Bathhouse, Fort Douglas
Description
Fort Douglas was expanded during the New Deal by the PWA, CCC and WPA. The WPA added several homes for senior officers (buildings 621-625 on the central parade grounds, along De Trobriand Street) and non-commissioned officers (buildings 658, 600, 664, 665, 666 on Connor Road), along with entrance columns. These are all still in use.
There are several other WPA works at Fort Douglas that are harder to document or have disappeared: a recreation hall (gone), bath house (still standing), swimming pool (filled in?), gas station (modified from an earlier stone building that still stands), and improvements to the water and street systems (invisible).
The only site marked as New Deal on the base is the bathhouse, built in 1935-36.
More photos taken by the WPA during the 1930s are in the archives of the library at the University of Utah, but have not yet been examined.
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Plaque on Bathhouse, Fort Douglas
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Probable site of former swimming pool, next to bathhouse, Fort Douglas
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Recreation Hall, Fort Douglas (demolished)
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Record sheet, WPA archives, NARA
Recreation Hall, Fort Douglas (demolished)
Record sheet, WPA archives, NARA
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Building has been used for several different activities over the last century
Former Gas Station, Fort Douglas
Building has been used for several different activities over the last century
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Bath house, Fort Douglas
Source notes
Eric Browning, "Historic Fort Douglas at the University of Utah: A Brief History and Walking Tour." University of Utah, Department of Facilities Planning, 2000 University of Utah, History of Fort Douglas Walking Tour
Project originally submitted by Joan Greer on April 1, 2017.
We welcome contributions of additional information on any New Deal project site.
SUBMIT MORE INFORMATION OR PHOTOGRAPHS FOR THIS SITE
Archaeological research indicates that the laundry facility was in this same area,
Possibly adjacent to the bath house and swimming pool. Is ther other historical evidence that such a laundry and dry cleaning facility existed in this area?
The use of PCE for dry cleaning was initiated in 1930. The laundry facility at Fort Douglas and associated buildings then known as “suds row”likely incorporated PCE solvent for dry cleaning military uniforms as such was common practice by 1935 when the Army and WPA erected building 650 or bath house.