Building Also Known As: Carver Sheet Metal Works
Address: 1349 S Jefferson (current street number)
City: Salt Lake City
County: Salt Lake
State: UT
Building Type: Industrial
Work Scope: Original Design
A&E Related Architect: Ashton, Evans & Brazier
A&E Work Approx Date: 1950, opened 1951
Architects Confirmed? Salt Lake City building permit (1950)
Original Cost: $52,000
Builder: Mark Gart
Site Survival? Y (2022)
Site Condition? Excellent (2022)
Description
Carver Sheet Metal was incorporated in 1908 (as Liberty Sheet Metal Works) at 231 West S Temple. They focused on manufacturing furnace ducts and architectural trim. Business was good, and not long afterwards (1915) they moved to 49 Post Office Place.
Soon thereafter they began producing ‘red and green semaphore lights’ invented by C. J. Reading, a Salt Lake City engineer. Business took off as the Reading & Carver semaphores became very popular throughout the US but as demand skyrocketed, Liberty Sheet Metal made the business decision to return to their roots in commercial construction.
By 1922, Liberty Sheet Metal had changed their name to Carver Sheet Metal Works and moved to 134 W 300 S. The Carver web site notes their involvement in three locally well-known buildings completed from 1935 – 1945: the Sears Building, the Center Theater, and the old Montgomery Ward Building. Each one of these are Ashton & Evans designs. So, it wasn’t surprising when in 1950, William Carver hired Ashton, Evans & Brazier to design a new office and manufacturing plant (their fourth) at 1349 Jefferson.
About a year after the new building opened, the “Floods of ’52’ struck. With the help from an old boat, workers were ferried across 13th South to get to work. Electric equipment was disconnected and manually operated to meet job deadlines.
Seventy-one years after the construction of the ‘new’ building, Carver Sheet Metal continues to operate from the light-filled Ashton & Evans building, though the neighborhood is changing, and another move may be in the near-term future (About us).
Research Notes
One of the highlights of my research was visiting Carver Sheet Metal Work in May 2022. I knew my address (1349 Jefferson) was old, and the neighborhood didn’t look at all industrial. But among the newer condos and parking lots, there stood Carver Sheet Metal. I walked in the front door and told the gentleman at the sales desk that I thought my grandfather might have designed the building. He pointed me to the next room where I met Reed Carver. After introducing ourselves, he pulled the original specs from his desk. Reed’s grandfather had contracted with my grandfather to build the building we were standing in!
Sources
- About us. (n.d.). Carver Sheet Metal Works. - https://www.csmw.net/about_us.html
- Salt Lake City building permit. (1950, Oct 23). #23088.
- Special Collections, Ashton & Evans collection [Unprocessed Blueprints]. J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.