The Architectural Profession in Utah BY PETER L. GOSS, PH.D. Peter Goss, Ph.D., an incredible historian, passed away on March 7, 2025. He impacted the lives of numerous individuals and left a lasting impression on the architectural community. He will be greatly missed. Today’s architect is most likely a graduate of an accredited, university-based architectural program. He or she has acquired a first professional degree, either a Bachelor or a Master of Architecture, has interned for at least three years with a registered architect and has passed a registration examination administered by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). The development of these professional standards evolved over many decades. More than a century ago, in what was then Utah Territory, the development of design at the local level usually became the responsibility of a person in the building trades. This was common throughout the nation. A number of those tradespersons who were called upon to design specific buildings eventually expanded their design services and became known as architect-builders. These designers were joined by what is referred to as the amateur architect, often a person of some education or erudition who was fortunate enough to have access to books of design and to clients willing to engage him or her, either as a favor or for a fee. A notable 18th-century amateur architect of Virginia was none other than Thomas Jefferson. His home, Monticello, as well as his quadrangle at the University of Virginia display his familiarity with Roman Classicism primarily drawn from his famous collection of architectural books. Professionally trained architects, or persons who derived their sole income from the design of buildings, appeared in the United States in the 19th century. They may have been the product of a formal apprenticeship with another “architect” or architect-builder, they may have studied abroad in a professional school such as the French Ecole des Beaux Arts (where they no doubt also apprenticed with an architect), or by the latter half of the century, they may have secured an architectural education in a department of architecture attached to a major public or private American institution of higher learning. The first attempt to organize architects by profession began in the late 1850s with the establishment of the American Institute of Architects. Statewide chapters or local societies of the American Institute of Architects were eventually established as the number of architects increased. One outcome of the professionalism movement was the licensing of architects on a state-by-state basis in the latter half of the 19th century. The development of the architectural profession in Utah followed the national pattern, albeit in the late 19th and first half of the 20th century. The building of “Zion” in Utah required a large number of buildings and designers. The colonizing efforts of Brigham Young included attracting numerous trades- and crafts-people and also created a great need for the design of buildings. In addition to building entire communities — which included residential, civic and commercial architecture — a number of different types of religious buildings were needed to satisfy the specific requirements of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) Temples and tabernacles built in selected early communities joined chapels, found in every LDS community, as well as specialized buildings such as tithing barns and bishop’s storehouses. Many of the early tradespersons who designed to suit the needs of their particular community have gone unrecognized. Luckily, a few have been documented. Some of their well-crafted stone houses and outbuildings still stand and are appreciated by those for whom they still provide shelter. Those individuals who eventually left their careers in the building trades to become architect-builders were usually found in larger population centers. A number of them worked in the service of the LDS church, designing temples, tabernacles, chapels and the houses of general authorities. Notable architect-builders for the LDS Church include Truman Angell Sr., who worked on the Salt Lake Temple and other buildings on that temple block, and William Folsom, who was most well-known for his design of the Manti Temple. Travel was a major source of architectural inspiration and exposure for these designers, as was the reliance upon trade journals and published books of designs. Utah’s remoteness, despite the transcontinental railroad, made training in architectural skills difficult to come by for those wishing to learn how to design. Young persons willing to apprentice in Utah State Hospital, Richard K. A. Kletting 14 REFLEXION
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTg3NDExNQ==