Ashton & Evans designed several well-publicized all-electric homes in conjunction with Utah Power & Light: Exhibition House (Country Club Acres, 1930), Home of Ideas (Olmstead, 1936), and All Electric Home (Preston ID, n.d.).

Less well known is the Exeter residence – a Blue Star Natural Gas Home designed and built in conjunction with Utah Gas & Coke Co. (Salt Lake City Building Permit). The actual blueprint shows that while the all-electric homes were ‘spec homes,’ the Blue Star Natural Gas Home was custom built for ‘H. Exeter’ (Special collections). The design is Tudor Revival with striated brick half-timbering (Lufkin).

Thomas Hazen Exeter was born to an Idaho farm family and was known as Hazen throughout his life. He moved from Idaho to Salt Lake City between registering for the draft in 1917 and his 1924 marriage. This was his second marriage, his first having ended in divorce. Hazen and his wife, Juanita, soon served a Latter-day Saint mission together in Hawaii (1926 – 1928) (T. Hazen Exeter). The Ashton & Evans blueprints are dated 1928 and the building permit was issued in 1929. The business relationship between the Exeters and Ashton & Evans isn’t clear, and we’ll never know how the Exeters organized the building of this beautiful home while in Hawaii or having just returned from their mission.

Utah Gas & Coke did an amazing public relations campaign on the Exeter Blue Star Natural Gas Home. In September 1929 the Salt Lake Telegram published three articles and daily advertisements for an open house (Model home; More than 6000; Utah Gas & Coke; Visit Salt Lake). Key points of the PR campaign included: “The heating is done by a natural gas-fired furnace, occupying a small space in the roomy basement. Obviously, no fuel bin is required. Thus additional space is released for … more attractive purposes;” and “a marvelous new appliance, operated by natural gas, known as the gas incinerator.” These articles are long and specific, focusing on the natural gas system and appliances. The open house was visited by 6000 people on its first day even though it was clearly already owned by the Exeters.

Local newspapers show that Juanita entertained extensively in the home during their ownership (1929 – 1943). In September 1943 the house was listed “for sale or rent by owner” in the Tribune want ads. These advertisements continued until May 1944 when the ad noted that the “owners have moved” showed an asking price of $16,500 (For sale by owner).

By August 1944 Ezra Taft Benson was living at 1021 Military Drive having moved directly from Washington DC to accept a calling as an apostle in the Latter Day Saint church heirarchy (Apostle marks).

The home was built for about $9000 (Salt Lake City Building Permit, 1929). It was listed at $16,500 (For sale by owner) in 1944 (4% CAGR), and the current Zillow estimate is about $1.2 million (5.5% CAGR).