The Tenth East Senior Center, constructed in 1963 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, is significant at the local level under Criterion A in the area of Entertainment/Recreation because it represents the city’s mid-century expansion of public recreational services and its long-standing role as a community gathering place for older adults. It is also significant in the area of Social History for its role in supporting the social, educational, and recreational needs of Salt Lake City’s older population. The property is significant under Criterion C in the area of Architecture as a distinctive and well-preserved example of mid‑century civic design in Salt Lake City. It is also significant as a Work of a Master for architect Burtch W. Beall Jr., FAIA, in collaboration with architect Paul L. Lemoine. Beall was a leading figure in Utah’s mid-century civic architecture, integrating modernist principles of functional clarity, asymmetry, and expressive program volumes into public and community buildings across the state. His broader career—including extensive civic and religious commissions, long-term work with state agencies, and a forty-year teaching tenure at the University of Utah—established him as a central contributor to the development of mid-century modern civic design in Utah. The Tenth East Senior Center reflects this influence through its modern civic form and design approach. The building was previously evaluated as non-contributing in the SLC East Side Historic District Boundary Increase (NRIS #02001739) because it was constructed outside that district’s period of significance. Despite that earlier classification, the Tenth East Senior Center is significant in its own right for its architectural design and long-standing recreational and social functions. The period of significance for the Tenth East Senior Center is 1963, the year it was completed, to 1976, or fifty years ago, as it is still in use as a community center and an important aspect of the neighborhood.
