The 325 sandstone slabs of Council Hall

The 325 sandstone slabs of Council Hall

Explore Council Hall, a National Historic Landmark built from sandstone and relocated to Capitol Hill to preserve its role in Utah's history.

Completed in 1866, Salt Lake City Council Hall served as the seat of city government and the meeting place for the Utah Territorial legislature. The Greek Revival building was constructed from sandstone delivered from Red Butte Canyon on Utah's first chartered railroad. From 1866 until 1894, the Rose Room on the second floor served as both a general courtroom and the legislative floor.

In August 1874, Mayor Daniel H. Wells declared martial law from the balcony of City Hall in response to the arrest of several local police officers. The building also holds a significant place in suffrage history; on February 14, 1870, it became the site of the first woman's vote in Utah, when Seraph Young Ford voted in a municipal election.

After 1894, the building served as police headquarters until 1915. To make way for a federal office building downtown, the city and the LDS Church donated the building and land to the state of Utah. In 1961, the building was dismantled into 325 numbered sandstone slabs, transported, and reassembled with new woodwork on Capitol Hill. Completed by 1962 and renamed Council Hall, it now stands just south of the State Capitol.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons

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