Tenth East Senior Center, SLC, Added to the National Register 7/27/26

Address: 237 South 1000 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84102

Year Built: 1963

Architects: Burtch W. Beall Jr. and Paul L. Lemoine; George S. Nicholatus, project manager (Burtch W. Beall Jr., Lemoine & Nicholatus)

Significance: First facility in Salt Lake County specifically designed and built for older adults; a landmark example of Utah mid-century modern institutional architecture.

For over a century, the Tenth East Senior Center has served as a central hub for community life in Salt Lake City, evolving to meet the needs of diverse populations over time.

The site's history began in 1912 with the establishment of the Salt Lake Tennis Club, which featured five clay courts and an invitation-only membership limited to 85 shares, primarily serving Utah's social elite. In 1927, Salt Lake City acquired the property from the Salisbury family and repurposed it as the Victory Recreation Center, making it accessible to the public. By the 1950s, the site had become a gathering place for seniors. The Silver Crest Club, a small group of older adults, began meeting in the aging building and undertook extensive renovations, including laying tile, installing cupboards, painting, and furnishing the space. By 1960, approximately 1,000 people per week were utilizing the facility.

As the community's needs surpassed the capacity of the self-renovated, condemned building, Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County collaborated to construct a new facility. The Tenth East Senior Center opened on July 11, 1963, becoming the first facility in Salt Lake County specifically designed and built for older adults. The city provided the land, while the county funded both the construction and a subsequent expansion in 1977.

The 1963 building was designed by Burtch W. Beall Jr. and Paul L. Lemoine, with George S. Nicholatus serving as project manager. Together, they formed the short-lived firm Burtch W. Beall Jr., Lemoine & Nicholatus. Beall, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and faculty member at the University of Utah, was a significant figure in Utah's mid-century modern architecture. Trained in the Beaux-Arts tradition and influenced by the spatial logic of the Prairie Style, he focused his career on institutional buildings, including the Chase Fine Arts Center at Utah State University, the Shaw Student Union at Westminster College, and the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Ogden. Lemoine's portfolio included the Irving Heights Apartments and the original Utah Auto Association building. Nicholatus later contributed to the construction of the original Salt Palace and Abravanel Hall.