State Capitol Visitors Center Unveils New Exhibit

Photo courtesy of the Utah State Historical Society

SALT LAKE CITY—One hundred years ago, a lumbering steam shovel bit into winter-cold soil on a hill just north of Salt Lake City. It was December 26, 1912, and Utah’s state capitol was finally being built—65 years after the arrival of the first pioneers and 16 years after Utah attained statehood. 

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the construction of the Utah State Capitol, the Capitol Preservation Board is pleased to present a new Visitors Center exhibit, Step Back in Time: A Centennial Celebration of the Capitol Construction. Using a collection of striking historic photographs, this new exhibit breathes life into the fascinating stories behind the planning and construction of the Capitol.

“We are thrilled to provide a unique and educational opportunity for all Capitol visitors to experience the vibrant history of this wonderful building,” said Allyson Gamble, executive director of the Capitol Preservation Board.

The exhibit opens on January 24, and will be on view weekdays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. On January 24, at 10:30 a.m., a special presentation will formally welcome the public to the exhibit.

Admission to Step Back in Time is free. Digital images used in the reproduction of the exhibit’s historical photographs were provided courtesy of the University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library, the Utah State Archives and Records Service, the Utah State Historical Society, and the Territorial Statehouse State Park Museum.

For more information, please contact 801-538-1800 or showard [at] utah [dot] gov.

New Exhibit: People of Utah, 1892-2011

The Capitol Preservation Board is pleased to announce a new exhibit from the State of Utah Fine Art Collection/Utah Arts Council. The exhibit, located on the fourth floor of the Capitol, features a selection of portraits from the Collection. More than appropriate in the “People’s House,” these artworks reflect a beautifully diverse sampling of the people and artists of Utah

The State Fine Art Collection, also known as the Alice Art Collection, was initiated by Representative Alice Merrill Horne who served in the 3rd Utah Legislature in 1899. She sponsored the legislation that created the Utah Art Institute, now known as the Utah Division of Art and Museums, the first state-sponsored arts organization in the United States.

About the Artists

For more information about the featured artists and their works, please visit the exhibit webpage.

This exhibit is provided courtesy of the State of Utah Fine Art Collection/Utah Arts Council. Now through July 11, 2013, on the fourth floor of the Capitol. Admission is free. For hours and more information, please visit our website.