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Show NPS Foml 10 900-a Ulah MS Word Fomlal (Expires 5/3112012) MB No 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section No. z Page .f. Wells Historic District, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, UT Villa at 1622 South 500 East (listed July 14, 1982; NRIS No. 82004150); and the Asahel Hart Woodruff House at 1636 South 500 East (listed July 14, 1982; NRIS No. 82004151 ). Twenty-four percent (475) of the contributing properties have not only primary structures but also outbuildings present on the property, for a total of 481 contributing outbuildings in the district. Most of the outbuildings are small, detached single-car garages, though small sheds and workshops are also present. Most retain their physical integrity, and they contribute to the visual unity of the district in a general way. Although only primary buildings are included in the resource count for purposes of this nomination, the garages and other outbuildings add an important contextual element to the district and those retaining their historical integrity should be considered contributing to the district for planning purposes. All of the streets within the district are paved with asphalt and most are lined with concrete curbs, gutters, and sidewalks [Photographs 1, 2, and 3]. Mid-block alleys are present within most of the blocks to provide access to the rear of the residential properties where the detached garages and outbuildings are most commonly located [Photograph 4]. The street layout within the district is mostly rectilinear (with some blocks running lengthwise north-south and some running east-west). This layout is different from the dominant square grid-like nature of downtown Salt Lake City that was established upon the first settlement of the valley. The Wells area was originally platted during the mid 1800s as part of the Big Field, a mainly agricultural area, with plats ranging from 5- to 80-acre parcels. In the 1880s sections of the Big Field began to be divided into smaller, residentialsized blocks that were soon platted as subdivisions by developers from outside of Utah, who brought alternative concepts of community development and design to the area. Thus, the lot and block layout of Wells and similarly platted areas is clearly distinct from areas platted earlier under the Plat of the City of Zion construct of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) who founded Salt Lake City. With a few exceptions around the boundaries of the district, the Wells area is visually cohesive, with various styles of Late Victorian and Early 20th Century American style residences tying together the different areas of the neighborhood and providing aesthetic continuity within the district. This visual cohesion easily distinguishes the Wells Historic District from the surrounding neighborhoods to the south and west and to a certain degree from those to the north and east. Individual subdivisions within the district exhibit the different architectural focus of developers at the time each subdivision was developed, with some subdivisions dominated by Bungalows, others by Victorian Cross-wings, others by Period Cottages and Clipped Gable Cottages, and still others by World War II Era Cottages. Other subdivisions exhibit a more eclectic collection of architectural types and styles, reflecting the greater period of time over which the subdivision was developed. Despite the individuality of the various subdivisions, the housing stock within them represents a limited number of architectural types and styles that are present throughout the entire district and tie the entire area together. Historic infill construction of single-family homes from the 1940s and 1950s is evident throughout the district but contributes, rather than detracts from the district, because the massing of the structures are consistent throughout the area, and these later structures represent a key period in the subdivision's history, when most of the lots had been developed and only a few remained available for new construction. More recent (1960s and later) infill projects, on the other hand, have introduced large, multi-family apartments, commercial buildings, ·. |
