It’s that time of year again: all ye history buffs and residential architecture junkies--really, anyone with a touch of curiosity--can get your annual fix of some tasty and historically respectful architecture and design. The Historic Homes Tour (the 44th annual, if you can believe it) is just one of the many delights put on by the Utah Heritage Foundation. Each year, the UHF picks a historic SLC neighborhood for the purposes of highlighting and educating we goodly citizens about the humble beginnings of our own salty streets. It lends a little context and a lot of appreciation for those days when you’re on a neighborhood jog or a Sunday drive. This year? Should be a stellar one. We'll be schooled on two areas of the Yalecrest neighborhood--Normandie Heights and Uinta Heights.
Normandie Heights entails the lovely streets known as Harvard, Princeton, and Laird Avenues, as well as Normandie Circle. Uinta Heights--a significantly smaller area--includes Laird and Uintah Circles, and the portion of Laird Avenue between the two. The homes in these 'hoods were built between 1919 and 1935 and include Period Revival cottages, English Tudors, and French Norman style homes. Such ‘Period Revival’ styles likely became popular at this time due to American exposure to European architecture during World War I, and an increased post-war prosperity allowed for these impressive builds from expensive materials (fascinating, no?).
We don't want to give too much away, but we've taken a small, pre-event cruise 'round the neighborhood, and we're COLLECTIVELY excited for those with the sense to attend. You'll get to see the first house built in the NH subdivision, a fantastic example of the rare-for-our-state French Norman architecture, and a deceptively-classic bungalow with a few exterior embellishments, and some serious rumors of former grandeur within. Bottom line: this tour is not to be missed, friend-os. All told, there are eight beautiful homes on the tour, winding along just over a mile of tree-lined and manicured streets. Sounds like a fabulous Saturday, by any standard. See a few of the homes included--in past and current states--and try to tell us you're not dying to walk through these lovelies. Tour info and tickets at the links below. See you on the streets.
44th Annual Historic Homes Tour | Saturday, April 25th, 10:00am to 5:00pm | Purchase tickets
Tour HQ: Bonneville Stake Center, 1535 East Bonneview Dr., SLC, 84105