Something warm and fuzzy is coming to the heart of Sugar House. On June 8th, Best Friends Animal Society – Utah will host a block party to celebrate the grand opening of their new Salt Lake Adoption Center at 2005 S. 1100 East, in the former Smith-Crown Vacuum Co. building. Corinne Piazza, Utah Programs Marketing Manager for Best Friends, loves the idea of opening an … [Read more...]
Funding for Sugar House Art/Transport Project Nearly in Place
For the last few years, the odds of building a bicycle/pedestrian crossing under 1300 East have been getting longer. The project to connect Sugar House Park and the Sugar House Business District has suffered setbacks that left it short of cash and stripped of some valuable features. Last fall, Salt Lake County voters approved a Parks and Trails bond that provided $9 million … [Read more...]
Sugar (Hole) Water Ain’t So Sweet
There is water flowing in the bottom of the excavation for the Sugar House Crossing, Mecham Management’s new mixed-use project at the corner of 2100 South and 1100 East. And it’s not just snowmelt. The Crossing is the latest victim of Sugar House’s notorious shallow water aquifer. Wetlands around Parley’s Creek west of 13th East have caused problems for other developers, and … [Read more...]
Sugar Space: An Outlet for Local Artists
Brittany Reese, owner of Sugar House’s Sugar Space calls her business an “incubator” where artists of all kinds can find a venue to see their artistic vision through to reality. After receiving her BFA in dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Brittany realized there was a severe lack of venues where local artists could transition from university students … [Read more...]
The Sweetest Spot on Earth
Celebrate Sugar House's Long History at the Sprague Library This Month Most Sugar House residents already knew that the Fairmont neighborhood is a really great place to live, but now everyone in the country knows it. That’s because the American Planning Association has recognized Fairmont as one of the top ten great neighborhoods in the nation. On February 23rd, all the … [Read more...]
Parking & Congestion
What to expect in Sugar House in terms of parking and congestion in the coming months. You may call it congestion. The Sugar House Merchants call it business as usual. Since the advent of automobiles, enterprising merchants have found ways to make motorists stop in the Sugar House business district. Huron Free built an auto campground on Parley’s Creek by 13th East. … [Read more...]
More Trails for Cyclists
The Parley’s Trail will soon offer some great alternatives to driving a car. Parley’s Trail is named for the pioneer explorer and surveyor whose Golden Pass Toll Road led thousands of westbound immigrants through the Wasatch Mountains and into the Salt Lake Valley. When it is finished, Parley’s Trail will open up new opportunities for many more thousands of people to move … [Read more...]
Uncovering Old Bones
A Bolder Approach to Redevelopment Take a peek through the front of Granite Furniture on 21st South and you will see a view from 1910, a glimpse of the original store that built the reputation of Sugar House as the “Furniture Capital of the West.” Granite’s marketing strategy was to provide “Everything in House Furnishings” all in one place, and customer response was so … [Read more...]
Checking Our Vital Signs
Four years ago, Laurie Bray took a walk around the Sugar House Business District with her dog Lola and a Nikon camera. Laurie is a professional photographer with an eye for images that tell a story. On that day she was collecting pictures of colorful vintage signs that were instantly recognizable as symbols of Sugar House. It is fortunate that Bray took photos of those signs … [Read more...]
Sterling Furniture: Utah’s Oldest Furniture Store
Have you noticed the concrete “couches” arranged near bus stops and businesses in the Sugar House Business District? These public artworks by Eric Thelander are a reference to the days when Sugar House was known as the Furniture Center of the West. At one time, as many as twenty-one stores in the town center sold furniture, lighting, or other household furnishings. Mark … [Read more...]