Imagine paying just one silver dollar for prime real estate. That’s precisely what happened when the land beneath the Frank E. Moss United States Courthouse was acquired. This courthouse stands in Salt Lake City’s Exchange Place Historic District. It’s not just any building. It’s the district’s oldest, a testament to Utah’s burgeoning prosperity in the early 1900s.
Originally known as the United States Post Office and Courthouse, the Frank E. Moss United States Courthouse has a rich history. After Utah gained statehood in 1896, plans emerged for a federal building in the capital. Congress set aside $500,000 for the project. The Walker brothers, local bankers, sold the site for a single silver dollar in 1899.
James Knox Taylor, the Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department, designed the building in the Classical Revival style. Construction commenced in 1902. Stonework flaws caused delays. Yet, the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse was completed in 1905. A western addition, mirroring the original style, followed between 1910 and 1912.
More changes came in the late 1920s. Louis A. Simon, Superintendent of the Architectural Section of the Treasury Department, planned another addition. The goal was to replicate the existing facades. However, workers found extensive cracking in the Kyune sandstone used in the 1905 and 1912 sections. The solution involved using granite for the new addition and refacing nearly all existing facades. The work concluded in 1932.
In 1990, the building received a new name. It was renamed to honor Frank Edward Moss, a Utah native who served as a U.S. Senator from 1959 to 1977. The Exchange Place Historic District, including the Frank E. Moss U.S. Courthouse, joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The Frank E. Moss United States Courthouse played a vital role in introducing the Classical Revival style to Utah. The original building had a U-shaped design. The additions in 1912 and 1932 created a figure-eight shape with light courts. The final addition saw a shift toward modern classicism, common in 1930s public buildings.
The building has five stories and a basement. A two-story penthouse sits atop. Originally, Kyune sandstone clad the exterior. Damage led to its replacement with Utah granite, except for one internal light court elevation.
The exterior blends classical design with modern classicism. Granite steps ascend to the main entrance. Streamlined granite railings and eagles adorn the entrance. Bronze doors feature decorative grilles.
Fifteen fluted Doric columns line the eastern facade. These support a classical entablature and balustrade. Three-story window openings stand behind the columns. Decorative metal screens on marble backing appear below the third floor in each bay.
Inside the Frank E. Moss United States Courthouse, marble, tile, and terrazzo cover the floors. Marble wainscoting graces the 1905 section. The original second-floor courtrooms retain their oak paneling and ornamental plaster ceilings.
Until 2014, the courthouse housed most operations of the United States District Court for the District of Utah. A new courthouse was built nearby. Most court operations moved there. Yet, the United States bankruptcy court for Utah remains at the Frank E. Moss United States Courthouse. Other federal agencies also relocated here. The Frank E. Moss United States Courthouse stands as a proud symbol of Utah’s history and architectural evolution. Its walls have witnessed countless stories and continue to serve the community to this day.