The home of the Utah Symphony has a shiny new designation.
Abravanel Hall, which debuted in 1979, is now officially on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Park Service has approved the 72-page application, according to Preservation Utah and those who wrote the document.
The move comes after Salt Lake City’s Historic Landmark Commission voted unanimously to recommend the nomination to the State Historic Preservation Office at the end of September.
“This national designation helps show that Abravanel Hall is an important and historical part of our county’s cultural landscape,” Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said Friday in a statement. “We are honored to continue our nearly 50-year stewardship of this historical venue for Salt Lake County residents.”
In September, Wilson committed to preserving the venue, but noted that it needs renovations. Salt Lake City Council members adopted a resolution weeks later to keep the popular concert hall where it is.
Abravanel Hall’s fate has been in the air in the past year as the Smith Entertainment Group proposed a plan to revitalize downtown Salt Lake City. Locals and famous composers alike expressed concern about the venue possibly being torn down.
Adrienne White, the founder and CEO of House Genealogy (where she researches historic homes and the people who lived in them) wrote the nomination application.
“This [national historic] designation is not only a testament to the hall’s historical importance,” White wrote in an email Friday, “but also a recognition of the vibrant arts community that thrives within it.”
Allen Roberts (a Salt Lake City preservationist and co-founder of the architectural firm CRSA architectural firm) “was brought in to advise on the building as a historic site,” White explained, “and to evaluate the study that was done by another local architectural firm.”
Roberts, White said, also shared “alternative ways to cut costs to preserve the building while bringing it up to code.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City in May 2024. The venue has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Principal bassoon player Lori Wike, one of seven members of an ad hoc committee representing the musicians of the symphony as advocates for Abravanel Hall, also helped with getting the word out about the nomination draft.
“This historic designation is a tremendous honor,” Wike wrote in an email, “and we are so grateful for the incredible work of preservationist Adrienne White in this process as well as for the overwhelming outpouring of support from our community.”
The application touched on the design aspects of Abravanel Hall, its history and how its construction adds to the listening experience.
Though the designation doesn’t necessarily save the venue from possible future demolition, the application writers hope it will “change the narrative for the average citizen.”
Clarification • Nov. 16, 2024, 11:35 a.m.: This story has been updated to share Allen Roberts’ role in relation to the nomination application.
