SALT LAKE CITY HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION

The Historic Landmark Commission (HLC) reviews all applications for landmark sites, demolition and new construction within locally-designated historic districts. They do not review interior work or exterior paint color, only exterior alterations. The majority of the projects presented to the HLC are either approved as submitted or with modifications.

Central City Historic District: Listed 1991

Download design standards for Central City historic district (as Adobe Acrobat PDF file).

The Central City Historic District encompasses one of the oldest neighborhoods in the Salt Lake City. Originally contained within an extensive wall that encircled the city and distinguished by the original development pattern of ten-acre blocks, Central City has always been home to a transient population of clerks, laborers and craftspeople. The majority of the building stock consists of modest dwellings, but exceptions exist, most notably at the north end of the district where professionals, businessmen and politicians lived. Central City contains one of the city's most beloved landmarks, Trolley Square, that once served as trolley barns for the Utah Electric and Railway Corporation. Central City has a great diversity of architecture in many forms: commercial buildings, single-family residences, apartment buildings and ecclesiastical structures, but it has always been beset by land-use conflicts because of its large blocks and role as the "inner city." Residents have long, if sporadically, attempted to improve Central City, including the creation of "parkings," or grass medians extending from South Temple to 900 South along 600 East. In 1991, residents successfully petitioned the City Council to adopt much of Central City as a local historic district. Although much of the Historic Landmark Commission's efforts have been spent on reviewing new construction, urban pioneers have recently constructed new homes in the district and many residents are undertaking renovation projects.