Provo Brickyard, Turbine House, 1620 North 200 West Street, Provo

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS UTAH,25-PROVO,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

This is a unique industrial structure. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1. Original and subsequent owners: Sarah D. Dixon, Arthur Dixon, Lessee, Provo Pressed Brick Company, # Sidney H. Belmont, Provo Brick & Tile Company 2. Date of erection: c. 3. Builder: Unknown B. Historical Events and Persons Associated with the Building: Right after the turn of the century, Mr. Arthur Dixon leased a plot of land to the north of Provo, Utah from Sarah DeGray Dixon for a brickyard. Dixon, with L. Holbrook, Thomas Board- man and S. H. Belmont organized the Provo Pressed Brick Com- pany in The company subsequently failed in and was attached hy the Provo Commercial and Savings Bank. The hank held the property and leased it until in the land and buildings were sold to Sidney H.

Belmont and others. He formed a new corporation, the Provo Brick and Tile Company, with a capital stock of and became its manager. He was also the largest stockholder. The corporation met with reasonable success, especially during the post was building boom, but finally closed down in TURBINE HOUSE HABS No. U-36 (Page 2) The turbine house was used to power various areas of the "brick plant. Initially it was used to power a saw mill to cut lumber from a cottonwood forest on the north end of the site. The lumber was used to "build the original brick- yard buildings. Later it was used to power a machine shop and clay grinders and pulverizers. A large rope "belt" extended from the turbine house to the various buildings to be powered.

There a transfer pulley shifted the power to a belt wheel drive shaft which it turn operated the equipment. The turbine house became limited in its operation when the level dropped in the water course. It was not possible to operate the machinery during the late summer, fall, and win- ter months, and by it was only used sporadically for grinding clay. It was abandoned soon after that as a part of the functioning plant. The turbine house is endangered by the route of a diagonal connection from University Avenue to the Interstate freeway to be built in the near future. C. Sources of Information: 1. Primary and unpublished sources: Interview with Mr. Steve Belmont, 1U5 South i860 West, Provo, Utah, son of one of the founders of Provo Brick & Tile Company.

Sanborn Map, Provo City, Offices of Utah Fire Sating Bureau, Boston Building, Salt Lake City, Utah. 2.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS UTAH,25-PROVO,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Jensen, J. Marinus. History of Provo, Utah, 192U, Provo, Utah. Prepared by John L. Giusti, AIA September 5, PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement: 1. Architectural interest: This industrial structure pre- dates the Provo Pressed Brick Company which took it, over in 2. Condition of fabric: Fair; heavy timbers are still sound. TURBINE HOUSE HABS No. U-36 (Page 3) B. Description of Exterior: # 1. Over-all dimensions: This rectangular tower is 11' 6" x 20' 7" and 28' 10" high. 2. Foundations: Heavy timbers extend into stream "bed. 3. Wall construction, finish and color: Unpainted ver- tical hoards. h. Structural system, framing: Eight heavy timbers are notched to hold the horizontal timbers.

Tie rods of pipe hold the timber in position and the whole struc- ture is guyed to the east bank to prevent its over- turning. 5- Roof: a. Shape, covering: Gahle - -wood sheathed - no wood shingles remain. C. Description of Interios: The turbine machinery is no longer intact. The six inches in diameter pulley wheel and a few gears are still in posi- tion but the vertical shaft and vanes are lying on the stream bank fifty feet away. D. Site and Surroundings: 1. Orientation: Water approaches the Turbine House from the northeast. The mill race could be diverted at a point upstream but when the turbine was in operation the water entered a wooden flume which directed the water into the east side of the Turbine House.

A gate in the side of the flume could release the water into a diversion sluice. At the north the water falls twelve feet and the mill race continues in a southerly direc- tion from the Turbine House. Power was transmitted by a rope belt to the clay grinding wheels in the brickyard about 156 feet to the west. There was at least one intermediate tower to guide and support the belt. The banks of the mill race support a heavy growth of willows and weeds, cottonwoods and poison ivy. 2. Outbuildings: The nearest structure is a machine shop of brick on the west bank of the mill race. TURBINE HOUSE HABS No. U-36 (Page k) Prepared Paul Goeldner, AIA Super-visory Architect Utah Project July 20, PART III.

PROJECT INFORMATION This record is part of a Utah Survey conducted in the summers of and under joint sponsorship of the Historic American Buildings Survey of the Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation of the National Park Service and the Utah Heritage Foundation. Field work, historic research and record drawings were done under the direction of Project Supervisor Paul Goeldner, AIA (Texas Tech Univer- sity) assisted "by Project Historian John L. Giusti, AIA (University of Utah). Photographs were made "by P. Kent Fairbanks of Salt Lake City. Student Assistant Architects on the team were Robert M. Swanson and Charles W. Barrow, (University of Texas) and Kenneth L. Lambert and Keith Sorenson, (University of Utah).

Student Assistant Architects were Keith Sorenson, Charles D, Harker and Robert Schriever, (University of Utah) and Donald G. Prycer, (Texas A. & M. University).