Jim Kirkman Jim Kirkman was known as many things to his friends and family in Sugar House: Master Gardener, educator, an encyclopedia of desert knowledge, an archaeologist with a reverence for what came before us—and a selfless individual always willing to lend a hand. Kirkman passed away in May from cancer, but his legacy lives on in the form of a sculpture crafted from … [Read more...]
From monuments to murals, Sugar House public art continues to thrive
It's known as the Sugar House Monument: an art deco obelisk with bronze statues and flowing water features at its base. Fifty-five feet high and 60 ft. wide, the monument is a cultural marker for Sugar House residents, and was likely an abomination to traffic engineers with its placement in the middle of the busy intersection of 2100 South and 1100 East, at least until the … [Read more...]
Liberty Wells Historic District
Liberty Wells before it was Liberty Wells In 2011, two Salt Lake City neighborhoods officially merged to become the Liberty Wells Historic District, but the story of the area’s development begins in the 1800s. Imagine it’s 1875. You have journeyed to 900 S, the southern edge of the city. The urban blocks, the original Plat of the City of Zion, are 10-acre squares. … [Read more...]
Trek reenacts arrival of first Utah Mormon pioneers
Walking in the footsteps of Utah Mormon pioneers—covered wagons not included On July 22, 1847, after traversing hundreds of difficult miles, a determined group of Mormon pioneers guided the first covered wagons into the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. Pulled by weary oxen, they rolled ponderously down the rocky escarpments of Emigration Canyon to what is now called First … [Read more...]
Sugar House Salt Lake City High Rise Development Fire Safety
With so much development in such a small space, how safe is Sugar House, Salt Lake City? Like a giant crooked finger, the easternmost end of Elm Avenue (2165 S) in Sugar House Salt Lake City tries to point toward Highland Drive, but it veers off into a service road for deliveries to the Vue Apartments instead. Critics contend that this narrow, restricted … [Read more...]
Homeless in Sugar House: The Problem Does Not Go Away, Only Moves Around
For decades, Salt Lake City’s Rio Grande district carried the reputation of a scary and blighted area, rife with drugs and crime. Once a bustling transit hub during America’s train era, the district slowly disintegrated into a derelict haven for prostitution and criminal activity, as a highly concentrated and dangerous transient population threatened the … [Read more...]
Impact Fees in Sugar House
Will Impact Fees Help Mitigate Sugar House Development Problems? Impact fees are one-time charges imposed by a city on new development projects to help fund the cost of providing infrastructure and services to that new development. A project, or portion of a project, must be deemed necessary to ensure the level of service provided in the new development area matches what … [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...]
Sugar House Fireworks: Independence Day Tradition Coming to an End?
The Sugar House 4th of July fireworks show has been a tradition in our community for decades. Each year it is estimated that the show draws 20,000-30,000 people or more from our community, along with people from nearby cities and counties. Until 2009, the fireworks were paid for by the city, but Salt Lake City pulled funding from the show in 2009, prompting a push from … [Read more...]