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Dozens of brave souls spent part of their Halloween traipsing through a cavernous and creeky mansion tucked alongside a creeping river on Salt Lake City's west side.
Rather than going for spooks or to harness spirits of the dead, the onlookers were drawn by news that the grand mansion could soon spring to life.
Donning a derby and three-piece suit, Mayor Ralph Becker announced the city has secured $150,000 from the Interior Department's "Save Our Treasures" program to begin renovating the city-owned Fisher Mansion. He also delighted the group -- some wearing turn-of-the-century costumes -- by naming the mansion as the site for spring's Celebrate the City public party.
"We're going to be cobbling together resources to preserve and restore this building," Becker said about beer baron Albert Fisher's former home, at 1206 W. 200 South. He also reminded guests one of his first moves as mayor was to reverse course on the planned surplus sale of the mansion. "This is a community treasure."
The federal money won't come close to covering a complete restoration -- estimated at more than $1 million -- but the funding could provide a new roof for the carriage house to the rear.
Possible uses for the open-floored, ornate "gem" include an art museum, library, nonprofit meeting house, or a kayaking and canoeing school -- complete with rentals to float on the neighboring Jordan River.
"We're trying to see what the neighborhood thinks," said
"We'll probably recommend removing the additions," he said about a series of add-ons, including one that obscures an original porch.
For the past half-century the mansion has been used sporadically as an alcohol rehab center and halfway house. Michele Straube, director of Salt Lake Solutions, said a volunteer group dedicated to the renovation should have a decision on the mansion's use by spring.
Meantime, historical preservation students from the University of Utah determined through a recent study that both a seismic upgrade and certification under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is possible, depending on resources.
"LEED draws from things that historically work well," said Robert Young, director of the preservation program at the U. "I was surprised how much of it is intact. A lot of the original features are still here."
Indeed, curved glass in the "library" invites sunlight to the dining room's folding doors. Hand-built woodwork is everywhere, including an original mantle above the parlor room's fireplace. Skylights splash natural light on a stairwell, while a rear staircase reveals the route to the server's quarters.
Jeremey Powell, a Sugar House resident who frequently drives by the mansion, hopes the city treads lightly with its makeover. "As long as they retain the character of the house," he said, admiring the original fixtures in the dining room. "I wouldn't want them to modify it too much."
