Utah's Historic Architecture, 1847-1940: A Guide

Carter, Thomas; Goss, Peter

From preface: "This book is envisioned as a general introduction to Utah's historic architecture for the scholarly community, for preservation workers, and for the general public It is not an architectural history, nor is it a guided tour of the state's buildings. It is, rather, a device for understanding the architecture itself. At the very least, we hope we have succeeded in developing a more consistent and unified vocabulary for the study and appreciation of the state's buildings. Some scholars may disagree with our choice of particular terms, categories, or sequences. Yet we have not attempted to reinvent architectural classification, and in all cases we have worked as much as possible within the framework of the existing literature. In those cases where we chose to create new categories, we have grounded our actions as much as possible in both field and historical research. Where information is spotty and inconclusive, we have acknowledged lacunae and have chosen general over specific headings with the expectation that, as more research is completed, we may be further able to refine our taxonomy... This book outlines a method for identifying and describing Utah's historic architecture. Our initial objective was to compile a basic reference for the statewide architectural survey then being conducted by the Utah State Historic Preservation Office. The state surveyors needed a reasonably comprehensive guide to the major building styles in Utah from 1847, when the first Mormon settlers arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley, to around 1940, the cutoff date for the preservation survey. As we began the work it became apparent that we faced not one, but two tasks; not only did we need to assemble a catalog of Utah buildings, but we also had to create the classification system for that catalog. The problem was that no useful models existed for architectural classification at the state and local levels, nor were there any for vernacular buildings. This book, then, while specifically designed to identify the kinds of buildings found in Utah, is also intended to provide a general approach to classifying regional, state and local architecture." Funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant administered by the Utah State Historic Preservation Office and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Utah's Historic Architecture, 1847-1940: A Guide

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