State Street Tour

Like its neighbor Main Street, State Street was a residential area that rapidly developed into an urban center during the late-19th and early-20th centuries. But the two streets exhibit significant differences: Main Street focuses more on Salt Lake’s retail and financial sectors, whereas State Street offers more varied histories. State Street has been the setting for important, fluid relations between immigrants, the mining-rich bourgeoisie, federal authorities, LDS Church leaders, investors, and the new developments made by private individuals and large, institutional corporations.

This 90-minute tour explores the social, cultural, political, and architectural history of downtown State Street, one of Salt Lake City’s most famous districts. We'll talk about some of the many waves of people who have lived and worked in this area, as well as about how tensions between modern development and preservation played out as this neighborhood transformed. Originally built as a residential and entertainment district, State Stree…