These 3 houses at 949, 955, and 959 E 200 South have been intertwined since they were built in the 1890s.

The 3 houses at they appear now (2021) and earlier in their tax photos, note the front porches.

The fate of these 3 houses at 949, 955, and 959 E 200 South have been intertwined since they were built in the 1890s.

In 1893 real estate developer William P. “Billy” O’Meara bought these 3 parcels and his builder/carpenter, Sylvester A Work, constructed these homes at the corner of 200 S and Dunbar Ave (now Lincoln St).

O’Meara described himself as a “capitalist” and was prominent in SLC politics and business (especially real estate and mining).

O’Meara served on the SLC Council for a time and argued that the inmates in the SLC Jail could suffice on 2 meals a day to reduce costs; but he was also known to have a “warm spot in his heart” for the children in St. Ann’s Orphanage and organized charitable benefits.

In the 1890s, SLC was growing and these parcels were considered suburban with easy access to both the University of Utah and downtown SLC through the streetcar line on South Temple.

O’Meara and Work built these houses to sell to the emerging middle-class. The houses at 949 E and 955 E were both built in 1893 in the Victorian Eclectic Style with Italianate influences. There is some evidence that the house at 949 E at one time also had oriel windows like the house at 955 E.

The house at 959 E. was built in 1897 (see previous post).

The three houses were sold off to individual families and were all used as family residences and sometimes as rentals.

In the 1970s Walter Wendelboth purchased several houses in the vicinity of 200 South and Lincoln St, reuniting these 3 houses under a single owner. Wendelboth also purchased and restored the grand Italianate home on the other side of Lincoln St at 929 E 200 South.

Wendelboth intended to demolish these houses and construct a high-rise apartment. For reasons I did not discover this never happened.

The front porches of these homes were removed in 1975 (949 E) and 1988 (1955 E, 959 E).

In 1988 the current owners acquired these houses and now propose to demolish them for an apartment complex.

The SLC Council is hearing the proposal this Tuesday March 2 at 7pm. @PreservationUtah has more info.

Sources: UDSH site files, Des News 1973-04-14

These 3 houses have been associated with each other since their
 initial construction, note the rock wall along all 3 properties.

The "China Blue" House at 959 E 200 South

959 E 200 South, 2021

This house at 959 E 200 South SLC is known locally as “China Blue.” It was recently painted white but image 2 shows its previous namesake color.

The house was built about 1897 by real estate developer William Patrick O’Meara as a spec house, along with the 2 houses directly to the west (more to come on that trifecta!).

The first known occupants of the house were John J. Judson, his wife Frances, son Lyman, and servant Salma Hall. Their home was described as an elegant and modern. The Judson’s relocated to Los Angeles and sold the house in 1913.

The first long-time owners of the house were John and Bridget Cook who started renting the house in 1923 and purchased it in 1927. John was the supervisor of the Warm Springs Municipal Bath (Wasatch Springs Plunge at 840 N 300 W). John died suddenly in 1931 but his wife and sons continued to live and own the house until her death in 1957. During this time Bridget would also rent out portions of the house. She often stipulated “no children.”

In 1972 this house and several surrounding properties were acquired by Walter Wendelboth; the current owners acquired the group of properties in 1988.

It was in 1988 that this house lost its front and back porches, and the original windows and front door were replaced.

In recent decades, the house has become known as China Blue- a fixture of the SLC art and underground scene. Sean Fightmaster, the inspiration for SLC Punk! lived here and art, music, and parties were commonplace.

A notable incident involving Elizabeth Smart occurred here in the fall of 2002. A few months after she was kidnapped by Brian David Mitchell she was taken to party at China Blue by her kidnappers (Mitchell was after the free beer). Even though her face was veiled some party goers saw that Elizabeth seemed uncomfortable and asked if she needed help, but Mitchell intervened, and they left the party. Elizabeth was not recognized at the time and she remained missing until 2003.

Sources: UDSH Site Form; Utah Stories 2018-07-19; Mother Jones 2010-12-14

China Blue, 2019, from Save China Blue Facebook

SLC City Council information

Possible Demolition of the Lincoln Street Properties on 200 South

Houses as they appear in Feb 2021

A preview of some of the histories I am currently working on.

The fate of these 5 houses at the corner of 200 South and Lincoln St will be decided at the upcoming March 2nd Salt Lake City Council meeting. The owner is proposing a rezone to allow for greater density: if approved the owner plans to demolish these homes.

I'll be posting about these homes leading up to the March 2nd meeting.

First up will be the house at 963 E 200 S and its association with early SLC Greek Town and the establishment of the first Greek Orthodox Church between San Francisco and Chicago!