University of Utah Learning Center and Library, Blueprints

File — Tube: 7

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection: The Lorenzo Snow Young papers (1830s-1980s) consists of personal and professional papers, photographs, and architectural drawings. Bing, as he was called by everyone, who knew him, was born in 1894 and died in 1968. At the time of his death, a Salt Lake Tribune article credited him with having design 700 buildings. His office files show more than 500 projects. Although the collection features few of his drawings, it does document his architectural work form the 1920s to the end of the 1960s through office files, information gathered by others, newspaper articles, and his correspondence. Information about his personal life is found in family histories, his journal, an oral interview, certificates, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints materials, correspondence, news articles and financial documents. To a lesser extent, there is information about his wife, Aleine Margetts Young (1898-1978) and their family. Many of the materials in the collection are original, but some are photocopies.

Sections I (boxes 1 and 2) of the collection contain biographical, personal and family materials from the 1830s through the 1970s. In regards to Bing, there are biographical sketches, journal entries from his World War I service, certificates, LDS Church items, a family oral interview from the 1960s, and a great deal of correspondence, form 1916 through 1970s, between Bing and Aleine and other family members. Financial information, and sympathy cards and letters provide interesting information about his life. Although there is far less biographical material about Aleine, the most useful is found in the talk given at her funeral by the president of the General Board of the Relief Society of the LDS Church, Belle S. Spafford, located in box 2, folder 17.

Section II, Professional Material, offers additional documentation about Bing's architectural practice from 1920 to 1960. Included are photocopies of some project files; notes from the files of Richard Jackson, a local architect and historian of Mormon architects; a copy an article examining Mormon architecture between 1925 and 1945; programs about building dedications; published articles about his projects; and financial materials and other files showing changes in firm partnerships during the 1960s. Although all of this is contained in just one box of material (box 3), it dies provide an overview of his practice, particularly during the 1960s.

Section III (boxes 4-6) contains published and bound items, dating from 1914 to the 1970s, which provide information about Bing's personal, civic, and professional work, as well as Aleine's to a lesser extent. News clippings from the 1930s into the 1970s feature stories about the buildings he completed, civic groups in which he held membership, and Aleine's General Board events. The bound items rang from a 1914 LDS High School yearbook, to Aleine's personal financial record, which she maintained from 1969 through 1977. Included in this section are funeral registers for Bing, Aleine, and relatives, and also publications about LDS Church organizations.

Sections IV, Drawings, 1960s, includes architectural drawings in boxes 8 and 9. These drawings are plans for the University of Utah Learning Center, later the J. Willard Marriott Library. In addition, there are some original sketches by Bing. One was removed from one of the bound items and placed in box 6, folder 2, while there are two oversized items in box 7. One is a sketch of Bonneville Stake Center, and the other is of religious figures. The library's Arnold Ehlers Papers (Accn 1495) offers drawings from the partnership of Young and Ehlers, including Highland and Olympus high School. Rosslyn Heights and Tooele elementary schools, and Capital Junior High School (now Evergreen Junior High).

The Lorenzo Snow Young Photograph Collection (P0459), housed in the Multimedia Section of the Manuscripts Division, contains both personal and professional photographs. Pictured are family members and several architectural projects. Of particular interest to those wishing to know more about the history of buildings on the University of Utah campus is the group of photographs showing the various states of the completion of the building of Kingsbury Hall.

In addition to Bing, several male descendants of Brigham Young became important Utah architects. The library hold the following collections: Georgius Young Cannon Papers (a grandson, Ms 252), Don Carlos Young, Jr. Papers (another grandson whose collection also contains material from his father, architect Joseph Don Carlos Young, Ms 465), and the Richard Wright Young Collection (which holds more material from Joseph Don Carlos Young, George Cannon Young, a grandson, and Richard Wright Young, a great-grandson, Ms 536).

Following Bings's death, most of his office files and all of his drawings remained with his firm, which was taken over by Bob Fowler. Many family materials, especially those having to do with Aleine's life, were probably not taken by her when she moved from the family home to a condominium in the 1970s.

The material in the collection comes form several sources. The drawings of the J. Willard Marriott Library were found in the library's Specials Collections department, probably left there when the building was completed. In 1987, Nancy and Robert L. Young, Bing's youngest son, donated family materials and some profession material that was used by Nancy to prepare a study of Bing's life and career. Also included were some photographs they had taken of buildings in the Salt Lake area attributed to Bing. In 1996 and 1997, Richard M. Young, the oldest son, donated Bing's personal and professional materials that were in his possession.

While the collection does not provide an in-depth look at the life of Lorenzo Snow Young, it does provide an overview of his Mormonism, his education, his work, and his personal life. All that he was is probably reflected to some extent in his design work. Because his name is on many important buildings and he did all kinds of work--from modest homes and office buildings to Utah's two largest libraries--this collection should be useful to those wanting to know more about the man who made so many contributions to Utah's architecture.

Dates

1830s-1970s

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.