Utah Real Estate

When Utah was first settled by Mormons in 1844, Utah still had fifty years to go before entering the union. This mid-western real estate was lacking in communication with other cities and remained extremely isolated until the completion of the  First Continental Railroad in 1969. The railroad dramatically increased the populations of the western states because for the first time people had easy transportation to the vast availabilities of real estate sitting in Utah, Nevada, and California. That leaves twenty-five years where Utah settlers were left to their lonesome.

            The original settlers of Utah came from Nauvoo, Illinois. The group grew over time to seventy thousand people by the time the railroad came along, but starting out was difficult for this group and the homes and architecture they put together was evidence of that. Homes were very much of the Vernacular style of architecture. This meant that these houses were put together with whatever they could find, in a primitive way, concentrating solely on function rather than design. It is less a real estate style, and more along the lines of simple construction. Though Vernacular, these houses were not necessarily shabby. Typically the settlers ended up with log cabins.  

            Log cabins were the popular choice among Vernacular homes in the United States because they are easy and sturdy. Often the logs are fit with grooves and simply stack upon each other. This creates a home without the use of any nails! The foundation of this kind of real estate is usually stone to give the structure a solid support.

            Upon getting settled the new residents of Utah began following the housing trends in the United States. Amazingly enough, the Federal home style made its way to Utah. Federal is known as the first purely American architectural movement. It started in 1790 and pretty much ended on the east coast around 1840. The style skipped over much of the western plains as the settlements were not quite developed enough to handle a firm housing style. So it is surprising that Utah picked up this style in the 1850s because it was not only late and past the time of the movement, and also because they were one of the only western states to pick it up at all! Federal homes feature symmetrical façades. The windows are perfectly lined in rows, and there is typically a semi-circle window directly above the front door.

            Still struggling to keep up with the modern homes on the eastern side of the country, not many Federal homes were built in Utah after the ‘50s, and instead the Gothic Revival took hold. Utah was right on time with this real estate style because it had only started in 1840, and with no easy communication to the states, it is again amazing that Utah picked up on these home designs. The Gothic Revival featured sharp-angled roofs. Cornices were strongly garnished and everything was decorated. The tops of windows are pointed and usually there was a deep-set front porch.

            Despite being in style across the country, the Gothic Revival didn’t take hold in Utah much longer than the Federal style did. After 1969 and the arrival of the train, homes here started following the Victorian styles. They styles were more fun, less classical, and played with lines, shapes, and colors. Before the Victorian style, all of the stylized homes in the United States were based on Roman and Greek traditions, but the emphasis of the Victorian style directly counteracted this with absence of tradition. This real estate movement took over until 1905.

            Queen Anne homes are a style of the Victorian movement. It was the Queen Anne more than anything else that became popular across Utah. The houses of the Queen Anne style were asymmetrical. Colorful paint and patterned shingles were also attributes of this style. Sometimes they featured one-story wrap around porches. Everything was irregularly shaped and didn’t follow any kind of shaping precedents that had been formed over the years.

            After the Victorian era, the Utah was finally officially state and the United States was going through dozens of home designs. While all of these styles passed through Utah, one was obviously more preferred than any of the other. This style was of the Arts and Crafts movement, particularly the Craftsman. The Craftsman is a bungalow that features a more artistic design. These homes exposed their rafters in the roof, or the beams in their ceilings. Often wall space was created with the purpose of having a spot to display artwork. Nooks fit with cabinets, seating, or lighting were fit in all over the house, giving it some character. Front porches are a must in this style, and are usually decorated with, unique to the style, square pillars.

            Although still very much used today, the Craftsman style was later surpassed by the Ranch. Ranch homes belonged to the Modern real estate movement. They popped up on the housing scene around 1935 and are still widely built today. They emphasize horizontal lines and are always only one story tall. Though they often feature basements. The roof is very low pitched to further accentuate the horizontal. These homes have an asymmetrical design and often have a simple floor plan. Large windows decorate the façade and usually have shutters attached. Ranch real estate commonly used flagstone, decking out walk ways and patios in the sedimentary rock. A final identifying feature of these homes were their note-worthy chimneys.

            Utah has come a long way from the log cabin of 1845. This state has remarkably followed trends throughout the architectural history of the United States and has chosen it’s favorites along the way. Utah has even started creating some of its own architecture styles along the years. The Latter Day Saints started Temple architecture in order to create religious structures that fit the designs and qualifications they wanted. Utah residents know what they like and will go out of their way to get it, even if it means fighting a communication battle across thousands of miles during a time before telephones.