The University of Utah Circle, also known as Presidents Circle, is located on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 as a historic district.
In 1900 the University of Utah moved to the current east-bench campus on land that used to belong to Fort Douglas. The four original buildings, which are currently known as the John Widtsoe Building, the LeRoy Cowles Building, the Alfred Emery Building, and the James Talmage Building were built on what is now University of Utah circle.
The district is composed of the following eight buildings, which are all named after former University of Utah Presidents and located along University Circle:
Alfred Emery Building (1901) - Designed by Richard K.A. Kletting and named after former university president Alfred C. Emery in 1980. It was originally built to house the normal school.John Widtsoe Building (1901) - Designed by Richard K.A. Kletting and named after former university president John A. Widtsoe.LeRoy Cowles Building (1901) - Designed by Richard K.A. Kletting and named after former university president LeRoy E. Cowles in 1980. It was originally constructed to house the library. It currently houses the mathematics department at the university. "Extended Vision", a series of etched and screenprinted plates depicting math theories created by artist Anna Campbell Bliss, were installed in the Cowles Building's lobby between 2001 and 2003.James Talmage Building (1902) - Designed by Richard K.A. Kletting and named after former professor and university president James E. Talmage in 1976. It was originally constructed as a museum.Park Building (1914) - Designed by the architectural firm of Cannon, Fetzer, Hansen. Originally named the "Central Building", it was renamed the "Park Building" in 1919 after former university president John R. Park. It currently houses the office of the president as well as other university administrators.Kingsbury Hall (1930) - Designed by Anderson & Young and named after Joseph T. Kingsbury, former president of the University. Many of Utah's performing arts organizations started in Kingsbury Hall including Ballet West and Utah Opera.David P. Gardner Hall (1931) - Designed by Ashton and Evans. In 1980 it was named after former university president David P. Gardner. It was originally constructed to be the union building.George Thomas Building (1935) - Designed by Ashton and Evans and named after former university president George Thomas. It was originally built as the George Thomas Library. In 1968 when the library moved and became the J. Willard Marriott Library the Thomas building became the home of the Utah Museum of Natural History.
