Salt Lake Theatre

Last updated
Postcard of the Salt Lake Theatre in 1920 PostcardSaltLakeCityUTSaltLakeTheatre1920.jpg
Postcard of the Salt Lake Theatre in 1920
The interior of the Salt Lake Theatre Salt Lake Theatre interior3.png
The interior of the Salt Lake Theatre
The exterior of the Pioneer Memorial Museum in Salt Lake City--a full-scale reproduction of the original Salt Lake Theatre Pioneer Memorial Museum - panoramio.jpg
The exterior of the Pioneer Memorial Museum in Salt Lake City—a full-scale reproduction of the original Salt Lake Theatre

The Salt Lake Theatre was a 1,500 seat [1] pioneer theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah that was built in 1862. [2] It was located at 75 East 100 South.

Contents

History

Theatre was a popular affair among the Mormon Pioneers and plans for a grand theatre were made in the years following their immigration to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. With regard to the planning of the Salt Lake Theatre, Church leader Brigham Young was enthusiastic about the project and styled himself as "designer and general dictator of the whole affair" but in fact the exterior was designed by William H. Folsom, who became architect of the nearby Salt Lake Temple soon after completing this project, [3] and the interior by E. L. T. Harrison based on the Drury Lane Theatre in London. [4] Upon completion in 1862 at a cost of $100,000, it was the largest building in Utah. In his dedication speech, Henry Miller stated that the Salt Lake Theatre was “the cathedral in the desert.” [1]

For many years, it held performances from successful local and traveling theatre companies. "Virtually every star of the American stage appeared there including Sarah Bernhardt, Ethel, John, and Lionel Barrymore, P.T. Barnum, Maude Adams, Edwin Booth, "Buffalo Bill" Cody, Al Jolson, and Lillian Russell." [4]

With the rise of the motion picture business after World War I, the theatre's popularity waned and it accumulated substantial debt. [2] Heber J. Grant eventually sold the theatre to Mountain States Telephone and it was razed in 1928. A few years later, the Mountain States Telephone Building was built on the site and subsequently expanded into the building that sits there today. [5] A plaque, visible on the State Street frontage of the building, commemorates the Salt Lake Theatre.

Legacy

The Pioneer Theatre Company traces its educational lineage back to the groups who performed and instructed at the Salt Lake Theatre, and the Pioneer Memorial Theatre at the University of Utah bears some resemblance to the original Salt Lake Theatre building. The Pioneer Memorial Museum building in downtown Salt Lake City is also an outward facsimile of the Salt Lake Theatre.

In the 1960s, a musical was written about the Salt Lake Theatre called Papa and the Playhouse, authored by Albert Mitchell and L. Clair Likes. Crawford Gates directed composers such as Ardean Watts and Rowan Taylor in writing the musical scores for the production. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salt Lake City</span> State capital and largest city of Utah, United States

Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which had a population of 1,257,936 at the 2020 census. Salt Lake City is further situated within a larger metropolis known as the Salt Lake City–Ogden–Provo Combined Statistical Area, a corridor of contiguous urban and suburban development stretched along a 120-mile (190 km) segment of the Wasatch Front, comprising a population of 2,746,164, making it the 22nd largest in the nation. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, it is the 117th most populous city in the United States. It is also the central core and the larger of only two major urban areas located within the Great Basin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salt Lake County, Utah</span> County in Utah, United States

Salt Lake County is located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,185,238, making it the most populous county in Utah. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. The county was created in 1850. Salt Lake County is the 37th most populated county in the United States and is one of four counties in the Rocky Mountains to make it into the top 100. Salt Lake County has been the only county of the first class in Utah – under the Utah Code is a county with a population of 700,000 or greater. Although, Utah County directly to the south has recently reached this threshold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tooele County, Utah</span> County in Utah, United States

Tooele County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 72,698. Its county seat and largest city is Tooele. The county was created in 1850 and organized the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weber County, Utah</span> County in Utah, United States

Weber County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,223, making it Utah's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat and largest city is Ogden, the home of Weber State University. The county was named after a fur trapper John Weber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">This Is the Place Heritage Park</span> State park in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.

This is the Place Heritage Park is a Utah State Park that is located on the east side of Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, at the foot of the Wasatch Range and near the mouth of Emigration Canyon. A non-profit foundation manages the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buildings and sites of Salt Lake City</span>

Salt Lake City, Utah has many historic and notable sites within its immediate borders. Although the entire Salt Lake City metropolitan area is often referred to as "Salt Lake City", this article is concerned only with the buildings and sites within the official city limits of Salt Lake City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Salt Lake City</span>

Downtown is the oldest district in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The grid from which the entire city is laid out originates at Temple Square, the location of the Salt Lake Temple.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daybreak (community)</span> Planned community near Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Daybreak is a master-planned community covering over 4,000 acres of land. Development was started by Kennecott Land, a subsidiary of the Rio Tinto Group, in South Jordan, Utah and construction started in 2004. In 2016, the remaining land was sold to Värde Partners, a Minneapolis-based investment firm, leading to the establishment of a new development company called Daybreak Communities, responsible for continuing the project. In 2021, the undeveloped portion of the community, comprising 1,300 acres, was sold to Larry H. Miller Real Estate. It is anticipated that the construction and expansion of the community will progress over about twenty years. Once completed, the Daybreak community could encompass over 20,000 residential units and approximately 9.1 million square feet of commercial space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Utah</span> History of an American state

The History of Utah is an examination of the human history and social activity within the state of Utah located in the western United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John R. Murdock (Mormon)</span> American politician

John Riggs Murdock was the leader of the most Mormon pioneer down-and-back companies in Latter-day Saint history, leading ox-drawn wagon trains that carried both merchandise and passengers "down and back" from Missouri to Utah.

Questar Corporation was a natural gas public utility based in Salt Lake City, Utah. In September 2016, the company was acquired by Dominion Resources.

The Deseret Museum was a museum in Salt Lake City, Utah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harris Fine Arts Center</span> Arts education complex in Provo, Utah, United States

The Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Center (HFAC) was previously the main location for Brigham Young University's (BYU) College of Fine Arts and Communications (CFAC). In early 2023, the building was demolished to make way for a new arts building on the same site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub</span> Intermodal transit center in Utah, USA

The Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub is a multi-modal transportation hub in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States served by the Blue Line of UTA's TRAX light rail system that operates in Salt Lake County and by the FrontRunner, UTA's commuter rail train that operates along the Wasatch Front with service from Ogden in central Weber County through Davis County, Salt Lake City, and Salt Lake County to Provo in central Utah County. Service at the intermodal hub is also provided by Amtrak, and Greyhound Lines, as well as UTA local bus service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pioneer Theatre Company</span> Professional theatre company in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

The Pioneer Theatre Company (PTC) is one of four professional theatre companies in Utah, and the only fully professional theatre in Salt Lake City, contracting with union members belonging to Actors' Equity Association (AEA), Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) and United Scenic Artists (USA829). PTC was formed in 1962 and performs at the Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City. The non-profit company produces seven plays each season, running from September to May, including classics, musicals, dramas, and comedies. The company creates its own productions on site, including costumes and scenery, while sometimes using actors and directors from out-of-state. Among a number of premieres, the company produced the nation's first regional premiere of Les Misérables in 2007, giving 82 sold out performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah State Fair</span> United States historic place

The Utah State Fair is held at the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The fairgrounds are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The fair takes place each year starting on the first Thursday after Labor Day and lasts for 11 days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kearns-Saint Ann Catholic School</span> Private, coeducational school in South Salt Lake, Utah, United States

Kearns-Saint Ann School is a Catholic school for preschool to eighth grade students, located in South Salt Lake, Utah. Founded as St. Ann's Orphanage in 1891, it became a parochial school in 1955. The historical school building, completed in 1899, was gifted by Jennie Judge Kearns, wife of mining magnate Thomas Kearns, for whom it is named.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hale Center Theatre</span>

Hale Centre Theatre is a theatre company headquartered in Sandy, Utah. Their mission statement is “enriching lives through world-class theatre.” In 1985, Ruth and Nathan Hale partnered with their daughter, Sally Hale Rice, and their oldest grandson, Mark Dietlein and his wife to start a theatre in Utah. They converted an old lingerie factory in South Salt Lake to a theatre-in-the-round with 220 seats. After a couple of expansions, they moved into a new facility in West Valley City in 1998. After selling out all 613 seats at Harman Hall on a regular basis, a new partnership was formed with Sandy City in 2017 as they opened the new home of Hale Centre Theatre at the Mountain America Performing Arts Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nauvoo Bell</span> Bell in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.

The Nauvoo Bell, also known as the Relief Society Memorial Campanile, is a bell tower in Salt Lake City's Temple Square, in the U.S. state of Utah.

Rowan S. Taylor (1927–2005) was an American composer and conductor. Taylor composed over 250 symphonies in addition to his concertos, songs, chamber works, operas, choral works, and ballets. His works have been performed all over the world. Taylor received both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Brigham Young University. He studied at UCLA for three years before teaching at Pierce College where he taught for 39 years. He has been honored for his teaching and his works. In his personal life, Taylor was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He married Priscilla Pulliam in 1957 and had nine children.

References

  1. 1 2 "Salt Lake Theatre: "The Cathedral in the Desert"". Utah Communication History Encyclopedia. 2012-04-27. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  2. 1 2 "The Salt Lake Theatre". Pioneer Theatre Company. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  3. Henshaw, Mark (2020). Forty Years: The Saga of Building the Salt Lake Temple. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company. pp. 189–190. ISBN   9781629727509.
  4. 1 2 "Salt Lake Theatre, Salt Lake City (1862 - 1928)". utahtheaters.info. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  5. Barlow, Jacob (2016-12-23). "Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph Building". JacobBarlow.com. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  6. "Rowan Taylor- Papa and the Playhouse". Deseret News. 1962-04-28. p. 37. Retrieved 2022-07-21.

40°46′03″N111°53′19″W / 40.76750°N 111.88861°W / 40.76750; -111.88861