A historic — but vacant and damaged — Salt Lake City home built on beer could get more help from City Council members.
The west side’s Fisher Mansion — named for the German immigrants who lived there, Fisher Brewing Co. founder Albert Fisher and his wife, Alma — is a stately riverside Victorian building designed by Richard K.A. Kletting, the same man who constructed the Utah Capitol. For years, city officials have looked to bring the historic structure back to life after it was damaged in the 2020 earthquake.
Now, $400,000 in time-limited money is burning a hole in Salt Lake City’s pocket. Administrators want to put it toward the mansion’s rehabilitation, but they first need the council’s blessing.
“Fisher Mansion is a good project on the west side that we can plug and play, so to speak,” the city’s chief administrative officer, Jill Remington Love, said at a Feb. 3 council meeting. “Whatever amount of money we have, we can just keep making progress there.”
The dollars would go toward fixing up historic elements like the large wraparound sandstone porch, windows and flooring in the building located along the Jordan River at 200 South. The funding wouldn’t cover all of the remaining work to be done at the property, nor the reinstallation of a stolen fence, city architect Sean Fyfe said.
A $3 million project is currently underway to stabilize the building and preserve its integrity. That effort, coupled with the new funding the council is considering, won’t make the mansion habitable, though.
“This will not cover the full amount that is required,” policy analyst Kate Werrett said at the meeting, “and [the mayor’s administration] will likely be coming back for additional funding requests in the future.”
The building has a special place in Salt Lake City history as an early example of people living full-time on the west side.
“The Fisher Mansion was a year-round residence, which does make it quite unique,” professional archaeologist and Utah historian Rachel Quist said. “... Having Kletting design it, rather than just somebody else, is saying that this is a statement. It’s still a status location.”
Officials are still discussing what the building could be used for once it’s fixed up. Remington Love said the eventual use of the property would determine how much more money would be needed to finish its restoration.
“Certainly, it’s a building that I care a lot about,” council Chair Alejandro Puy said. “But I just want to know how far we are along.”
The request for Fisher Mansion totaled $500,000 but council members informally voted to reallocate $100,000 for historic displays at City Hall.