It was almost three years ago that my dear Alma Matter came crashing down. I posted a short history and personal reflections in a May, 2017 post (see link below). In that post I wrote that it was time for her to rest and quit missing us. Well the school may be gone, but the property has not rested long. There are some great things happening. Let me update you.
Goodbye to Granite High
No longer will the boys swim naked in the “L” building pool (school policy before the 1950’s). There won’t be anyone cussing out referees in the pit-like main gym (using a megaphone stolen from Highland High and repainted red and blue). There won’t be any tater tots flying across the cafeteria to hit you in the back of the head. But, you know, there hasn’t really been anything going on there for almost a decade. It’s time for her to rest and to quit missing all of us as much as we miss her.
Vince Bath Goodbye to Granite High
A Brand New Neighborhood
What was most recently the baseball and softball diamonds, swimming pool and football field has been developed into an upscale 70-home subdivision called Granite Legacy. The homes range from 2500 to 3200 sq. feet with an original price point of about $450,000.
Garbett Homes Granite Legacy Website
All of the lots have been sold and the last dozen or so homes are now being completed.
Residents of the old Granite Neighborhood say these homes have been a very positive development — providing a nice buffer from the more run down part of South Salt Lake and bringing some very nice people into the area.
Paying homage to Granite High’s memory, the street running down the center of the project has been dubbed Letter Hi Lane.
A New Library and So Much More
Maybe even more pleasing than a great new neighborhood is what is happening where the old “L” and “S” buildings once stood (corner of 3300 South and 500 East). Ground will be soon be broken on a beautiful new library. This library (reported to be the largest in the Salt Lake County system) will be much more than just a library.
According to a January 27 article in the South Salt Lake Journal the architects included several design elements paying tribute to Granite High. Among them are preservation of most of beautiful ash trees along 500 East; display of the mosaic seal that graced the floor of Granite’s main entrance (mounted on the wall to prevent trampling by the uninitiated); the granite rock near the main entrance, old Granite-themed photos on the walls and a color scheme reminiscent of Granite’s exterior brick.
The library was also designed with amenities — inside and out — making it more of a community center and taking advantage of the almost three acres that will surround the building.
Outdoor, there will be a fitness trail circling the property. On the site there will be a plaza, public art, a great lawn running from the intersection to the main entrance, an amphitheater, a playground and a dedicated gathering place (think food trucks).
Inside is a large child section including space for active play, story time and media collections. For teens, there will be places for study, play and socializing. There will be technology and create spaces, too, along with meeting rooms and social areas.
Bill Hardesty South Salt Lake Journal
property (“A” building, student parking lot and tennis courts) for their development.
Thank you for keeping us posted. This makes me feel better.
Its great to know all of this info. Thanks
Thank you so much for keeping us updated, will look for future updates
Love this tribute to granite the great school of hard knocks. May her glory be remembered. Thanks again.
Thanks for your efforts, in keeping us up to date regarding our school. Whenever I’m in SLC, I drive past old haunts. This one is hard to see, cuz it feels like a part of me is gone forever…
Love this! I was a Letter Hi 81-82 . We were the second to last year, this street sign makes me so happy!!!!! Yes, I was the “!”
I was surprised on a visit to SLC to see Granite High gone. Was a bit sad but things change. Moved to Idaho in 65 and would hav graduated in 66 from Granite. Graduated at Capital in Boise in 1966. Thanks for the update. Jim Cook. (AKA) Wilford.
Screw you and your crappy houses…
I was glad to hear about the library etc development.
Hello! I live in the area and I now realize that “Letter Hi Lane” street name is a tribute to the Granite High School. I did some googling and found old newspaper articles about GHS’ cheerleading squad and pictures of girls spelling G-R-A-N-I-T-E-! (and even F-A-R-M-E-R-S-! 😮). But I was not able to find anything about origins of the name “Letter Hi’s”. Is there a story behind it? The “Letter” part is sort of guessable, but why “Hi”? I’d like to know more about history of the place where I live, so I would appreciate the answer. Thanks, Andy.
I was the “I” in the group in 1962-63, the 2nd year. The first year they were simply called “banner girls” and were to replace the big heavy banner carried by girls in front of the band during parades. We picked the name as part of our auditions.“Hi” was meant as a greeting, like “Hello,” nothing more. The exclamation was also added that year to allow the alternate to march with us. If one of us was unable to march, the exclamation would wear her letter. This actually happened one of the first times we performed because Sally Mather, the “T”, was chosen as an attendant to the Homecoming Queen and rode in a convertible during the parade, followed by the Letter-Hi’s and band.
Claudia, thanks for the info. I want to learn more and write a nice piece for the blog. I will probably bother you again soon for more..
Andy,
I have been doing a little research on the Letter Hi’s since they have become a topic of conversation lately on the Granite High Buddies Facebook page. It appears the group was started in 1962 to carry the banner in front of the marching band in parades. In 1963 the group adopted the name Letter Hi’s and that’s when the exclamation point was added (to allow the alternate to march with them). They became a precision drill team that performed at football and basketball games. They were kind of the elite extension of the larger pep club drill team. It was a big deal to be selected. They performed until 1983 when a new group called the Marches took their place. I intend to do more resarch and post it on AmericanGrandpa.org in the near future.