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Show United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Warehouse District (Boundary Increase & Additional Documentation) Salt Lake County, Utah Name of Property County and State building forms include those with service bays, parking lots to accommodate vehicles, and loading docks designed to be served by trucks rather than trains. The rapid development that characterized much of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in Salt Lake City slowed abruptly with the onset of the Great Depression. As with the rest of the country, poverty and unemployment in Salt Lake City soared during the 1930s. Not surprisingly, very little new construction occurred during the years of the Great Depression. New construction starts were rare, and many retail operations struggled to survive. Federal programs such as the Works Progress Administration helped provide employment on public works and construction projects to help alleviate the difficulty caused by the economic collapse. Additionally, "federal programs of the New Deal helped Salt Lake City recover from the depression by stimulating industrial expansion, and expanding commercial activities through the investment of large amounts of federal monies."20 Though it is unclear whether any specific New Deal programs were implemented in the district, it is likely that some form of investment occurred given the heavily industrial nature of the area and the programs' emphasis on expanding industrial and commercial payrolls. World War II brought hardship but also the beginning of economic recovery for the Salt Lake Valley. The extensive railroad network in the Warehouse District Boundary Increase area made Salt Lake City a strategic location for federal military operations; activities at Fort Douglas-on the northeast bench of the city-were expanded and defense industry facilities were constructed along the Wasatch Front, including several a few miles from the district. The expansion of the defense industry created many jobs in the region, and the local economy began to grow again. Economic growth spurred by World War II contributed to increased construction in the Warehouse District Boundary Increase area during the early 1940s. This included substantial new construction at the D&RGW rail yard in the west-central portion of the district. The D&RGW shops had been largely destroyed by fire in early 1938. Due to the Great Depression, the company had delayed plans for reconstruction until the economic resurgence of World War II and the demand for rail service in support of the war effort made rebuilding not only financially feasible but a political and social imperative. The new D&RGW shops were constructed to replace the ones destroyed in the fire as well as to accommodate the changing of train locomotives from steam to diesel operation and the increased war-time demand for more trains. Historical maps suggest the booming war-time economy led many commercial operations in the district to expand their buildings and new businesses to move into the area. This commercial and industrial growth in the district served to further shift the complexion of the northern part of the district to one of predominantly non-residential uses. Industrial and commercial facilities also increased in numbers in the south half of the district, but small enclaves of residential properties persisted, particularly in the area between 700 South and 900 South from 200 West to 400 West. Many residents of the district are believed to have relocated to the newer streetcar suburbs of 20 Cooper/Roberts. 1992. Sections 9-end page 23 |
