Murray City Center - Murray UT

City:: Murray, UT
Site Type:: Education and Health, Schools
New Deal Agencies:: Public Works Administration (PWA), Public Works Funding
Started:: 1938
Completed:: 1939
Contractor:: Enoch Chythraus
Quality of Information:: Very Good
Marked:: No
Site Survival:: Extant

Description

The Murray UT City Center (city hall and police station) occupies the former Arlington School building, constructed with the aid of the New Deal. The school was replaced at another site and the building renovated in the 1980s.

Several school building and renovation projects were undertaken in Murray, Utah during the 1930s, with the aid of the Public Works Administration (PWA): a new Arlington School, a two classroom addition at Bonnyview, finishing the basement into classrooms at Liberty, and an addition to the high school gymnasium.

The largest project was a new Arlington School constructed on State Street in front of the older school by that name (which was subsequently demolished). It cost around $100,000. The new Arlington School was built in 1938-39 and put into service at the beginning of 1940.

The Murray Eagle described the new school:

“The new 16 room Arlington is of two story brick construction and is entirely fire and earthquake proof. The building contains a combined auditorium, playroom, cafeteria, reception room, 16 classrooms, and four offices for the superintendent, board of education, clerk, and principal.”

As of 2019, there are plans in the works to build a new City Hall and police headquarters because of the need for major seismic retrofitting to the old Arlington School