Trolley Square has some great shops ex: American Apparel, Spark, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Whole Foods, Cosset, and so many other wonderful little shops.
Mother Alethia (Pictured above) gives her kids coins to throw into the pond. She says she has lived here for years and loves it, she lives nearby and says in general the area is great!
I felt at ease as I walked around the shopping center, and was impressed at the high quality stores housed in it. The square is surrounded by a red brick, the parking lot, and then again is surrounded by a grass strip with trees. Not to mention FREE PARKING! I felt right at home as a newcomer, and I will be visiting again soon.
And for the History Buffs:
Trolley Square has been part of Utah’s heritage since 1847, when Mormon leader Brigham Young designated the area as the Tenth Ward.
Once on the edge of the city, magnate Richard Herriman bought the land and built these car barns in a mission influenced architectural style complex for his electric trolley system. Housing as many as 144 trolley cars, it served Salt Lake City’s large rail street car system for operations and maintenance. However, once the company ceased its operation in the early 1950s, the buildings were turned into bus storage, and then became unused and deteriorated for many years. The transit line was discontinued in 1945.
The old and decaying carbarns were saved from demolition in 1972 when they were transformed into Utah’s only festival marketplace. Relics from the turn-of-the-century were rescued and used in constructing its unique stores.
In the early 1970’s a local family purchased the property and through an extensive and historically sensitive rehabilitation adapted the buildings for retail use. The architect for the project was Wally Wright who is still well-known today for his work on this project. The Trolley Square site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 as part of the Central City Historic District and is also listed as a Salt Lake City Cultural Register site.
Trolley Square was registered as a historic site by the state of Utah in 1973. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. The Square quickly became and remains one of the state’s most popular attractions, offering unique shopping, dining and entertainment in a charming, historic atmosphere.
