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Show OMB No 1024-0016. NPS Form United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section No. § Page z Price Main Street Historic District, Price, Carbon County, UT continued to bring their business to Price, and its importance as the dominant regional commercial/retail/business center was reinforced. Jn addition to some new construction, many Main Street businesses changed hands or were otherwise remodeled during this prosperous era. As Ronald Watt recounts: "From 1948 to l 965 the Price commercial district continued to expand eastward along Main Street. .. The First National Bank reconstructed its building on the corner of Main a11d First West. The Eastern Utah Electric Company remodeled its store, forcing Ross Boyack, who had a small shop within iL to move his men's clothing store to another location. He purchased a lot on Main Street between Carbon A venue and First East and built a ne'"' store that would serve Price for alm Cl St half a century. In 1950 the Mahleres and Siampenos block [national-register-listed Parker & Weeter Block] and the Larcher building (which included Houston Furniture, the Price Hotel, and the Walnut Bar) were also remodeled. The old Utah Theater building was thoroughly remodeled both inside and out with new lighting, ventilation, and heating systems. Jt reopened as the Crown Theater. Mode-0-Day opened a women's apparel shop on Main Street, and in November 1954 a Brigham City man, Max A. Creer, held a grand opening for Sonoma's, an ther women's clothing store. The J.C. Penney t re also r modeled, adding a ba ement level." 17 [Of the building cited, the Eastern Utah Electric C01npany, Mahleres and Siarnpenos Block, Crown Theater and J.C. Penney's are all extant, contrib-uting resources in the P1ice Main Street Historic District.] Besides J.C. Penney's, other national chains found homes in Price. Both Safeway and Woolworth opened stores in Price, with \Voolworth's opening in l 958 at 100 East and Main Street, and Safeway on Carbon Avenue, one block no1ih of the historic district. As if to mark the end of the historic period, in l 958 the original county comihouse,,, completed in 1912, was demolished to make way for a new county complex. Jts replacement had been contemplated since the end of the war, but not until 1958 did construction begin on a new building on the site of the original. The new building was completed in 1960, retains its character as a contributing resource, and marks the end of the period of significance for the historic district. Economic Decline and Recovery: 1961- Pr ent In the early 1960s, the fortunes of Price, its residents, and its Main Street district began to decline with the closure of many of the region's mines. Tl1e economic engine that had largely driven Price's prosperity for 80 years slowed and Main Street businesses suffered. At first, mine closures related more to the accessibility of the coal and/or the economic viability of the mining operations, but this was also combined with a general recession. With the loss of jobs, the population of Price declined by about 4,000 persons. The low point for the 17 Watt, Ronald G., City of Diversity; A History of Price, Utah, p. 145 |
