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| Framed print of a photograph from Peter Wiarda’s new book “Urban Calm.” |
This is my favorite photograph from Peter Wiarda’s new book “Urban Calm.” This is photo is the view from Walker Center Parking at 160 S. Regent St. (2020). It looks south on Main Street, towards 300 South.
In this image I see an abstract view of modern archaeology of Salt Lake City’s built environment (and the real archaeology that is also subsurface).
The oldest building in this image is the Karrick Block, built in 1887. Surprisingly, the oldest building is also the most colorful (red) building in the photograph, which reminds me that the historic black and white photographs that preserve the past do not portray a fully perfect image of the past.
The Karrick Block has an interesting preservation story, which I will need to post about separately.
Also in this photograph are:
- The Lollin Block, 1894
- Clift Building, 1919
- American Towers, 1982
- One Utah Center, 1991
- 222 S Main building, 2009
- Federal Courthouse (Orrin G. Hatch/the Borg Cube), 2014
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| Peter Wiarda's print with my identification of buildings |
Notably, there is 5-decade gap of buildings in this image. Part of that is simply that buildings of this age are not in view. But the other part is that downtown SLC had a lull in construction during the Great Depression, WWII, and the post-WWII suburban build-up. There are notable exceptions (e.g. mid-century modern Ken Garff Building 1955, LDS Church Office Building 1973), but in general this image portrays an accurate pattern of downtown SLC’s history.
The American Towers building is also an interesting component, Built in 1982, it represents an effort to draw individuals back to living in downtown. But interestingly, American Towers was initially an adult only living arrangement- so not an effort to bring families with children to downtown.
So, beyond the visual beauty of the photograph I also see a full historical spectrum of SLC.
Peter Wiarda has many other fantastic photos of SLC in his Urban Calm book.
And SLUG magazine has a nice article about Peter’s project.
The American Towers building is also an interesting component, Built in 1982, it represents an effort to draw individuals back to living in downtown. But interestingly, American Towers was initially an adult only living arrangement- so not an effort to bring families with children to downtown.
So, beyond the visual beauty of the photograph I also see a full historical spectrum of SLC.
Peter Wiarda has many other fantastic photos of SLC in his Urban Calm book.
And SLUG magazine has a nice article about Peter’s project.
Be sure to check out his website where you can order your own copy of the book. www.peterwiarda.com
