09/28/2026
A piece of Salt Lake City history hiding in plain sight.
If you’ve spent much time downtown, you’ve probably seen the unmistakable Walker Center rising above Main Street — but there’s a lot more history behind that tower than you might realize.
Originally known as the Walker Bank Building, construction began in 1911 and the building opened in 1912. At the time, it became the tallest building in Salt Lake City and served as the headquarters of Walker Bank, a major name in Utah’s early banking history. The building was later added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. �
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But the feature most Salt Lakers recognize is the tower on top. A radio transmitting tower was added in the late 1940s, and after the radio station moved away, it eventually became the famous Walker weather tower. The original tower disappeared from the skyline in the 1980s, but a new 64-foot version was installed in 2008, bringing one of downtown’s most recognizable landmarks back to life. �
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And yes — those lights actually tell you something about the weather:
🔵 Solid blue: Clear skies
🔵 Flashing blue: Cloudy skies
🔴 Solid red: Rain
🔴 Flashing red: Snow
The lighting system has since been upgraded to LEDs, allowing the tower to display additional colors and effects for holidays and special occasions, while still keeping its traditional weather-forecasting role. �
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More than 110 years after it opened, the Walker Center is still standing at the corner of Main Street and 200 South — one of those buildings that instantly makes a downtown Salt Lake City photo feel like home.
📸 How many of you already knew what the colors on the Walker Center meant?
