- Two historic WWII-era buildings return to Wendover after 75 years in Springville.
- Clyde Companies decided to preserve the buildings instead of demolishing them.
- The first building moves on I-80 Sunday escorted by Utah Highway Patrol.
SPRINGVILLE — Two historic World War II–era buildings are making a long-awaited return to Wendover, nearly 75 years after they were first moved to Springville.
The structures, once part of the Wendover Air Base where crews trained for missions that helped end the war, have spent decades at Clyde Companies' yard in Springville.
They were being used as workshops and storage.
Now, as Clyde Companies prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year with plans to build a new corporate headquarters in Springville, company leaders decided the buildings' story was too important to demolish.
Instead, they're being returned to Wendover for preservation.
"We've always been really interested in history and preserving things," said Wilford Clyde.
Clyde, who is the chairman of the board of Clyde Companies, said it was his grandfather, W.W. Clyde, who first brought the buildings to Springville from Wendover.
After World War II, many structures were declared surplus, and his grandfather decided to buy them for his construction company in Springville.
"He saw an opportunity to buy those and brought them here and turned them into a carpenter shop and a paint shop, and we've used them for 75 years now," said Clyde.
For decades, the buildings supported the company's operations.
Clyde has been involved in hundreds of projects across Utah and the Intermountain West.
"I don't think there's a town in Utah that we haven't built a road through," said Clyde with a smile.
But with the construction of a new headquarters in Springville, there wasn't room for the two old buildings on the property.
So, Clyde and his managers got an idea.
"We wanted to preserve these buildings and get them back to Wendover," he said. "We didn't want to demolish them because of the historical significance of these buildings."
Jim Petersen, who helps run the Historic Wendover Airfield, said it is thrilled to welcome the buildings back.
"They're in pretty good shape for how long they have been out there," said Petersen.
Petersen's hope is to eventually open them for the public to see as part of the airfield's museum.
"We think it's important to know what happened in the past here in our state," said Clyde. "Obviously, what happened out in Wendover 80 years ago is very significant history throughout the whole world."
One building will start its slow trip across I‑80 on Sunday.
Utah Highway Patrol troopers will escort the large trailer with traffic safely, pulling off at every exit to let traffic pass.
The move is expected to begin at 7 a.m. in Springville, going through Saratoga Springs and Grantsville, before getting onto I-80 near Grantsville.
They're planning on arriving in Wendover at about 2 p.m.
The second building will follow later in December.
"It does feel special that we're part of that. I think it's important that we remember these things," said Clyde. "My grandfather, I'm sure he's looking down on us and saying, 'Hey, that's interesting what you're doing there.'"
Correction: In an earlier version, Jim Petersen's name was incorrectly spelled Peterson.
