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SALT LAKE CITY — Some traditions happen only once a year, but others become a part of a person's routine.
In Salt Lake, some of those traditions tell us the weather, others let us know the results of a sports game. Below, we've listed four everyday traditions of Salt Lake that help residents keep up with the times.
Walker Center Tower
Sitting on Main Street and 200 South, the 16-story Walker Center has been a fundamental part of Downtown Salt Lake City's skyline for more than 100 years. Though its iconic tower was removed from the roof for many years to comply with a city height ordinance, it was replaced in 2007 to its former glory.
The tower's lights spell out its namesake and simultaneously forecast the weather. If the lights burn blue, clear skies are yours to enjoy. Flashing blue tells you to expect cloudy skies. Solid red lets you know rain is in the forecast. Flashing red warns of snow.
In its heyday, the tower told city dwellers what weather to expect and how to dress. In the day of smartphones and instant information, looking at it is as quick as checking your weather app.
Cathedral of the Madeleine Bells
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4 places of legend in Utah
The Bear Lake Monster. Whales living in the Great Salt Lake. A neighborhood of hobbits in Sugar House. Only a short drive within the state can take you to any one of Utah's legendary locations. While Utah's places of legend and folklore make for good stories, are they actually true?The Roman-meets-Gothic Cathedral of the Madeleine was completed and dedicated in 1909. The exterior of the building, one of South Temple's gems, has stayed mostly the same since then.
Since 1917, two bells have rung "to announce worship services and celebrate joyous occasions, or they are tolled to call mourners to prayer," according to the cathedral's website. More specifically, they toll every quarter hour. For locals keeping time, they can just count the chimes.
In 1993, two more bells were added to the belltower. The bells are now electronically controlled, but in the past, ringers pulled the ropes.
The four bells are named Joseph, Mary, Cecilia and Michael. The largest of the bells, Joseph, weighs 2,650 pounds. Mary, the second largest, weighs 1,300 pounds. Each bell is tuned to a different pitch.
Block U
Sitting on the side of Mount Van Cott above Salt Lake City, the hillside letter has been representing the University of Utah since 1907. Prior to the Block U's construction, students would paint their class year on the hill. The school felt the hillside needed consistency and constructed the U.
By 2001, the 100-foot tall Block U had deteriorated badly. In 2006, a full restoration of the letter was completed.
Per tradition, the Block U is lit for home athletic events, flashing after a victory and burning steady after a loss. Updated with more modern technology, the lights are now operated from the Merrill Engineering building through a wireless antenna.
KSL Newsradio bell
Every hour at the top of the hour, KSL Newsradio listeners will hear a distinct chime, the sound of the Nauvoo bell.
The 1,500 pound bell is located on Salt Lake's temple square between the Assembly Hall and the Tabernacle. Pioneers hauled the bell from England to Nauvoo to Salt Lake City. It is generally believed the bell was a gift from English converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Though the exact date is unknown, sometime between 1961 and 1962, KSL Newsradio's president at the time, Arch Madsen, began airing the bell's chime.
"The Nauvoo Temple bell had been languishing in an obscure corner of the old visitors center on the southeast corner of Temple Square," Madsen wrote. "I decided to use its chime as the hourly time signal for TV and radio. It was activated by electrical impulse from the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., replacing the time 'beep' that had been used for many years. We installed a small microphone in the bell and connected it by a special telephone line to our studio."
For a month in the summer of 2005, the bell's chime was left off of the radio while KSL switched over to a digital format. The digital broadcast caused a seven-second delay, and it took some time for the station to work the timing out before returning the top-of-the-hour chime.
Do you know of any more everyday traditions in Salt Lake City? Let us know through iWitness or make a comment.
