Wells Fargo gives building to
Mt. Pleasant City
By Ben Lasseter
Staff writer
1-13-2021
MT. PLEASANT—For next to nothing in cost, Mt. Pleasant is moving some offices into the old Wells Fargo building across the street from city hall, following the banking giant’s closure of the branch in August.
This building will be used for city offices and storage, freeing up space in its crowded city hall.
The Utah Heritage Highway 89 Alliance arranged for the bank to donate the building to the organization for city use. The alliance is the management arm of the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area (MPNHA), from which Mt. Pleasant will lease the building for one dollar a year.
“We’ve kind of outgrown our other office,” said Jeanne Tejada, city recorder. “[The new building] gives us more room to spread out in our offices. It’s going give us a lot more space for the things that we have to keep.”
Wells Fargo closed the Mt. Pleasant branch in May. The MPNHA first contacted them to propose the donation agreement in February.
The city finance director, treasurer and two deputy recorders will accompany her in relocating across the street. Tejada expects this to happen within months, but an official date has not been set.
The new building will be easier and safer to access, Tejada said, as there are no ramps or stairs. Visitors who enter will have no trouble finding the two offices, three open-area desks, safes and three elevated reception desks where bank tellers once sat. Tejada said the desk areas and drive-thru windows will be more pandemic-friendly and “ideal for people paying their utility bills.”
The lobby will be home to an exhibit on the story of banking on the city’s Main Street since 1906.
As part of the agreement with Wells Fargo, MPNHA will produce and air a documentary feature on the same subject in its “Discovery Road” series with collaboration from the Wells Fargo public relations department.
Downstairs, there are three larger rooms that could serve as storage space, meeting rooms or otherwise. There are also two utility storage rooms, a bathroom and a kitchen.
The Wells Fargo ATM behind the building will continue to operate.
The current city hall will continue to house meetings of city council and the planning commission, court and offices for court use.
Headquarters of the MPNHA is also located on the top floor of the current city hall. The organization is one of 55 heritage areas in the U.S. and has existed since President. George W. Bush signed it into law on Oct. 12, 2006.
“The Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area is pleased to make available to our chair community, Mt. Pleasant City, this very valuable building,” said Monte Bona, MPNHA director.
A settlement statement from Monday, Jan. 4 valued the building at $430,000.
Mt. Pleasant City Main Street is featured on the National Register of Historic Places. The Wells Fargo building is not classified as a “historic building,” making it a “non-conforming building” in the historic area, Bona said.
Some historic sites on the street include city hall, the original Wasatch Academy building, opened in 1875, and the Wasatch Block Building, which was donated to the city after it was one of the country’s first J. C. Penney stores. The Wasatch Block Building has been refurbished as apartments.
Along with moving into the new building, the city will put up banners along the street to commemorate its designation as a historic place.
For more information on the MPNHA, or to access the “Discovery Road” series, visit mormonpioneerheritage.org.
