Volunteer of the week: Beverly Barrett

At the Utah State Capitol Visitors Center, we couldn't survive without our volunteer docents. Each week, we will feature a new docent to show our appreciation for the fantastic individuals who make our free guided tour program a reality.

For four hours every week, Beverly Barrett takes visitors on detailed tours of the Capitol building. A dedicated and loyal volunteer, Beverly has been a Capitol docent for more than five years.

"Beverly has equal passions for politics and people," said Sara Howard, manager of public relations and visitor services.

Beverly comes back from her tours glowing with tidbits about the people she met and the stories they shared.

"The experiences I have here are so interesting, and they are something I will cherish all my life," Beverly said.

Beverly enjoys starting her tours with the current exhibit in the Visitors Center, Step Back in Time: A Centennial Celebration of the Capitol Construction. The exhibit features historic photos and informative stories of the Capitol construction.

A passionate supporter of the arts, Beverly also works for the Sandy Amphitheater. 

See Utah landscapes all year with a 2013 calendar

The days in Utah are getting chilly and, believe it or not, 2012 is reaching its end. Even though digital calendars make the transition to a new year seamless, I still love printed calendars. Brilliant calendar photography can brighten up any home or office wall, and flipping the page each month (to a new, gorgeous photo) feels like a fresh start.

The 2013 edition of the Utah Life Elevated® Scenic Calendar is no exception. A colorful photo of Thor’s Hammer at Bryce Canyon National Park, taken by photographer Ed Riche, graces the cover. Nearly 80 images appear throughout the calendar, including all five national parks, national forests and recreation areas, many of Utah’s state parks, ski resorts, metropolitan attractions, annual events, and various outdoor activities.

Both professional and amateur photographers contributed to the calendar, and most of the production work was done "in-house" by the Utah Office of Tourism. 

Now in its 41st year, the Utah Scenic Calendar is recognized annually for design and photography by the National and World Calendar Awards competition. The 2012 and 2011 editions were honored with 13 awards in the competition, including a Gold Award for Best Graphic Design.

The gorgeous calendar is a great gift for clients, family, and friends - or a simple treat for yourself! Calendars are sold at Council Hall, and online at www.uotstore.com. 

If you have questions, please contact the Utah Office of Tourism at (801) 538-1900 or visit www.visitutah.com.

Victorian Society in America Preservation Award

I am excited to announce that the Capitol Preservation Project has been awarded The Victorian Society in America's (VSA) Preservation Award for 2009. The VSA's Preservation Awards Program was created to honor projects of outstanding merit in the preservation or restoration of significant artifacts of Victorian material culture. The VSA will publicize its awards through a press release and on its website in the near future. To learn more about the VSA visit their website by clicking here.

The Capitol's rich and important history began just as the twentieth century was just getting underway. Plans for the building of Utah's Capitol began when the Capitol Commission contracted with the Olmsted Brother’s, one of the most famous landscape architectural firms in American history. John C. Olmsted, son of Fredrick Law Olmsted, the renowned designer of Central Park, created the initial plans for Capitol Hill’s landscape. His plans were later modified by the Capitol’s architect Richard K.A. Kletting. Due to a number of challenges, elements of their original plans were not incorporated into the final construction. For example, the beautiful oval pathway that circumscribes the campus was a central part of Olmsted’s plan. Today the path is lined with hundreds of Yoshino cherry trees and connects major monuments around the complex, providing the way for a scenic and informative walk or jog. Furthermore, two office buildings for the State Legislature were built to flank the Capitol and State Office Building. As a result, space was created for an alluring square plaza. These buildings and the classical plaza between them were an important aspect of the plans drawn by Kletting which did not see completion initially.

Olmsted’s and Kletting’s ideas were heavily influenced by the City Beautiful Movement which drew heavily from Frederick Olmsted’s ideas exhibited in the Columbian Exposition of 1890. These elements were reincorporated into the Master Plan for the restoration of the Capitol and its grounds. Utah’s Capitol Hill now appears remarkably close to what its original designers intended. Their ideas, born at the turn of the century, were resurrected by the Capitol’s modern architects and their magnificent reification was made possible by hundreds of skilled craftsman. Moreover, many of their ideas provided solutions to modern problems.

The Capitol Preservation Board is honored to have received this distinguished award. This award, along with many that have preceded it, was made possible by the numberless hours of hardwork, planning, and craftsmanship contributed by everyone involved in the project.