The Officers' Quarters on Officers' Circle (Bldgs. 606-615) were built at Camp Douglas in 1874-76 of sturdy sandstone quarried from Red Butte Canyon. They answered a longstanding need for improved living conditions for Army officers in the post-Civil War period and today stand as state-of- the-art student residences for University of Utah students at Fort Douglas Heritage Commons.

    In the years immediately after the Civil War, high-ranking military leaders, including General Philip H. Sheridan, inspected Camp Douglas and its quarters - a rude collection of rotting log and adobe huts, without foundations. Sheridan described the condition of the outpost, hastily constructed by Colonel Patrick E. Connor and his California Volunteers in 1862-63, as "dilapidated . . . utterly worthless," without peer in the entire U.S. Army. The military commanders asked for government appropriation to construct new, "permanent" stone quarters. Their repeated requests were eventually granted in 1874 via a $30,000 appropriation - made as much for the horrific housing need as for the camp's central location for supplying the Army presence in the West, a garrison role effectuated by the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869.

    After the arrival of post commander and distinguished Civil War veteran Colonel John E. Smith and the 14' U.S. Infantry in the fall of 1874, reconstruction began. Captain George W. Davis, new quartermaster at Camp Douglas (later appointed to the nation's capital to assist in the construction of the Washington Monument), was appointed construction superintendent. Watson Brothers of Salt Lake City were contracted for stone and masonry work, and William Paul, Sons, and Brooks for carpentry, plastering and painting. Davis, who supervised the three-year, red-sandstone rebuilding of the post, provided these entities with extensive soldier assistance and labor, which included quarrying the sandstone from nearby Red Butte Canyon using government wagons and mule teams. Thereafter, the military installation was described by General George Crook as "one of the largest, best built and most creditable posts in the Army" - a comment that translated to the camp's December 1878 upgrade to the status of fort.

    In addition to the officers' quarters, six soldiers' barracks, a new commander's house (Bldg. 604), hospital, guardhouse, and post headquarters building (today's Officers' Club) were built. Built in the Victorian Gothic architectural style (popular among  Salt Lake residents) and following a standard Quartermaster General floor plan, the ten 2-story officers' duplexes were situated approximately fifty yards to the east of where the original officers' quarters had stood, on a picturesque curvilinear row east of the parade ground (today's Stilwell Field). The homes were unique in that they took on the appearance of contemporary non-military structures, featuring striking decorative wooden elements of Gothic Revival design (finials, bargeboards, pendants) in the gables, porches, and eaves - a dramatic departure from what existed before.

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Original fireplace details, and built in china cabinets added in1931.

    The new T-shaped officers' duplex boasted a "Gregorian"-style layout that featured, behind a spacious veranda, two main living areas (each with a front parlor, living room, and three upstairs bedrooms) separated by a twin-stairway hall leading to a double, single-story kitchen/dining wing. ln the mid-1880s, a second-story rear wing was built above the kitchen wing to provide better accommodations for servants (built of red sandstone also, to make it indistinguishable is an addition). In 1928-29, a single-story, hip-roofed, red brick servants' quarters was added to the rear of the structure and new maple wood flooring was installed through-out. The renovation also included re-roofing of the veranda, exterior woodwork and painting modifications, and installation of "built-in" glass-front china cabinets, creating the present-day look of the dining room. In 1931, Works Progress  Administration workers replaced the original wooden front porch deck with concrete, applying the material  also to a retaining wall, stairs, walkways, and basement floor. The duplex basements were enlarged in 1939,  and the wooden veranda columns were replaced with wrought iron supports during the 1950s.

    The 1874-76 officers' quarters had running water within a year of their completion, and indoor plumbing was installed in 1903, when a second upstairs bathroom was added by dividing the original bathroom and adding a small window. Other modem conveniences followed, including electric lights in 1910 and steam heating and telephones in 1911.

    The Officers' Quarters on Officers' Circle are among the most impressive structures at Fort Douglas Heritage Commons - and among the most important, for they will house a diverse array of outstanding University of Utah student scholars and leaders. For these fortunate individuals, living in these homes is anticipated to become, as it was for career Army officers for more than a century, among the most sought- after privileges at the historic complex. When restoration, renovation, and accommodation preparations are completed, nearly 150 students will live in the Officers' Quarters on "the Circle." With easy access to the Chase N. Peterson Heritage Center and the restored Officers' Club, students living in these residences will enjoy living and learning at the "heart" of Fort Douglas Heritage Commons for generations to come.

Copyright © 2001 All rights reserved.
Fort Douglas Military Museum Association
Revised: 11 November 2001.