"That is the biggest radish I ever saw!" exclaimed a Sprague Branch Library patron recently. It is just one of many misconceptions about the homely sugar beet, the most recognizable symbol of Sugar House. The four bronze sculptures set in front of the library and at each end of Hidden Hollow look nothing like the red table beets most of us are familiar with. The knobby sugar … [Read more...]
Chains Not Interested in Sugar House Decorations
For decades, the Sugar House Chamber of Commerce paid the cost of setting up the iconic Santa House on the Monument Plaza at Christmastime and decorating it with lights and garlands of greenery. Now, the Chamber's membership has dwindled to less than half, and its income is insufficient to support large public events such as Santa's arrival or the expense of holiday … [Read more...]
Ty’s Garden Dedication in Memory of Dr. Ty Harrison
Dr. Ty Harrison's Story A special unveiling took place on October 11 of a monument to a man who touched countless lives, and had more titles than the letters in his name. The eastern edge of Hidden Hollow Nature Preserve in Sugar House was officially renamed and dedicated to Dr. Ty Harrison, Emeritus Professor of Biology at Westminster College, an environmentalist, … [Read more...]
Sugar House—Furniture Capital of the West
Furniture Capital of the West Sixty years ago, Sugar House was known as the "Furniture Capital of the West,” with 21 home furnishings stores in the business district. Today, there is only one full-line furniture store left—Sterling Furniture Company. Coincidentally, thousands of individuals are moving into the new apartment buildings in downtown Sugar House and along the … [Read more...]
Urban Gleaners from Green Urban Lunch Box
Green Urban Lunch Box The painting by Jean-François Millet, known as "The Gleaners," was not popular when it premiered in 1857. The French middle and upper-classes were unwilling to admit there was hunger and poverty in France; they were afraid that working-class citizens might revolt against those who controlled the empire under Napoleon III. The contemporary idea of … [Read more...]
Great West Food Desert: City Seeks to Improve Food Options on Westside
Food deserts are areas occupied by people lacking the income to buy healthy food or do not have access to foods that are considered part of a balanced diet. By U.S. Department of Agriculture standards, the west-side of downtown Salt Lake City is a food desert. Whether the SLC Redevelopment Agency's proposal to build a permanent, year-round public market for Salt Lake City will … [Read more...]
Rockwood Furniture: Rockwood Family is still a Bedrock of Sugar House Business
“Rockwood Furniture, the oldest name in Sugar House, has just become the newest, most up-to-date furniture concern in the Intermountain West.” - Sugar House Bulletin, December 1954. When Marian Rockwood Johnson was born, Sugar House was struggling through the Depression of 1920-21; Bamberger Coal Company was operating from the old sugar mill; Hyland Theatre (known later as … [Read more...]
Sego Lily Update in Sugar House
Since early October, 2017, the Sego Lily has been growing and spreading across the western slope of Sugar House Park, with its petals rising slightly above the crest of 1300 E. The story of the Lily has many layers—functional, artistic, historical, and educational. The first stages of construction clearly identified the Lily as a flood-control structure with a … [Read more...]
Sugar House in Jeopardy as History Disappears
Faster and more abruptly than anyone expected, the familiar old buildings and businesses of downtown Sugar House have disappeared. Ten years ago, city planners commissioned a survey of buildings in the area to determine whether it could be designated as a historic district. But within months, the buildings south and west of the main intersection were gone, along with any chance … [Read more...]
Sprague Library and the Sugar House Flood
For the past century, flooding has played a significant role in the history of Sugar House. The position of major roads and buildings were largely determined by the course of Parley's Creek and its seasonal antics. Destructive floods on 2100 S. and 1300 E. have been blocking traffic and destroying property at roughly 30-year intervals. In 1922, public officials recognized … [Read more...]