Union Pacific's Salt Lake City Freight House

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This page was last updated on May 3, 2025.

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Overview

Union Pacific's Salt Lake City freight house was built in 1907 as part of the Harriman-era improvements in Salt Lake City that included a new freight yard and roundhouse in 1905, and new passenger depot 1909, as well as a viaduct to carry North Temple Street over the expanded railroad yards. These new facilities were jointly owned by the two Union Pacific subsidiaries in Utah: Oregon Short Line Railroad, and Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad. Both were majority owned and fully controlled by Union Pacific Railroad.

The Salt Lake City freight house remained at its original location until 1999 when it was demolished to make way for the new Gateway commercial development.

Timeline

October 22, 1905
OSL announced a new passenger depot in Salt Lake City. This was in addition to building new freight yards north of the city, a new roundhouse, a new freight house, and a new viaduct for North Temple street. The total cost of all the projects was reported as $500,000 to $600,000. (Salt Lake Herald, October 22, 1905)

June 18, 1906
The new Salt Lake City Joint Freight House was approved on June 18, 1906. (OSL Form 12, Authority for Expenditure; research completed May 4, 1995, at Union Pacific Museum, Omaha)

OSL approved the project to build a viaduct carrying North Temple street over the OSL tracks in Salt Lake City, also on June 18, 1906.

(The start of construction of the new freight house was not in any reference in available online newspapers.)

January 4, 1907
The following status of the new freight house comes from the January 4, 1907 issue of the Deseret News.

Incoming freight is being unloaded into the new freight depot on the west. This is the longest building of its kind in the state, covering exactly a Salt Lake City block, 660 feet in length. This building's foundations come up within a few feet of First South and South Temple streets. It is located to the west of the old freight houses and in the center of the block between Third and Fourth Went streets. It is built of concrete, steel and brick. Rolling doors, constructed entirely of steel steps of iron, floor of concrete; those are a few of the features which make this building absolutely fire-proof. The south end is two stories high. Yard freight offices will be removed from the old buildings to the second story. The northern portion or storage portion of the structure is well lighted by means of glass windows in the roof. Five tracks are laid on the west side of the building. This number of trains can be unloaded at once. Steel platforms are laid from one car door to another, permitting all freight to be taken directly from the car to the depot with very little labor. The arrangement reduces all possibilities of a freight congestion to a minimum.

For years two old wooden buildings have done noble service as freight depot. They were built when the Oregon Short Line was many years younger than it is now. For a number of years the old red buildings just west of Third West were Salt Lake's only freight houses. The open platform of the east building is being razed. A gang of men is tearing of its roof. As fast as debris accumulates it is hauled to the north end of the yards on trains of flat cars. All small wreckage is being burned. Both old buildings are to be removed from the neighborhood as quickly as possible, as the company intends to commence work on its proposed depot early in the spring.

January 13, 1907
OSL began construction of the North Temple viaduct in early 1906, at the same time as the new freight house. The new freight house was complete by January 1907 and ready for occupancy. No mention of progress on the passenger depot. (Salt Lake Herald, January 13, 1907, with photos)

July 12, 1907
The following description comes from the July 12, 1907 issue of Railway Age magazine.

The freight house is of brick, concrete and steel construction. It is 660 ft. long by 50 ft. wide, with a platform 16 ft wide running the full length of the building on the west, or track, side. The south 157 feet of the building is two stories high, the upper story occupied by the local freight offices. The remaining 503 feet, the freight shed proper, is one story A basement 26 ft. x 50 ft under the south end holds a hot water boiler and coal bins. The whole building is of fireproof construction, the floors are of reinforced concrete and the roof also of reinforced concrete with surface of tar and gravel roofing. The first floor, which is on the platform level, contains the cashier's office, hallway, warm room, refrigerator room and general freight room. The cashier's office is in the south end of the freight house, directly on First South street. A vault 5 ft. 11 in. by 6 ft. 4 in. is connected with the cashier's office. The warm room, 37 ft. by 40 ft., is arranged for heating and is used for storing such freight as would be damaged by frost or cold. The refrigerator room, 10 ft. by 24 ft., is used for general freight and is connected directly with the freight shed. Rolling steel doors are installed on both sides of the building. The second floor is occupied by the local freight offices, consisting of the agent's private office, 14 ft. by 25 ft.; general clerks' office, 98 ft. by 50 ft., and record room, 32 ft. by 50 ft., complete with steel shelving and steel tables for handling the records.

The freight shed proper is built entirely of steel. Rolling steel doors, 12 ft. by 10 ft., extend the full length of the shed on both sides, enabling any part or the whole shed to be thrown open. The building is lighted throughout by electricity, the wires being enclosed in iron conduits. In the freight shed arc lights about 40 ft. apart are used. The entire freight house, except the freight shed, is heated by hot water. The building was completed February 1, [1907] its total cost being $110,000.

July 1909
OSL and SPLA&SL completed the new Union Depot at Salt Lake City. Construction was begun in November 1906, and the depot was partially occupied in 1908. (October 28, 1976 UP letter to Julian Cavalier; source cited is "Salt Lake City, Past and Present," published in 1908)

Construction of the passenger depot started on February 1908. (Historic American Building Survey, Utah State Division of History)

1917
In 1917 Union Pacific constructed an improved freight house at Salt Lake City, located directly west of the its passenger depot. This improvement included a 233-feet long concrete extension to the existing freight depot. In 1929 a 50-feet by 156-feet open platform was added. In 1933 improvements were added to aid the handling of fruits and other perishables. In 1947, the open platform was fully enclosed, and in 1951 a separate building was constructed to house damaged, refused and unclaimed freight. This later building was located directly across 100 South, south of the freight depot. (Union Pacific annual reports)

July 1999
Work began to demolish and remove the abandoned rail yards and structures surrounding the former Union Pacific depot. In addition to smaller out buildings, the major structures included the former UP dispatching center adjacent to 400 West and North Temple, the former UP freight house west of the passenger depot, and the former UP administrative offices for the railroad's Salt Lake City Service Unit, which were themselves located in the former Post Office Annex located at 400 West and 100 South. (Union Pacific internal communication)

These changes were to make way for the new Gateway commercial development.

Photos

Aerial Photo, 1983 -- UP's Salt Lake City Freight House is visible in this aerial photo by Dean Gray from 1983-1984, plus the two after it...

Aerial Photo, 1974 -- The Salt Lake City freight house is visible in this aerial photo by UP in 1974.

Drawing of Area -- This drawing of the UP passenger yard also shows the freight house.

Railway Age, 1907 -- This article in Railway Age magazine from July 1907 documents the new Salt Lake City passenger depot and freight house. (PDF; 6 pages; 2.3MB)

More Information

Newspaper Research -- an online album of selected newspaper articles for the Salt Lake City depot.

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