Hotel Utah records

Collection

Identifier: MS 0469

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Hotel Utah records (1909-1993) consists of employee and company newsletters, room diagrams, certificates of award recieved by the hotel, advertising materials, and 1941 payroll records. Additionally, menus from the hotel's restaurants and an early wine list are preserved in the collection. Other items that can be located among the hotel's records are magazine articles featuring the Hotel Utah and Salt Lake City, materials on the hotel's seventy-fifth anniversary celebration and information on the closing of the hotel in 1987. Scrapbooks containing newsclippings dating from 1909 to 1981 serve well in documenting the hotel's history, as well as the history of Salt Lake City during that period. Box 18 of the collection, contains materials Leonard J. Arrington deposited with the library in 1988. These are materials Arrington created and gathered while researching and writing The Hotel: Salt Lake's Classy Lady, and include magazine articles, research materials, notes, newsclippings, and correspondence. Included in the collection are serving items used at the hotel.

Click here to view the digitized items from the collection.

Dates

1909-1993

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Organizational History

On 17 April 1909, a group of prominent businessmen from varied religious and ethnic backgrounds met at the Deseret National Bank to discuss the need for a new hotel on Main Street in Salt Lake City. The new hotel was to become the city's show piece, a social gathering cernter, and a symbol of Mormon and non-Mormon cooperation in the city's development. Days later, the Mormon church president, Joseph F. Smith, lent his support to the endeavor and announced that the church would allow the new hotel to replace its central tithing store house on the corner of Main Street and North Temple. Construction began in June of 1909 with as many as 550 men working on the building each day. The finest furnishings of the period were purchased to decorate the interior, and the use of white granite and porcelain covered pure-white terra-cotta resulted in the hotel's distinctive exterior. The building was topped with an ornate white dome in the shape of a beehive, the state's symbol of cooperative industry. The grand opening took place the evening of 8 June 1911, when religious leaders, public officials, leading businessmen, and other prominent members of the community gathered in the new building. The opening of the elegant hotel was seen as the beginning of community cooperation on behalf of the city's progress and future development. Catering to presidents, newlyweds, celebrities, businessmen, royalty, and vacationers from around the world, the Hotel Utah developed a reputation as one of the finest hotels in the country. Recognition of its fine food and quality service came in the form of numerous awards from the travel industry. Additionally, community events such as governor's balls, wedding receptions, afternoon teas, and high school proms served to make the hotel an integral part of the Salt Lake City community. Over the years, the Hotel Utah has undergone remodeling and renovation on numerous occasions. The most extensive remodeling took place in 1974 when the hotel launched a multi-million dollar modernization project that included two new wings of guest rooms, a grand ballroom, private meeting rooms, and a 10,000 square-foot exhibition hall. This new addition gave the Hotel Utah the distinction of having the largest convention facilities of any hotel in the state. In 1984, the Westin Hotels Company assumed management of the hotel, renaming it the Westin Hotel Utah. Two years later, the hotel celebrated its seventy-fifth anniversary with a wide array of activities including old time movies, fashion shows, an antique car show and parade, big band dancing, and the traditional birthday cake. On 12 March 1987, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), owners of the Hotel Utah, announced the hotel would be closed due to financial losses and the need for extensive renovations. Despite protests and demonstrations from members of the community, the Hotel Utah closed it's doors in August 1987. Future plans for the building include a meeting house for LDS Church members living in the downtown area, and additional administrative office space for the LDS Church.

Extent

21 Linear Feet (31 boxes, 7 oversize boxes, and 2 oversize folders)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Hotel Utah records (1909-1993) consists of employee and company newsletters, room diagrams, certificates of award received by the hotel, advertising materials, plaques, and 1941 payroll records. Additionally, menus from the hotel's restaurants and an early wine list are preserved in the collection. Hotel Utah opened in Salt Lake City, Utah in June 8, 1911 and closed August 31, 1987. The building is now known as the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Click here to view the digitized items from the collection.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Boxes 1-17 were donated by Utah Hotel Co., Phyllis Steorts, Suzanne L. Bang, and Leonard J. Arrington from 1985-1988.

Box 18 was donated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Presiding Bishopric in 1988.

Boxes 19-20 were donated by anonymous in the 1990's.

Folder 12, box 20 was donated in 2006.

Folder 13, box 20 and boxes 21-22 were donated in 2006.

Separated Materials

Photographs (P0283) and audio and videocassette tapes (A0291) transferred to the Multimedia Division of Special Collections.

See also the Hotel Utah photograph collection (P0283) and audio and videocassette tapes (A0291) in the Multimedia Division of Special Collections.

Processing Information

Processed by Allesen Peck in 1988.

Addendum processed by Lindsey Moore in 2006 and Betsey Welland in 2012.

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