Salt Lake City in 1962

As usual, while looking for information on something specific I find something else interesting!

Check out these photos from 1962 of SLC. They are a part of the Edmund L. Mitchell collection at the Boston Public Library (link below).

A few of these images are relevant to changes recently announced, and others are just neat to look at.

Beehive House 1962. The LDS Church has recently announced that it plans to renovate the Beehive House, Lion House, and Joseph Smith Memorial Building (old Hotel Utah) in 2023. Per the Church News website, plans are to address structural deficiencies and preservation of aging finishes. As these buildings are local historic landmarks, the SLC Historic Landmark Commission will provide oversite.

Boy Scouts logo in flowers and grass 1962. The LDS Church announced plans to demolish the Boy Scouts building at 525 Foothill Dr. No specific plans for what will replace the building.

South Main Street 1962. I like this image because it shows a walkable downtown and a good view of a historic (now removed) Sanitary Drinking Fountain that was installed in the 1910s (White pillar-looking thing) and a Fire Call Box (Red pillar thing) behind the guy in the forefront.

Detail on fountain and fire call box.

View from State Capitol 1962. This image shows the rebuilding of the historic Salt Lake City Council Hall (now Utah Tourism Office), which was relocated when the Wallace F. Bennett building was constructed. Also, check out that wasted water!

View from State Capitol 1962. Cool looking bus and a nice array of cars.

Direct Link to SLC portion of the Edmund L Mitchell Collection at Boston Public Library: https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search?f%5Bname_facet_ssim%5D%5B%5D=Mitchell%2C+Edmund+L.%2C+1905-1981&f%5Bsubject_geographic_sim%5D%5B%5D=Salt+Lake+City

Daughters of the American Revolution Fountain now in Liberty Park

 Fountain as it is today in Liberty Park

This 115-year-old drinking fountain has a history of dysfunction.

Originally it was located in front of the Salt Lake City Public Library (now O. C. Tanner building at 15 S State St). It was donated to Salt Lake City by the SLC chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

The fountain was designed by the son of a local DAR member who was an art student at Princeton. It was then made in Vermont at a cost of $650 (about $19K in 2020 dollars). It is made of Gray Vermont Granite with the emblems of the DAR on two sides. On the other two sides read: “Erected by the Spirit of Liberty Chapter, D. A. R.” and “D. A. R., designed by W. M. Allen.” Cups were supplied to dip into the water trough and a separate drinking trough for dogs is at the base.

It was dedicated on Nov 18 1905 with much ceremony and the Fort Douglas regimental band provided music.

Unfortunately, things went downhill from there. Shortly after the fountain had been installed one of the pipes burst and the fountain sat idle for months because of a dispute between the plumber and the City.

In June 1908 the City determined that the plumbing design was defective and the water bowl of insufficient depth. The DAR intended to repair the fountain but enough funds were never raised.

By July 1910 the fountain still had not been fixed and the SLC Committee on Sanitation recommended that the fountain be shut off permanently.

In Nov 1921 the fountain had fallen into further disrepair and the City Commission decided to move it to Liberty Park. Plans were made to reconstruct it and to make it a bird and dog fountain but, true to its past, enough funds were never raised and it was never repaired.

Today it remains a civic ornament and is on display in a flower bed at Liberty Park.

Sources: DAR Magazine V28 and various historic newspaper articles.

 Fountain as it is today in Liberty Park

 Fountain as it is today in Liberty Park

 Fountain as it is today in Liberty Park

Fountain as it appeared just after installation in 1905, from UDSH.

Fountain as it appeared just after installation in 1905. From DAR Magazine V28 3

Update April 5 2021: 
The Utah State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution have a blog post about this fountain. 

Historic Fountains in Temple Square

Temple Square is home to several of these historic cast iron and brass drinking fountains. This version probably dates to the early 1900s (1910s?) and is operated by foot pedal. It also features a mouth guard and an arcing water projection, designed to improve sanitary conditions. The Murdock Mfg Company has been operating since 1853.

Sanitary Drinking Fountains Were Once Throughout the Downtown Business District of SLC

Sanitary Drinking Fountain, SLC
ca 1910 postcard. Image from ebay.

New “sanitary fountains” were all the range in Salt Lake City in the early 1900s. 

Beginning about 1909 the SLC Council had these types of fountains installed throughout the business district of downtown. 

The “sanitary” aspect was a mouth guard on the fountain that prevented the spreading of germs. These types of fountains replaced earlier drinking fountains where people placed their own cup under a spout of running water. 

Many “Ban the Cup” campaigns around this time convinced the nation that the sanitary fountain was a safer alternative.

Salt Lake Telegram 1909-07-31

Salt Lake Tribune 1912-06-03