Friday, October 15, 2010

Newhouse Hotel - Salt Lake City, Utah

What...you're tired of Utah posts!  I hope not. Anyway, this is the last one. Here is the Newhouse Hotel. I find varying reports that the hotel was built in 1912 or in 1915, but that seems unlikely since this card was clearly sent in 1911 - unless it was entirely an artist's rendition. The people are certainly drawn in. The flag doesn't seem real.  The hotel may also have been partially finished at this time. The Utah Historical Society told me that the hotel was built between 1909 and 1915. Hmm, oh well.


In the early boom days, this was the place important people met and deals were made.  Samuel Newhouse, a mining magnate, was trying to create a business area akin to Wall Street in Salt Lake City. Unfortunately, his money started running right about the time he was building this hotel. Although it was elegant, it never quite met his expectations.

The card was sent to Miss L. Kleikbrink (Kleinbrink?)  on August 7, 1911
It reads:

Milford, Utah  Aug. 7 -11
Dear Friend
received your letter a few days ago and I was sure glad to hear from you and to know that you wear well and that you had a nice time when you wear on the farm. Well I will let go this time hopbing to hear from you again your friend G. Welsh (?)

The Newhouse Hotel remained for many decades until it was declared unsafe and too costly to rehabilitate in the 1980s. It was demolished with explosives in 1983 and was replaced by a surface parking lot.

Troy Snow was there and took this amazing photo, which he graciously allowed me to use.

You can see more of his photos on Flickr.

10 comments:

  1. Look at those drapes blowing out the windows of the collapsing hotel, creepy... What I really want to know though, is, did they pay the mailmen overtime to wash all that dust off of their trucks? Hope their windows weren't open-

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  2. What a shame! It looks like a wonderful vintage building. Lot of wood and brick with character could have been salvaged and repurposed, I would think?

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  3. Yeah, Trishia, but then you rob those guys of all the fun of blowing something to smithereeens and making a big explosion.

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  4. Whoa, the ultimate before and after photos! I wonder if this is the same Newhouse family that owns the newspaper I work for...

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  5. Very cool! Did you do vintage postcard shopping on your trip?

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  6. wonderful post that underlines the important historical record that postcard collection preserves. that implosion photo is extraordinary too...great find!
    happy PFF!

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  7. You Tube may have footage of building implosions. Jack/Youngstown

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  8. Senhora (a la Portugal) Christine, it looks like you are passionate about streetcars even more than about old buildings.
    See some MCs here: http://picasaweb.google.com/leninha133/PostaisMaximosMaxicards#
    Scroll down to Portugal.

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  9. Aimee, no postcard shopping on the trip. I'm not sure where you would do it in Utah, but it did give me a whole new perspective on the Utah cards I already had!

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