1909.

Eveline’s building was primarily known by the theater, as it was the largest portion of the building with the entrance and lobby of the theater being in the center of the building on the ground floor, with a large stage and auditorium occupying the back of the building. The building also included a smoking room for men, a parlor for women, and dressing rooms (individual rooms for the stars) for travel companies. The theater was decorated in ivory tones and outfitted with luxury lighting and textiles.

The front of the building featured a large sign made by Western Electric Co featuring individual lighted letters that could be swapped out to spell the current performance.

The theater was first known as the Colonial Theatre, and then became known as the Pantages Theatre (one of many) in 1913, Loew’s State Theater in 1921, and finally the Victory Theater in 1924.

Colonial Theatre with its big Western Electric Sign in 1909
Source USHS.

Eveline's theater when it was known as The Pantages Theatre, 1920.
Source USHS.

Interior of the Colonial Theatre, 1908.  Note the asbestos curtain.
Source USHS.

Victory Theatre lobby in 1924. The statue is a reproduction of the sculpture Winged Victory of Samothrace. Source USHS.

Long hallway entrance to the lobby of the Victory Theatre, 1924.
Source USHS

Victory Theatre with neon front, 1937.
Source USHS.

The Louvre Rathskiller occupied the basement, when it opened it was described as the “most novel and artistic metropolitan cafes… west of Chicago.”

The hotel was first known as the Touraine European Hotel, and was initially managed by Mrs. Ida M. Godman, described as “one of Salt Lake’s successful businesswomen.” The hotel was primarily used as a boarding house (typical of that era) rather than tourist lodging. The hotel became known as the St George Hotel in 1952.

Newspaper advertisements. The top is from The Journal Oct 7 1913; the bottom is from The Salt Lake Tribune March 20 1938.

Newspaper advertisements. The left is from The Salt Lake Tribune Nov 22 1928; The right is from The Salt Lake Tribune Oct 2 1937.

Of note, the first talkie film presented in Utah was shown at the Victory Theater on May 22 1928, and was “The Singing Fool” starring Al Jolson (in blackface!).

In 1943, one of the most devastating fires in SLC destroyed the Victory Theater. Several people were injured, and 3 firemen were killed. The fire was able to be contained to the theater building in the back and none of the adjacent buildings were burned.  See a previous post for more about that.

Detail of the Victory Theatre fire ruins, 1943. Source USHS.

After the fire only a brick shell surrounding rubble remained. The fire-ruined brick walls stood for several years; sometime after 1950 they were removed but the large concrete subterranean foundation remains.

Detail of the 1950 Sanborn Map showing the concrete ruins of the Victory Theater.

 
The property remained with the Auerbach family until 1949 when Eveline’s children sold the majority ownership to a Los Angeles real estate mogul, E. Phillip Lyon.

Part 3: Mid-Century Makeover 

Eveline Brooks Auerbach died in 1924 but the property remained part of the Auerbach holdings. After the Victory Theater fire in 1943, the property was sold in 1949 to a California group headed by E. Phillip Lyon who remodeled the building, including the new modern façade. In 1955, Lyon’s share was acquired by his partners Molly and Julius Fligelman, who became the long-time owners.

The Yardstick fabric store has been there since the beginning of the remodel. It moved into the section that was originally the hotel office, on the west side of the building (40 E). The middle section that once was the theater entrance was remodeled into a storefront with Lerner Shops as the primary occupant (44 E). The east side of the building (52 E) was generally a shoes or women’s apparel store, such as Juliette’s Intimate Apparel in 1977. And, for a time, Auerbach’s used the basement for storage.

The Yardstick in 1952. Source USHS.

 
Like many cities, SLC’s downtown family housing declined after WWII as the GI-bill-fueled suburbs expanded. For a time SLC was able to keep its downtown shopping district alive. Many people fondly remember shopping at the old ZCMI, Keith O’Brien, Auerbach’s, and others. These shops in the Yardstick building were a part of that shopping experience, with the Yardstick often being remembered as the best place to buy fabric anywhere in town.

The 1950s and early 1960s are often remembered fondly for downtown shopping. Check out the documentary film “Utah in the 50s” for a detailed view of that era.  

In 1962, the Cottonwood Mall in Holladay was built - Utah’s first large indoor shopping mall. And downtown shopping was further at risk. The big shopping days around the Holidays and Back-to-School became destination experiences and often local businesses banded together to put on events to draw people downtown.

Back to School shopping advertisement, from The Salt Lake Tribune Aug 14 1966.

Downtown Days newspaper advertisement at the Lerner Shops, from the Deseret News March 31, 1965.

The Yardstick Store closing clearance sale, from The Salt Lake Tribune Aug 30 1992.

By the 1970s, SLC was suffering…. Throw in lingering effects from redlining, racial housing policies, unequal access to education/utilities, and the new SLC RDA’s efforts to “clean up” urban “ghettos” and it was just a huge mess. More than I can talk about here.

Modern facade, Juliette's Intimate Apparel, 52 E 300 South, about 1979.  From UDSH building files.

Modern facade, Lerner Shops, 44 E 300 South, about 1979.  From UDSH building files.

Modern facade, Yardstick, 52 E 300 South, about 1979.  From UDSH building files.

The Yardstick persevered, however, as it remained at its location until 1992. The building was boarded up and became known for its ever-changing street art, until its demolition this week.