Bissinger Warehouse, 737 S 400 West

Bissinger (Left); Friendship Inn (Middle); Pickle Co. (Right). April 2021

Bissinger & Co Building at 737 S 400 W SLC.

This building is located just north of the Grant Soap/Utah Pickle Co (741 S 400 W; built 1893) and the Friendship Inns Supply (739 S 400 W; built 1937).

The Bissinger Building was constructed in 1919 specifically for the needs of this hide, wool, and tallow company. Bissinger & Co was founded in 1880s in Oregon and expanded to SLC in 1908. John “Jack” McCarty, an Ogden native, was the general manager of the SLC facility until his death in 1950.

This block along what is now 400 West and between 700-800 South was transformed from a residential farming to an industrial area by the installation of the Oregon Shortline Railroad along 400 West in the 1880s. The area is now known as the “Warehouse District” or “Granary District” of SLC.

The first industrial building on the block was the Utah Pickle Co, originally built as the Grant Soap Works, by Heber J. Grant in 1893.

By the time Bissinger was built in 1919 most of the buildings along 400 West were industrial properties and multiple rail spurs were in existence throughout the block connecting the warehouses to the railroad.

In June 1961, a fire occurred in AAA Textile Co, which at that time occupied the small building (now the Friendship Inns Supply), between the Bissinger Building and the Utah Pickle Co. The fire spread to both adjacent buildings with the Utah Pickle Co receiving the most extensive damage including the collapse of the roof on the rear addition.

Bissinger & Co. likely moved out soon after the fire and the entire company closed all locations in the West by 1965.

As of this posting, the Bissinger warehouse and the Pickle building will not be demolished. I reached out to the demolition company listed on the demo application permit which is in to SLC for review, and they were able to clarify that the Bissinger Building (and the Pickle Factory building) are NOT planned for demolition at this time.  The owner plans to demolish the Friendship Inns Supply building (739 S 400 W; built 1937) and the 1970s and 1980s additions to the Bissinger Building that wrap around the east and north part of the original 1919 portion of the building.

Bissinger (Left); Friendship Inn (Middle); Pickle Co. (Right). April 2021

Bissinger 2006, from ipernity

SL Telegraph June 11 1919

SL Trib Nov 16 1919

SL Trib Dec 8 1918

SL Trib Nov 3 1929 (L) and SL Trib Feb 23 1936 (L)

Portions to be demolished shown with black arrows: the Friendship Inns Supply building (739 S 400 W; built 1937) and the 1970s and 1980s additions to the Bissinger Building that wrap around the east and north part of the original 1919 portion of the building.

Portions to be demolished shown outlined in blue.