Victorian cottages. Midcentury bungalows. A Carnegie library. Even a Dolly Parton recording studio.
Those are the historic fruits on offer in the west-side Poplar Grove neighborhood. And Saturday, Salt Lake City’s history buffs will sample them as part of Preservation Utah’s annual historic homes tour.
“The main idea behind the tour is to help people see everyday historic homes where people actually live,” McKay Muhlestein, the nonprofit’s interim executive director, said. “We’re really hoping to try to bring to light some of our historic assets on all sides of the town.”
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Art Castle, pictured here in 2022, sits at 915 W. 100 South in Salt Lake.
This year’s event will feature four private homes otherwise inaccessible, as well as three key landmarks:
• Fisher Mansion’s renovated Carriage House, whose main building remains in the midst of a multiyear renovation project.
• The Chapman Branch of the Salt Lake City Library, which is the only branch in town built with money donated by Gilded Age steel baron Andrew Carnegie.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) A bust of Andrew Carnegie watches over the Chapman Branch of the Salt Lake City Library in the Poplar Grove neighborhood on Salt Lake City’s west side, is pictured on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026.
• The Art Castle, a 1900 Latter-day Saint meetinghouse turned recording studio turned culture hub.
Muhlestein said the neighborhood, given its working-class, agricultural and industrial roots, offers an eclectic mix of architecture.
His organization has been running the annual tour across different neighborhoods in the Salt Lake Valley for a little over 50 years. This is the first time the tour will feature Poplar Grove.
“It helps to inform everyone that there’s more than just Yale Avenue or places on the east side,” Muhlestein said.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Fisher Mansion Carriage House, on Friday, March 15, 2024.
It’s a proud moment for Poplar Grove Community Council Chair Daniel Tu’utau.
“It’s just important for all of us to see the humanity in each other and not just box away the different parts of our city,” he said. “It’s important to open your eyes to see those unique qualities that make every little neighborhood special and valuable.”
The tours will start at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Art Castle (915 W. 100 South). Day-of tickets will be available for $30, but those interested can also register online for $20. Volunteer docents will be stationed at buildings on the tour route to welcome visitors and share information.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Chapman Branch of the Salt Lake City Library in the Poplar Grove neighborhood on Salt Lake City’s west side, is pictured on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026.

Jose Davila IV