Planners agree: Mansion stays

(Deseret News) A Sugar House mansion won't be razed to make way for a thrift store's loading docks and drive-through donation drop-off zones.

The Salt Lake City Planning Commission on Wednesday approved a conditional use application, clearing the way for Deseret Industries to convert the former Circuit City big-box store, 724 E. 2100 South, but placed a restriction on the home's demolition.

"We're supposed to improve the character of the area," Commissioner Susie McHugh said. "I don't see how removing the house ... improves the looks."

The house in question was the one-time home of carpenter Hyrum Jensen.

Jensen, "the polygamist who settled Fairmont" as one resident called him, owned much of the land between 700 East and Highland Drive from 2100 South to 3300 South and built the mansion as his second Salt Lake home.

The building, however, has been converted into an office space and is not currently on any historic register, officials said.

Still, many in the community supported keeping the building intact.

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