Heber has hundreds of homes built generations ago by Utah’s pioneers and their descendants. But while they’re a big piece of the valley’s story, they can be difficult and expensive for homeowners to maintain on their own.
“Without a historic district, no historic homes in Heber have any kind of protection, nor do they have any opportunities for grants or tax relief," Heber resident Rachel Kahler said. "And that really surprised me, that we hadn’t done the work, because we have so many beautiful pioneer homes.”
Kahler is the executive director of the Community Alliance for Main Street, and she’s at the helm of a new initiative to create a historic district downtown.
This summer, she’s been knocking on doors, talking to the residents of the city’s distinctive red-brick pioneer homes, trying to garner support for a district.
“It’s a significant amount of work,” she said. “It takes a grassroots effort – this cannot be brought to council from a councilmember; this cannot be brought from the planning [commission]. It has to be the community bringing it to the city in a citizen-led process.”
At least a third of the property owners within the proposed district must agree to it. Kahler envisions a historic zone that stretches from 500 North to 600 South and from 500 East to 600 West. She’s counted more than 350 homes in that area she says would qualify for preservation based on their age and significance. And she’s even identified a handful of homes that were built by the original families who settled the Heber Valley in 1857.
“Of those 11 original families, there’s four or five, maybe even six homes that they built between 1860 and 1890 that still stand,” she said. “I just think that’s so fascinating – that these original originals built these homes, and they still stand, and we need to make sure that those homes are protected.”
She said people shouldn’t be apprehensive about living in a historic home – they can update the interior with modern comforts while preserving the exterior.
Kahler said she’s been inspired by plaques on historic homes in Midway that tell short stories about the buildings’ histories and original families.
“I thought, well, let’s do that in Heber,” she said. “Let’s take a great idea and expand on it.”
She envisions creating a walking tour of the historic properties sometime in 2025 so people can learn more about the city’s story.
In the meantime, she invites locals to come learn more about the initiative at a project next Friday, Sept. 20. There will be live music, art, food and discussion about what a historic district could look like. Details about the event and tickets are available on Eventbrite.
