Murray City Diesel Power Plant

The Murray City Diesel Power Plant was built in four major phases between 1927 and 1959. It is located at 157 W 4800 South in Murray, Utah.

The plant is a brick building in the early twentieth century commercial style with Roman-style arched windows.

The building appears to be two-stories tall on the exterior, but is one-story with a small mezzanine on the interior.

Each time the building was expanded exterior walls were removed to allow additional diesel generators to be moved in and to maintain the open floor plan.

The original section was built in 1927 and is in the southwest corner of the current building.

In 1934, the building was doubled in size to the east. In the southeast corner of the building, a Fairbanks-Morse diesel generator (installed in 1934) is in its original location.

Between 1947 and 1948, the building doubled in sized again to the north. The last major modification came in 1959 when the roof structure over the south half was replaced.

A neon sign installed in 1952 is a prominent feature on the façade.

The Murray City Diesel Power Plant has excellent integrity and is a contributing historic resource in the industrial corridor just west of Murray City’s historic downtown business district.

Text/images from NRHP nomination, Utah Historical Society

A Peek Inside the Historic Henry Dinwoodey Mansion

 A peek inside the historic Henry Dinwoodey House, at 411 East 100 South Salt Lake City.

Built in 1890 and designed by Richard Kletting, architect of the Utah State Capitol and other prominent SLC buildings. The house was built as a home for Sara Kinersley, the third polygamous wife of Henry Dinwoodey, a Mormon. It is historically significant mostly for its connection to Henry Dinwoodey, owner of a very successful furniture business in Utah and the broader Intermountain region. Dinwoodey was jailed as a polygamist in the 1880s.  Text from Wikipedia.

I was able to tour the interior of the house on January 21, 2026. Here are a few photos:

Dinwoodey House, at 411 East 100 South Salt Lake City

Main floor

Main floor

Main floor

Main floor

Main floor

Main floor

Main floor

Main floor

2nd floor

 3rd (Top) floor

Exterior

Downtown SLC Lamp Posts

 An original to SLC, these ornamental lamp posts feature a medallion depicting the profile of a Native American man.

Installed in 1921 as part of the second phase of SLC’s streetlighting upgrades, they added a decorative element to the new lights along State Street and Broadway (300 South).

Photograph of post on State Street (2022).

Electric streetlights were first installed along Main Street in 1881, making SLC the fifth city in the US to do so.

In 1916, SLC upgraded the Main Street lights from arc lamps to tungsten incandescent lighting. When the new tungsten system was switched on along Main Street on September 30, 1916, SLC became the first city in the United States to illuminate a street with tungsten lighting. San Francisco followed four days later, on October 4, 1916.

Utah Power and Light Company pole, December 27, 2021. Image from USHS.

Detail of above.

In 1921, tungsten lighting was extended to State Street and Broadway (300 South). A distinguishing aspect of these streetlights was the addition of a decorative motif at the base of the lamp posts: a medallion bearing the profile of a Native American man.

At the time of the lighting ceremony, the Deseret News described the design as representing “the head of Chief Timpanogos, an Indian chief [perhaps referring to Chief Tabby-To-Kwanah]” and “reminiscent of the days when State Street was an Indian trail." Neither claim is historically accurate and instead reflects the romanticized “Vanishing Indian” mythology prevalent in the 1920s.

In 1951, a Salt Lake Telegram article explained that the Utah State Historical Society and Utah Power and Light Co. agreed the design was not intended to represent a single individual. Instead, the motif originated with the casting company Union Metal, with additional redrawing by H. Allan Gardner, an engineer with Utah Power and Light, the company responsible for installing the streetlights.

H. Allan Gardner, from Salt Lake Herald Oct 20, 1920 p35.

Union Metal was particularly proud of the design (number 1161) and featured it prominently in their 1920s catalogs to showcase the sharpness and quality of the casting.

Examples of designs from the 1924 Union Metal Manufacturing Co. Catalog. From Internet Archive.

Highlighting the SLC design in the 1924 Union Metal Manufacturing Co. Catalog. From Internet Archive.

I have not identified another city where this Native American profile medallion was utilized. Perhaps you know of another?

Updates on Adaptive Reuse and Preservation Projects in SLC

 A few of my observed updates on Adaptive Reuse and Preservation projects in Salt Lake City. 

1) The Pickle & Hide building at 739 S 400 W SLC. Some new windows in the Hide building. The Utah Pickle building was demolished in May 2025 and a replacement is being built with a similar design.

2) The Salisbury Mansion at 574 E 100 South is slowly advancing. The old Evans and Early mortuary is being transformed to an assisted living facility. Some non-contributing additions to the primary structure have been removed and the stonework repaired. The old 1972 garage was demolished and a new addition is being completed. This project has oversight by the SLC Historic Landmark Commission as the building is a local historic landmark.

3-4) The Liberty Wells Recreation Center at 707 S 400 East SLC is finished with the modifications to some windows/door openings and  new windows have recently been installed. Construction of new single family attached houses continues on the old recreation field. 

5) The remaining silos of the old Cereal Food Processors and one associated building have recently been repainted. Construction for the new apartment buildings are continuing. The Midwest Casket Co Building at 440 W 600 South is part of this overall project and is planned to also be adaptively reused. 

Before the 10th East Senior Center: Origins of the Salt Lake Tennis Club

In 1912 the Salt Lake Tennis Club opened at what is now the Tenth East Senior Center at 237 S 1000 East SLC.

Tennis Tournaments were popular for both men and women in Salt Lake during the 1910s

Brothers Orange J. Salisbury Jr and R. Walker Salisbury financed the construction of five clay courts and a concrete clubhouse at a cost of $25K (~$830K today).

Membership in the Salt Lake Tennis Club was by invitation only and limited to 85 shares. Utah's social elite played tennis while Joe Dally, formerly of the California Tennis Club, served as professional.

The club became one of the first in the West to join the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association. Tournaments drew players from across the Intermountain region. For 15 years, the courts remained private.

A 1912 newspaper photograph of the new Salt Lake Tennis clubhouse and courts.

A side-by-side comparison of an artist rendering before construction of the Salt Lake Tennis Club, and a photograph of its completion. Photograph is from UDSH.

The Salt Lake Tennis courts and clubhouse, June 29, 1912. Image from UDSH.

In 1927 Salt Lake City purchased the property from Salisbury and it was renamed Victory Recreation Center, a name suggested by Clarence W. Bowman who received a season pass for the winning name. Activities included new playgrounds, reading, swimming, table games, swings, and athletics.

The Salt Lake Tennis Club was allowed to remain as a private club and continued hosting nearly every major tennis tournament in Utah. The Tennis Club moved to Forest Dale in 1933 (the club is now known as the Salt Lake Tennis and Health Club). The Victory Recreation Center became fully public, and the five clay courts were converted to cement.

The University of Utah won against Brigham Young University at the Utah state collegiate tennis tournament at the newly named Victory Recreation Park, 1927.
From Salt Lake Tribune June 3 p12.

In the 1940s the Victory Boys and Girls' Club operated at the site. After that club relocated in 1945, the building later housed the Jaycee Boys and Girls Club. By 1954, the building was condemned.

That year, 15 seniors formed the Silver Crest group and began renovating the condemned building themselves including installing cupboards, laying tile, painting, and contributing furnishings. By 1960, about 1,000 people per week were using the facility.

Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County partnered to build the new Tenth East Senior Center in 1963. The city provided the land and landscaping and the county funded construction including the 1977 expansion.

Tenth East Senior Center

The 10th East Senior Center at 237 S 1000 E SLC has been in the news recently and it can be easy to overlook. With its low profile and clean modern lines this mid-century building is an architectural gem.

The 10th East Senior Center at 237 S 1000 East

When it opened in 1963, it was the first facility in Salt Lake County designed and built specifically for seniors. The building reflected a shift in how people understood aging, family situations, and community support.

The center’s origins date to 1954, when a small group of seniors formed the Silver Crest Club. Along with other senior groups, they met in the former Jaycee Boys and Girls Club building on this site.

After that building was condemned in 1960 planning for the new senior center began. Other locations were considered, including a controversial site within Liberty Park, but ultimately, the decision was to rebuild on the original site.

The building was designed by architects Burtch W. Beall Jr. and Paul L. Lemoine, with George S. Nicholatus serving as project manager, identified as the [short lived] Burtch W. Beal Jr., Lemoine & Nicholatus, architectural firm.

Beall, Lemoine, and Nicholatus were each influential in shaping Salt Lake City’s mid-century built environment and civic landscape.

Beall often gets the most attention as he was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and taught courses at the UofU. His works include the Medial Student Housing Towers at 90 S 2030 E (recently demolished); Shaw Student Union at Westminster College; and the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Ogden.

Lemoine designed the Irving Heights Apts at 1963 S 1200 E; the Glendale Plaza shopping center at 1200 S 1300 W (significantly altered, now Dual Immersion Academy); Utah Auto Association (AAA) at 560 E 500 S; and others.

Nicholatus’s civic service included arts, planning, health, and charitable organizations. He was involved with the construction of the original Salt Palace and Abravanel Hall.

A product of Salt Lake City’s Mid-Century Modern peak, the building was shaped by leading architects and civic figures and has functioned as a community hub for more than six decades (and longer if you consider the pre 1963 history... read more about that here).

Salt Lake's OG Whale

Salt Lake's OG Whale is located at the RC Willey furniture store, 2301 S 300 West, South Salt Lake City.

Artist and conservationist Robert Wyland painted this mural of a blue whale mother and calf in 1998 during his 50-states-in-50-days Ocean Challenge tour, which taught landlocked communities that ocean health is directly tied to inland pollution.

Collaboration among Wyland, RC Willey, and the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium resulted in Utah hosting one of Wyland's 100 "Whaling Walls," a global project he painted between 1981 and 2008.

The RC Willey mural is titled "World of Ocean Life" and measures 100x60 ft.

Originally, the mural included a lower portion that was painted by local kids and showcased dolphins, orcas, squid, and starfish.

The founders of Loveland Living Planet Aquarium invited Wyland to Salt Lake as part of their efforts to fundraise and build community support for the aquarium. At the time, the aquarium was searching for their first location, which would eventually be at the Gateway in 2004.

The Wyland Foundation donated the cost of the mural and RC Willey's CEO, Bill Child, approved the donation of the wall. Child supported helping the aquarium gain awareness and believed the public art would enhance Utah's hosting of the upcoming 2002 Winter Olympics.

Not all of Wyland's 100 Whaling Wall murals survive today. Wikipedia lists 28 of his murals as being "extinct" meaning covered over, destroyed, significantly altered, or no longer accessible to the public.

You can catch a glimpse of the mural when traveling southbound on I-15 around 2100 S, or up close at the SLC RC Willey store. 🐋