Dear Readers,

Reflexion is the journal of the Utah Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. It is a quarterly publication, and I have had the honor of working with the staff and The newsLINK Group to edit it since joining the board in 2021. Some of the ongoing features are our Utah Architectural Legends series, AIA awards, Member and Utah Firm Spotlights, and In Memoriam. Other articles include legislative updates, AIA events, technical advances, marketing, software and professional development. I am always, always, looking for stories that the Utah architectural community will find interesting. I encourage you to reach out to me with articles or just story suggestions.

Annually, the president-elect of the Utah Chapter of the American Institute of Architects organizes a conference. The conference is an opportunity for members to gather, network, applaud the AIA Utah award winners, hear the thoughts and experiences of keynote speakers, and gather some needed CEUs. This year’s president-elect, Clio Rayner, and her committee have assembled a great lineup built around the theme “Architects in the Wild. Untamed Design. Uncharted Practice.” The conference will be held at the U of U Garff Executive Education Building, on Thursday, Sept. 25. This issue of Reflexion will detail the conference’s agenda, the background and topics of the speakers, and how and where you can register.

Nan Weber and Allen Roberts have been documenting the work of Richard Kletting and are writing a book about his origin story, training and the over 400 buildings he designed in Utah. The article they have contributed to this issue is specifically about his relationship with the Fisher Brewing Company, its history, and the design and construction of the Fisher Mansion in 1893. It is a compelling story about the structure, which is currently undergoing a seismic upgrade.

Construction on the North Capitol Building is approaching completion, and the ribbon-cutting is expected prior to the 2026 Legislative Session. It is the last piece of the Capitol Campus Complex that was originally envisioned by Frederick Law Olmsted and complements the other buildings on Capitol Hill. A replacement for the ‘60s State Office Building, the new North Campus Building will house the agencies and offices that were housed in that original facility; additionally, the first two floors will be dedicated to a museum that will tell the Utah State story. If there was any upside to the 2020 earthquake, it was that the landmark Rio Grande Depot is getting the seismic upgrade it needed to be appropriate for public use, and the Utah History Department’s artifacts that were languishing in its less-than-ideal conditions were moved. Tim Glenn, director, Heber Slabbert, AIA, and our friends at VCBO recount the complexity of the design of the North Capitol Building itself as well as the technical requirements of inserting a state-of-the-art museum into the five-story civic building.

Other features include an article about Architectural Nexus, a tribute to Greg Beecher, a member spotlight on E.J. Elliott and AIA Utah President Whitney Ward’s architectural observations from her Scandinavian travels. Our ongoing feature on Utah Architectural Legends will return in our next issue.

Please make an effort to come to the conference. Check out the AIA Utah Conference Agenda.

Fran Pruy