Richardson--Bower Building

Page 5

0MB No. 1024-0018, NPS Form United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section No. 7 Page 1 Richardson-Bower Building, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, UT Narrative Description The Richardson-Bower Building is a one-story, one-part block brick commercial building with minimal Period Revival Neo-Classical Revival details, constructed in 1925. It has an almost square footprint with a sixty-five foot wide sidewalk frontage and extends almost sixty feet back into the lot. It is located at 1019 East 2100 South1 on the north side of the street in a commercial district of the Sugar House section of Salt Lake City. The land slopes down to the west so the wall under the east side of the building is shorter than that on the west. The roof is flat with a parapet stepping down to the rear. The fa$ade is symmetrical with the exception of what was probably an entrance for cars on the east side. This space now houses the current inset entrance door and a plate glass display window angling toward the westfacing entrance door. The opening in the brick is the same height as the rest of the facade and has an inset sign panel above. The entrance was most likely closed in 1946.2 Other than the Neo-Classical Revival styling elements the fa9ade is otherwise simple. Four fluted terra cotta Corinthian pilasters on high plinths frame the two central glass entrance doors and the display windows. The pilasters support a molded cornice with patera on the frieze and a row of header bricks. On either side of the doors are found large plate glass display areas with three separate panes, surmounted by transoms. Two smaller sign panels flank an inset central sign panel set over the entablature. The sign panels are not currently being used for advertising. The center section has a higher parapet than the sides and a terra cotta volute at the step to the higher section. The coping atop the parapet is terra cotta. The painted brick walls are laid in a stretcher bond with raked mortar with a row of soldier bricks at the grade line. The east elevation has plate glass display windows towards the sidewalk and multiple-pane metal-sash windows towards the rear. An alley runs alongside the east side of the building and leads to a blacktopped parking area at the rear. The brick is painted, as on the facade, to just north of the display window. The rest of the wall surface is unpainted red brick. A tall narrow square chimney shaft, twice the height of the building, rises from the northeast corner of the building. The rear (north) elevation has a central entrance door flanked by a pair of multiple-pane metal-sash windows on either side. The brick on the west side of the rear has also been painted. An adjacent commercial building abuts this building on the west side. The interior is spare and has been changed to adapt to the different businesses over the years. There are signs of minimal maintenance on the exterior of the building with peeling paint and missing sections of the terra cotta coping. The building, however, retains its architectural integrity and is a contributing historic property. 1 Both 1019 and 1021 addresses appear on the fagade of the building. The current tenant is using 1019. 2 Salt Lake City Building Permit # 13567,12/30/1946.