Tracks to Trax: Connecting Communities is a downloadable, audio/mp3 tour of the historic warehouse and Gateway District of Salt Lake City.
In 1869, the transcontinental railroad connected at Promontory Summit and by 1870 the railroad extended from Ogden through the west side of Salt Lake City, establishing the west side as the city's gateway, sowing the seeds for its future segregation from the town's geographic, cultural, and economic mainstream. In the next decade a network of rails spread throughout the city, proliferating most heavily in the Gateway District. As the railroad expanded, Utah's commercial industry grew, allowing Salt Lake to attract a diverse group of entrepreneurs, merchants, and laborers.
From 1880 to 1920 Salt Lake City's population exploded from 21,000 to 120,000, much of which can be attributed to the railroad, but it changed the character of the west side from a residential neighborhood to a distinctive warehouse district. Diverse ethnic communities that formed beginning with the coming of the railroad began to break up after World War II. And though economic booms of the late twentieth century and changes in transportation planning have altered the landscape, the history and architecture of the neighborhood is still prominent.
Take the tour and discover the Gateway District's history for yourself.
Download the map here.(3.16 MB)
Introduction(4.35 MB)
Utah Ice & Cold Storage(3.8 MB)
Intermountain Furniture Warehouse(7.71 MB)
Denver & Rio Grande Freight House(2.11 MB)
Greektown(3.87 MB)
Thomas Electric Company(4.02 MB)
Citizens Investment Company(5.27 MB)
Central Warehouse(3.06 MB)
Redman Van & Storage Company(4.94 MB)
Union Pacific Depot(9.02 MB)
Gateway Rail Line Shadow(6.28 MB)
Henderson Block(1.84 MB)
Artspace Rubber Company(1.11 MB)
Free Farmers' Market(4.98 MB)
Cudahy Packing Company(686.43 KB)
Ford Motor Company Building(823.68 KB)
Denver & Rio Grande Depot(4.08 MB)
Japan Town's History In The Gateway(6.56 MB)
ZCMI Warehouse Artspace City Center(1.26 MB)
Conclusion.mp3(1.1 MB)
Download the tour audio here in an 80 MB zip file.(74.2 MB)
This tour was developed by Allison Carlquist, Dejan Eskic, Lyndsay Frendt, and PJ Nakamura of the University of Utah College of Architecture + Planning, April 2009. Narration provided by Kara Glaubitz. Music provided by Colette Call and Michael Lucarelli.