Salt Lake City and County Building
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Salt Lake City and County Building
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The Salt Lake City and County Building, seat of city government since 1894
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| Location | 451 Washington Square, Salt Lake City, Utah |
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| Coordinates | 40°45′34.5″N 111°53′12.5″W / 40.759583°N 111.886806°WCoordinates: 40°45′34.5″N 111°53′12.5″W / 40.759583°N 111.886806°W |
| Area | 10 acres (4.0 ha) |
| Built | 1891-94 |
| Architect | Bird & Monheim Proudfoot; W.S. Mills |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque |
| NRHP Reference # | 70000629 |
| Added to NRHP | June 15, 1970 |
The Salt Lake City and County Building, usually called the "City-County Building", is the seat of government for Salt Lake City, Utah. The historic landmark formerly housed offices for Salt Lake County government as well, hence the name.
The building was originally constructed by free masons between 1891 and 1894 to house offices for the city and county of Salt Lake and replace the Salt Lake City Council Hall and Salt Lake County Courthouse, both erected in the 1860s.
Construction of the building was riddled with controversy. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries the City and County Building was the symbol of non-Mormon citizens' open defiance of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was designed to rival the Salt Lake Temple as the city's architectural centerpiece. It is even thought that the building's clock tower and statues were designed to mimic the temple's spires and statue of the angel Moroni. Ironically, the building was originally the 1880s brainchild of the Church-backed "People's Party." When the non-Mormon "Liberal Party" was campaigning for city government, they deemed the proposed "joint building" an example of the Church's extravagance and wastefulness. In a reversal of stance, the Liberals decided to go ahead with the building when they finally gained power in 1890. Construction began in February on State Street at about 100 South.
For nebulous reasons, construction was halted that November after only the foundation had been laid. The mostly non-Mormon city council questioned the buildings plans which had been completed during the People's Party reign, and wavered on how to proceed. The Deseret News complained that the Liberals were wasting taxpayer money. Ultimately, the original plans and site for the building were scrapped and the whole project was moved to the building's current location at Washington Square. The Deseret News claimed this move served the City Council, which owned property around the site and would profit from increased land values. Nonetheless construction on new plans began by late 1891. The cornerstone was laid July 25, 1892.
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