History and character: Cedar City seeks inclusion of 2 districts in the National Register of Historic Places

CEDAR CITY — The roads weren’t always paved and the air wasn’t always filled with the sound of traffic. The dirt roads were lined with brick buildings – still standing against time, each brick another page in the community’s story.

Commercial buildings on Main Street, Cedar City, Utah, 1900 | Photo courtesy of Specials Collections, Sherratt Library, Southern Utah University, Cedar City News

It’s this history and character that Cedar City hopes to preserve by registering two additional historic districts with the National Parks Service.

The Historic Cedar City Preservation Commission worked for about 3 1/2 years on the project, Councilmember R. Scott Phillips said. The city requested a reconnaissance survey of certain areas within the city where there were historical buildings and landmarks the committee was interested in protecting.

Kirk Huffaker, the principal at Kirk Huffaker Preservation Strategies, completed the report for the commission in 2020. Upon review, the group requested a “more intensive look at (the) community,” Phillips said.

The commission became aware of several older buildings at risk of being torn down or sold, Phillips said. The city received a Certified Local Government grant to complete the intensive level survey of two areas of town and three specific buildings.

“We were grateful in receiving a grant to have someone of Kirk’s character come and work on an intensive level survey,” he said.

The city currently has one historic district designated from Shakespeare Lane to 200 West and from 400 South to 100 West, which encompasses an area of approximately two blocks by two blocks, Phillips told Cedar City News.

Bulloch’s Drug Store, located in Cedar City’s Historic Downtown, Cedar City, Utah, March 7, 2022 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News

The commission issued requests for proposals for two additional districts with the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places, which is an “honorary system of recognizing important places” in local communities, Huffaker said.

While there are no property restrictions, the designation serves as an incentive for people “to do the right thing and preserve those buildings,” he added.

According to the program’s website, the registry was authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and “is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate and protect America’s historic and archaeological resources.”

Having a property listed in the registry gives owners access to informational markers that could explain the building’s history, architectural style and other pertinent details. Additionally, historic rehabilitation tax credits are available for both commercial and residential structures, Huffaker said.

“So, that’s really why you want to get places on the national register because you preserve that heritage of the community and you give people some benefits,” he said.

Each district and building was evaluated according to factors important to the National Parks Service, which looks at the historic districts and how they interweave with the history and story of the community, Huffaker said.

Cedar City’s Historic Downtown on Main Street, Cedar City Utah, May 18, 2022 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News

Information about registered districts can be amended later to add or remove properties if needed, Huffaker said. For instance, if the building is altered by adding siding to a brick building, for instance, that would change its evaluation from contributing to noncontributing because it’s lost its architectural integrity.

Phillips told Cedar City News that once the new districts are registered, the city will have doubled its historic districts and that the action is a “very, very important step for our city.”

“So I want people to know about it,” he said. “We are working to try and preserve the history of our community.”

Cedar City’s Historic Downtown Main Street was a major point of focus, and three of its buildings were looked at individually: the Cedars Motel, the Cedar Theatre and Hugh’s Cafe, Huffaker said.

The Cedars Hotel has been under rehabilitation and was operated as a motel for about 50 years before Jolley’s Ranchwear began operations there in the ’60s. Huffaker said the structure is one of the commercial core’s largest remaining buildings and has “tremendous historical significance.”

Cedar City Main Street, Cedar City, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Specials Collections, Sherratt Library, Southern Utah University, Cedar City News

The hotel was managed for a time by Gronway Parry, who also ran the Grand Canyon Transportation Company with his brothers. The brothers offered tours of nearby National Parks and Monuments. It was later purchased by the Utah Pacific Railroad and renamed as the Utah Parks Company, according to an article posted by Frontier Homestead State Park.

The Cedar Theatre has seen multiple renovations but Huffaker said it was still deemed eligible because of its social history and importance to the community’s culture as the last theatre on Main Street.

Hugh’s Cafe, now known as Amber Kay’s Cafe, was built in 1895 and served as a dentist’s office, bakery and auto parts store before housing the well-known restaurant. Hugh’s Cafe moved into the building in 1963 after its original building burned down in the Main Street Fire of 1962 and operated there until the late ’80s, Huffaker said.

Huffaker said the proposed Cedar City Main Street District is significant because of its social history and architecture. The district contains 40 contributing buildings and one site, as well as 28 that were noncontributing. The main focus is on the “historic commercial core,” which is why the boundary was drawn to include Center Street, Main Street and 100 West.

“The story that we want to tell here is really the story of the commercial revolution of the city,” he said.

The Eden Apartment Building, possibly taken in 1930, Cedar City, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Specials Collections, Sherratt Library, Southern Utah University, Cedar City News

Cedar City Mayor Garth Green questioned why the Historic LDS Rock Church was not contained in district boundaries since much effort was put into preserving the structure.

Huffaker said that the National Park Service frowns upon historical districts appearing “gerrymandered” but that he is looking into expanding the boundary to include the church. Additionally, the commission is considering “dropping the boundary further south” and is investigating the integrity of the buildings in that area.

In the proposed Northwest Historic District, there are currently 161 sites or buildings that would be registered, with 80 of those considered as contributing because they’ve retained their architectural integrity, Huffaker said. The district would have 81 noncontributing sites or buildings. It also is considered to have significant social history and architecture.

“They look like … historic building(s), and they help tell the story of this neighborhood,” he said.

The district encompasses the rail line and an old church that previously housed the Community Presbyterian Church, among others, with “great historic residential buildings sprinkled throughout,” Huffaker said. The houses on 300 West have a character and style that “need to be preserved,” he added.

Housing complex near Cedar City’s Historic Downtown on Main Street, Cedar City Utah, May 18, 2022 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News

Additionally, the rail line is still visible on the ground, which sets Cedar City apart from most other Utah communities, Huffaker said, adding that “it’s amazing they’re still there.” Additionally, he and Phillips indicated the line could be the site for a future trail.

When Huffaker finished his presentation, Cedar City citizen Anne Clark approached the podium, saying she appreciated the commission’s efforts, as she shared concerns about residential homes being torn down and zoning changes that allow for increased high-density housing.

“I felt more hope after I’ve been to this meeting tonight because I think we are respecting and reverencing, in a way, our history here,” she said. “And we’re going to try to take care of it.”

The districts are currently in draft form and Huffaker said the commission might make “small tweaks” to the boundaries to include additional buildings.

Once Huffaker completes the final report, it will be presented to the City Council for acceptance and sent to the State Historic Preservation Office to receive verification and support. Then, it will be sent to the National Parks Service for review, which Phillips told Cedar City News could take six to nine months.

Watch the full discussion on the Cedar City Council YouTube channel. Learn more about Cedar City’s Historic Downtown Main Street at this link.

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