Old City Hall

This is the same building as Council Hall — but its strangest chapter came a century after it was built. For thirty years, from 1866 to 1894, it was Salt Lake's seat of government, its cupola bell ringing fire alarms and curfews over the young city. Then downtown grew up around it. Rather than lose the landmark, in 1961 crews took it apart stone by numbered stone, hauled it to a new site, and rebuilt it exactly as it had been. The old hall now serves as Utah's visitor center — a building that moved without changing.

What the plaque says

Constructed in 1864-65 at 120 East 1st South, this red sandstone building served for nearly 30 years, 1866-1894, as the seat of government. Here the Territorial Legislature met and passed laws establishing free public schools, made appropriations for the first University of Utah buildings, and granted woman suffrage. From its cupola, a 1700 lb. bell sounded fire alarms and curfews while its clock chimed the time of day. In 1961 the structure was removed, stone by stone, and restored to its original likeness through the efforts of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the State of Utah, the Salt Lake City Corporation, and the N.C. Morgan Foundation. Now a Utah State Visitor Center and historic shrine.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Salt Lake City — 0.4 mi
  Utah's capital and largest city — where the Wasatch Range meets the Great Salt Lake.
• Temple Square — 0.4 mi
  The spiritual and architectural heart of Salt Lake City
• Ensign Peak — 1.0 mi
  A short hike to the spot where Brigham Young surveyed the valley
• Liberty Park — 2.2 mi
  Salt Lake Citys beloved 80-acre urban park since 1882

More markers nearby

• Council Hall — steps away
• The 18th Ward Chapel — steps away
• Mormon Battalion Monument — steps away
• Unca Sam Bust — steps away