Converse Hall

Westminster College grew from a Presbyterian school founded in 1875, but its campus began with this building. Converse Hall, put up in 1906 and designed by the busy architect Walter Ware, was the first structure raised on the new campus — and for years it was nearly the whole college at once, serving as boys' dormitory, offices, assembly hall, chemistry lab, lecture rooms, and library under one roof. It took its name from John Converse, a Philadelphia locomotive manufacturer who gave most of the money to build it. It still stands at the heart of the campus.

What the plaque says

Although the origins of Westminster College date back to the establishment of the Salt Lake Collegiate Institute on April 12, 1875, Converse Hall, constructed in 1906, was the first building erected on the campus of Westminster College. The building was designed by Architect Walter E. Ware, and named for John Converse, President of the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, who donated 20,000 dollars of the 27,000 dollar costs for the building. As the first building on campus, it served many functions, including the boys dormitory, administration offices, assembly hall, chemistry lab, lecture hall, classrooms and library. It currently houses administrative and faculty offices, classrooms and lounge theater. Marker placed July 1978.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Gilgal Sculpture Garden — 1.0 mi
  A surreal and eccentric sculpture garden hidden in a residential neighborhood
• Liberty Park — 1.4 mi
  Salt Lake Citys beloved 80-acre urban park since 1882
• This Is The Place Heritage Park — 2.5 mi
  A living history village at the mouth of Emigration Canyon
• Natural History Museum of Utah — 2.7 mi
  A world-class museum built into the foothills above Salt Lake City

More markers nearby

• Ferry Plaza — steps away
• William Nightingale Memorial Library — steps away
• Bill & Vieve Gore — steps away
• The Kennedy Ditch — 0.3 mi