Sugar House Community Council points way to save landmark compass
-
The compass was moved in January 2008 from the sidewalk in front of Southeast Furniture to its current location. Photograph courtesy of Laurie Bray.
Craig Mecham, who currently owns the parcel of land on 1100 East 2100 South where everything was demolished, had no intention of preserving one of the last remnants of the old block, Sugar House Community Council member Laurie Bray said.
Bray was referencing the compass in front of the South East Furniture parcel on Highland Drive. In 2008, the SHCC rallied together to have it cut out of the sidewalk and moved on a front loader to the Granite Furniture Property, where it is currently located.
The compass, an eight-feet--by-eight-feet piece of concrete with a tile design of a compass on the top, was originally installed by South East Furniture so the compass would point southeast, toward their store.
Salt Lake City Councilmember Soren Simonsen gave the council a guarantee that he would pay for the moving of the compass until they had time to approach the Salt Lake Redevelopment Agency for funds.
Several months later, the Sugar House Community Council received a $5,000 grant for the moving, storage and reinstallation of the compass, with the requirement that it be reinstalled on public property.
The compass is currently in a Granite Block storage area, but eventually it will be reinstalled somewhere in Sugar House. The SHCC covered it up to keep the compass safe from the elements. The compass will be moved into storage until planners find a permanent location for it.
But before the compass can be moved, it will need to be covered with a crate.
During the December Sugar House Community Council meeting, Bray expressed the need to protect the compass with a wooden crate. The estimate that she brought to the council was $500. Sugar House Community Councilmember Grace Sperry asked if the crate could be made for a cheaper amount.
Teddy Anderson does work with Habitat for Humanity, and was sitting with other citizens listening to the discussion when she offered to help. “I’m a carpenter and can make it for considerably less,” Anderson said.
“It’s so great that someone sitting in the meeting would volunteer,” Bray said.
