Historic designation recommended for Nettie Gregory Center

The Salt Lake City Historic Landmark Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the Nettie Gregory Center be forwarded to the Utah State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and the National Register Review Committee for consideration for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

The commission’s motion, made by Commissioner Jared and seconded by Commissioner Babs, concluded a public hearing on the nomination after planning staff described the building’s history and the nomination process. Planning staff said the state review committee will meet on Jan. 16 to consider the nomination, and if approved at the state level it would be forwarded to the keeper of the National Register at the National Park Service for a final decision.

The Nettie Gregory Center was constructed between 1959 and 1964 with donated labor from Salt Lake City’s Black community. Planning staff’s presentation said Nettie Grimes Gregory — an activist and president of the Salt Lake Community Club — and her husband William Gregory led the effort to build the center, which served as a hub for tutoring, voter drives, Juneteenth celebrations, computer instruction and scholarships. The building also hosted the NAACP Salt Lake City branch from 1969 to 1997 and was described in the nomination as “the only community center fully accessible to Black residents” when it opened.

Planning staff told the commission that additional documentation had been submitted with the nomination form but that information about potential reuse or specific plans for reopening the center was not part of the nomination materials. As planning staff said, “Additional information was submitted but not necessarily on the reuse of this of the center or the building.”

During public comment, local residents praised the nomination and the research behind it. One resident said the nomination “reminds me that until you look into it, you never really know what kind of history might be in an otherwise, you know, maybe ordinary building.” Another compared the center’s historic role to immigrant resource centers elsewhere that provided housing and job information.

Commissioners expressed support for the nomination; Commissioner Jared moved that the commission find the Nettie Gregory Center appears to meet the National Register criteria and recommend listing to SHPO and the National Register Review Committee. The motion passed unanimously.

The commission’s action is advisory. Staff said the next formal steps are review by the Utah SHPO review committee and, if approved there, submission to the National Park Service for final determination.