Library Lecture and Education Series continues…

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With over 35 people in attendance, the popularity of the K.E.E.P Library lecture education series continues.  Last month, John Lambert from Abstract Masonry Restoration shared his masonry knowledge and experience with historic structures in Yalecrest (est. 1911) and significantly restored iconic buildings in Salt Lake City.

“Do you have cracks in your brick exterior walls?  Missing mortar between bricks?  Missing or loose bricks and mortar on your chimney?”  If you have answered yes, read on.

To read more about Mr. Lambert’s lecture, click here Masonry lecture 110217

The Library lecture series is a free event brought to you by K.E.E.P Yalecrest.  To become a member, to be notified of future events or to donate, visit www.keepyalecrest.org.

 

K.E.E.P. Yalecrest receives another award!!!

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The Utah Division of State History recognized K.E.E.P. Yalecrest at its 65th Annual State History Conference during an awards luncheon on Oct. 11, 2017.  Current and past board members were in attendance to accept the award. It is an honor to be recognized by the State for our accomplishments and continued efforts!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Changes in Bonneville Glen and Miller Park

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Sycamore tree-lined streets, beautifully restored street lamps, historically significant architecture, a welcoming supportive neighborhood,  and Miller Park are just some of the incredible amenities we enjoy living in Yalecrest.

There are many changes happening in Bonneville Glen and Miller Park and it is not just the weather…

As some of you may know who frequent the trails of Miller Park and the lower section owned privately by the LDS church known as Bonneville Glen, Red Butte Creek ran its banks in late July and then again in September.  The area experienced significant erosion leaving the viewing platform in shambles and other areas of the park severely damaged.   Several contractors are restoring the area so that we may continue to enjoy the beautiful trails.    The repairs are well under-way especially in the Bonneville Glen area where a new bridge has been placed.  As of yesterday October 26, the viewing platform located on the 900 south entrance to the Park has been completed.

Miller Park is a daily walk for me and my four-legged pals (Max and Theo) and one of the wonderful amenities living in Yalecrest.

It just doesn’t get any better than this.

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K.E.E.P Honors Kathy Nielsen, Former Director – Utah Heritage Foundation Historic Homes Tour

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K.E.E.P. Membership Fall Octoberfest Event, September 30, 2017

Members of K.E.E.P Yalecrest gathered at the home of Heidi and Scott Ingham on the eve of September 30, to celebrate K.E.E.P’s successes and honor long-time resident of Yalecrest and former Director of Utah Heritage Foundation, Kathy Nielsen.

In her years associated with Preservation Utah, formerly known as Utah Heritage Foundation, Kathy successfully orchestrated the annual Historic Homes Tour, exposing the greater public to neighborhoods of the city with historic significance, notable architecture, and interesting and important residents who helped shape Salt Lake City.  It was quite fitting that Kathy would choose Yalecrest as the final Historic Homes tour of her career.  Kathy has recently retired from Preservation Utah.

Along with celebrating Kathy, Members of K.E.E.P Yalecrest, enjoyed the lovely fall weather, a hearty Octoberfest themed meal, gathered information on upcoming events and most importantly,  learned about encouraging preservation in our own Yalecrest neighborhood.

Upcoming events:

Library Education Series: November 2, 2017, 7-8:45 p.m. Anderson Foothill Library 1135 South 2300 East

John Lambert of Abstract Masonry will discuss repairing your bricks and mortar with specific help for our 80-100-year-old chimneys.

March TBA  Library Education Series welcomes, Cynthia Bee “12 ways to increase Your Curb Appeal”

April TBA Annual K.E.E.P Membership meeting

June TBA First Annual K.E.E.P Garden tour

For more information on these events,  to renew your membership or become a NEW MEMBER, please visit www.keepyalecrest.org

 

 

 

 

Fall Walking Tour (2017)

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The Board of K.E.E.P. Yalecrest would like to thank all of the tour participants and volunteers who braved the cold and the possible rain/snow forecast to make this year’s Fall Walking Tour such a fun and successful event.  And a big thank you to the home-owners along the route for your kindness and support too.
Much gratitude goes to the following Yalecrest residents for their work on this year’s tour:   Connie Baring-Gould, Katharine Biele, Kim Childs, Jon Dewey, Katherine Fox, Kathleen Garcia, Lisette Gibson, Blair Gordon, Penney Gregerson, Susan Hermance, Virginia Hylton, Kelly Marinan, Lynn Pershing, Libby Peterson, Pat Pia, and Kelly White.
We enjoyed meeting and talking to everyone who attended our event.  Not only did we see current Yalecrest residents, but this year we saw people from as far away as South Dakota!  (Great timing for our out-of-town neighbor friends that once lived in Yalecrest.)  We were pleased meeting folks from the following neighborhoods/cities:  Holladay, Liberty Wells, Murray, Park City, Sandy, Sugar House, The Aves, Wasatch Hollow and “above Foothill.”  These areas have neighborhoods, also rich in history, that are worth protecting and celebrating.
It was a joy meeting one tour participant who knew her parents had grown up in Yalecrest, but did not know where.  She was very happily surprised to discover the childhood home of one of her parents was on the tour.
To the folks from Liberty Wells who surprised some freezing docents with an unexpected gift of coffee and chocolate-covered coffee beans:  that “kindness from strangers” gesture provided warmth in more ways than one.  Thank you.

Annual Walking Tour Saturday October 14th 2017 10am -Noon

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Our annual historic homes walking tour is
Saturday, October 14th, 10am – 12pm.
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Our fifth annual walking tour focuses on lower Normandie Heights – Princeton and 13th East.
Artwork Courtesy of Bonneville Elementary Art Students

Historic Homes
Walking Tour

Please join us for the fifth annual K.E.E.P. Yalecrest Walking Tour highlighting local history and selected homes in the Yalecrest National Historic District, Salt Lake City.

Saturday, October 14th

Start times from 10am – 12pm

Meet on the grassy island on Harvard Avenue and 1300 East

This year’s Yalecrest tour will concentrate on the unique architecture and early residents of the homes on the 1300-1450 East block of Princeton, including a few unique duplexes on 1300 East.

Journey on your own terms, with docents stationed along the streets providing information on the earliest residents, architects, and builders of these unique homes.   Hear the stories of some of the earliest residents including J.G. McDonald who lived at 1345 Princeton and started the McDonald Chocolate Company.

This is a self-paced walking tour of exteriors only. It is roughly 3 blocks long, generally heading south on 1300 East at Harvard Avenue looping back around via Princeton and Harvard.  You will not need to remain with a guided group.

$5 suggested donation; free to members of K.E.E.P. Yalecrest. 
Join today or at the tour.

See you Saturday the 14th!

Restoring Wood Windows with Bob Yapp

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Photo: Yalecrest resident Rob Foye at work.
Last month I was fortunate to participate in a “Wood Window Repair and Weatherization Workshop” taught by Bob Yapp.  It was one of 3 classes put together by SLC Planning, Preservation Utah and the SLC RDA.  

Mr. Yapp is a renowned historic preservation expert.  In 1996 he created a series for PBS called “About Your House with Bob Yapp.”  Later he opened the Belvedere School for Historic Preservation.
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Bob Yapp with class participants

Having a hands-on class is a great way to learn.  Each class restored a traditional double-hung wood window.  We learned about safe paint removal, glazing, putty replacement, weather-stripping, and sash re-installation.  It was amazing how easily (and cheaply!) one can fix an old wood window so that it can do its job even better than before and last another 100+ years.

 


While working on the window sashes we also talked about energy efficiency and sustainability.  I wish I could remember the number of windows thrown into landfills each year.  It was astronomical.  Did you know…
  • It will take a consumer 40+ years to get any payback from replacement windows with insulated glass.
  • PVC or vinyl is the most toxic consumer substance manufactured today.  It can’t be recycled, off gasses toxic fumes and has contraction and expansion issues. It fades, cracks and has a maximum lifespan of 16 to 18 years.
  • Restored wood windows have another 100-year economic life before total restoration is needed again.  Replacement windows can never be restored effectively.
During our lunch break Bob said one of the great things about history and historic preservation is that it brings all kinds of people together.  Recently I attended an Entrada Institute presentation on the visual history of Wayne County.  The room was filled with people from a variety of political and religious backgrounds, old-timers and relative new-comers together.   With the photos and shared stories I saw appreciation, respect and even shared laughter.  Bob was right.  It really was NICE.
 
The info and conversations with Bob and the other class participants made this workshop great.  It was a lot of fun.   I highly recommend the class.
 
 
Note:  Top 4 photos courtesy of Ed Kosmicki.
— Kelly Marinan

Uintah’s Lost Shield

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Many school building facades constructed a century ago displayed ornamental terra-cotta features such as an emblem showing the year the school was built aesthetically placed at the top of the building.  Such was the case with the old Uintah Elementary School which stood at 1227 South 15th East between 1915 and 1993. Chances are though that no one today under age 95 who has lived in the area or attended school there ever saw it or even knew of its existence..

Uintah Adornment Date 1915

Uintah’s Lost “1915” Architectural Ornamentation

Uintah School’s emblem was an artistically designed shield that clearly read “1915,” the year Uintah was built.  It was not located over the school’s front door facing 15th East however; but rather on top of the south wall of the school’s east wing facing 13th South, outside of the school’s auditorium located on the second floor.

Uintah Lost Adornment 1915

View of Uintah School from 13th South looking north in 1915

The school was enlarged in 1927 with a two-story addition to the south end of the east wing, adding what most of us remember being the classrooms for the Fifth and Sixth Grades.  Unfortunately, the hallway connecting that addition of classrooms to the original building permanently blocked the view of that “1915” shield beginning in 1927, or at least until one day during the summer of 1993 when the school was being torn down.

Uintah 6th grade doors

Completed 1927 Southern Addition to Uintah’s East Wing

The 1993 razing of the school started with the Fifth and Sixth Grade classrooms in the school’s southeast corner, working northward and counter-clockwise around the “U” shaped building, as evidenced in the following photo that I took myself.

Uintah Lost Adornment 1993

Uintah School razing in 1993

Had I known about the 1915 shield, I would have probably moved to a different vantage point to take a photo that may have shown it.  I attended school there between 1965 and 1972 and only very recently became aware of it when looking at the 1915 photo more closely.  The very top right corner of the terra-cotta emblem background can be seen in this demolition photo.   In the school’s 78 years of existence, that ornamental shield was seen only during Uintah’s first 12 years plus perhaps just one day during the summer of 1993 before being reduced to a pile of rubble.

Sadly, this is just another instance where Yalecrest has lost a piece of its history, only this loss came very early.  Gone essentially 90 years, it’s as if that emblem giving Uintah its place in time never existed at all.

Kim Childs

Our Latest Plaque Recipient-945 S. Fairview Ave

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Congratulations to Chris and Jenny Munford! They were recognized by Preservation Utah and received the 2017 Heritage Award for their compatible addition.

 

 

 

K.E.E.P. Yalecrest partners with Preservation Utah and provides these plaques to Heritage Award Winners who reside in Yalecrest.

This is our 11th plaque awarded within the Yalecrest neighborhood. If your house has celebrated its centennial and you are interested in a commemorative plaque, let us know! We’ll have one crafted for you!

Preservation Tax Credit Presentation June 13 7pm Anderson Foothill Library

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Learn how to capture tax credits for your Yalecrest remodel, inside or out.
Tuesday, June 13th, 7 p.m., Anderson-Foothill Library.
Considering a new addition, roof, interior remodel,  furnace or plumbing upgrade?
Be sure to get your tax credit.

Preservation Tax Credits

Are you considering doing work on your home – whether it’s a small or large job learn how to capture credits on your Utah tax return and save money on your remodel.  Since our neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, we are eligible for a 20% Utah state tax credit for projects over $10,000—interior or exterior.  Please join us to learn more on how to take advantage of this tax credit.

TUESDAY, JUNE 13TH
7:00 – 8:30 pm
Anderson-Foothill Library
1135 S. 2100 East

Presented by Nelson Knight, Tax Credit Program Coordinator
State Historic Preservation Office

See you there!

Lynn Kennard Pershing, Ph.D.
K.E.E.P. Yalecrest Education Director