Trolley Square
Just turned 100 years old in 2008, there no doubt that an embodied story lies within the buildings and structures contained in the block known as Trolley Square. Located to the south-east of Salt Lake City's downtown, it is included on the National Register of Historic Places in Utah. The place preserves some history that Salt Lake residents enjoy, though this appreciation is a fairly recent development. It has evolved into a place immersed in much public feeling.
A Witness of the Past
The land originally served as a fair grounds type of public gathering place for the earliest settlers of Salt Lake City in the late 1800's and into the 1900's. In a time before the automobile dominated our landscape, the new and exciting idea of trolley driven public transportation system was being planned and implemented. In 1908 a New York railroad tycoon named E.H. Harriman spent 3.5 million dollars to build the barns for trolleys on the world's first electric transit system. (Bagley, 2001) Two years later Trolley Square became the site where the Utah Light and Rail Company would house and care for more than 140 trolleys in a city wide system that transported people to and from all the neighborhoods, shopping centers and attractions of the young city. Trolley Square, literally and figuratively, exerted mass amounts of energy into the city, until 1945 when the system was suddenly shut down.
The site then became a large storage facility for city buses as it collected many tires, vehicles, and other junk yard qualities for more than 20 years.
In 1972 the trolley barns were cleaned up and converted into the shopping center and social club place that is today. (Trolley Square: A brief history, 2007) It was one of the first adaptive reuse sites in the country.The water tower on the premise is a Salt Lake City icon. It once served as 50,000 gallon emergency supply of water for the Utah Light and Rail Company.
It has a belonging to its place in the surroundings simply because it has been there longer than most of the residents have been alive. The tower is highly cherished by most in the area. Today it is covered in red and blue neon lights and has Trolley Square lit up across the tank. It operates as weather beacon by local weather people at KSL; solid red for snow, flashing red for rain, flashing blue for cloudy, and solid blue for clear. (KSL, 2007)
A Full Bodied Presence
When spending time in Trolley Square today it is hard to imagine what the buildings early life was like. In its current form, the layout defines many smaller spaces while inviting you into other ones. On the outside the trees and storefronts lead us through the connected brick walkways. The interior walls are slightly maze like. Some of the shops in the center building can provide a browsers corridor through to the next building, having entrances on opposite ends of the shop space. All of this contributes to a feeling that you are in a much smaller enclosed area. The overall size is fairly large, so it feels smaller than it really is.
Though much of the playfulness in design was an addition coming with the renovation, and change of use, it is not at all original to the building design. However, it does cater to the new and current use of the building well. I like that many elements have been left to hint and haunt us about the building's history. One example being the barn numbers hanging high in the loft part of the structure. The buildings were designed with the intended use of storing, repairing and maintaining trolley cars. So in that I recognize this place as beginning as a utilitarian use in its nature. The buildings I think a very practical while expressing some style. Possibly that played a role is keeping it safe from demolition for this long. It is possible that because of the wealthy E.H. Harriman interest in the project, and because government was providing some funding and man-power to the trolley system, and because it was viewed as a cutting edge project by most the public, I think that those kind of factors could have played a role in appearance. I think city residents expected to see a structure of some sort of prestige or uniqueness. The building doesn't seem incredibly elaborate to me but it is unique, and I’m not sure how much its history plays a role in that. I try to consider the way it would have appeared with the 1908 setting and surroundings and how different it must have been from the way we know it today.
I try to visualize the working of this facility in its original state. I imagine that the place then might be what I can relate to a large auto garage repair shop. The layout of the site seems very awkward to me. The south buildings sit very close together creating an alleyway between the current parking areas. I assume that this has much to do with the costs and the mechanics of the whole system, which probably dictated the placement of the buildings.That is not to infer that there was not any concern for creating the visual pleasing structures that they are. From any of the multiple angles you can experience, being within the space draws a lot of curiosity to explore in people.
From the interior it is very easy to see why they are called barns. The metal beams direct energy upwards towards the ceiling point. Original bricks and columns are exposed on many walls and the color is lighter and has orange to pink values, different from the brick on the exterior. The floors of the inside are made of concrete that has been finished with a unique semi-glossy finish that is subtle with color and a wavy pattern.
On the exterior the decorative roof line is its most prominent feature. While at the same time it reflects obvious industrial roots, both in its presence and of its nature. I suspect that all the rough black metal ornamentation is inspired by an original theme of the building.
The buildings have a melded style. It is heavily influenced by factories and warehouses of the early 1900's, but it is has a definite Spanish/Mexican mission style structure. In that regards it could be a representation of the convergence of different cultures that happened at this place and that time.
Rhythmically placed all around the building's exterior are what is left of a Utah Light and Rail Company logos that again remind us what the building once was.
It echoes with many other different patterns. Some that are original to the building and some that have been later adapted to its changed use. Arches repeat themselves down the entire fronts and backs of the buildings, once they were barn doors, now they are windows and doors into the shops.
The building is composed of a rough and worn brick that contributes to the rugged aura. The brick is vibrant terracotta red on the exterior. I suspect some modern finishing work was done to achieve the look. I have read that the color of the building at one time was a painted yellow (Trolley Square: A brief history, 2007), though I could not determine if that was in the original appearance.
The landscape architecture around the building are what give the center a cozy and comfortable feel. There are numerous fountains, benches and trees along the brick walkway. The black metal railings match the electrical ornaments and window casings on the building.
And More to Come
When Trolley Square was converted into retail use, in the 1970's the enclosed mall with a parking lot was the style in which America was building its shopping center. I think that it has served this city well. Today it is one of the most frequently visited stops for visitors in the city. The old buildings are getting older, and the whole center has shown signs of deterioration. Upgrades and improvements are definitely needed, and change is on the horizon.
Trolley Square has already began to undergo yet another transformation. A Portland, Oregon company that owns the land and shopping center has recently announced multi-million dollar plans to renovate the grounds and interior, as well as build new retail structures on the west and north-east parking areas. A Whole Foods Market will likely relocate its 400 South location one block away to Trolley Square, and other retailers will be added. (Nii, 2007) From what I can tell I think the new plan for a plaza type space will be a good addition. This space also ties into the existing public movement space shown in dark red. My concern is that the character and history of the existing structures will fall back into the shadows created by the new buildings.I envision Trolley Square continuing a journey that retells the history of the place, by circling around to become more like the public space that the original settlers used it for, while drawing patrons from the nearby modern day transit station that bears the name Trolley station. I hope that great care is taken in preserving history without putting it inside a glass case. I appreciate that others before me have preserved all of it for me, not just look at, but to experience living in. Ten years from now I would like to enter into a historic mini city center that is alive with people and their things, and I want able to interact with all of it.
Works Cited
Bagley, W. (2001, December 9). The Salt Lake Tribune , p. http://historytogo.utah.gov/salt_lake_tribune/history_matters/120901.html.
KSL. (2007). Weather Tower at Trolley Square. pp. http://web.ksl.com/TV/content/weather/p-tower.htm.
Nii, J. K. (2007, April 7). Trolley Square launching renovation. Deseret News , p. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_/ai_n19019393.
Trolley Square: A brief history. (2007, February 13). The Salt Lake Tribune , p. http://www.sltrib.com/ci_5216391.
Labels: Architecture, History, Places in Utah, Salt Lake City, School, Utah
