Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
Caucasus - Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Armenia • 15 days, 14 nights
Caucasus Road Trip: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Sidi Ben Achir Cemetery
Hunterian Zoology Museum
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The main entrance to the museum.
General Patton Memorial Museum
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Customize your bowl with sliced pork, pork balls, fish cake, and offal.
Rung Rueang
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Utah Salt Lake City Anderson Tower Monument
AO Edited

Anderson Tower Monument

This granite monument at the site of an ill-conceived tourist attraction is built from the same stone as the Mormon Temple.

Salt Lake City, Utah

Added By
Amanda Mitchell
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  WhiskeyBristles / Atlas Obscura User
  WhiskeyBristles / Atlas Obscura User
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
Anderson Tower   signaturebookslibrary.org
A rainy view from the monument   notoriousFIG / Atlas Obscura User
  JennyBenny / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Sitting innocuously next to an apartment complex, the Anderson Tower Monument remembers an attempted tourist attraction which was subverted by an ironic flaw despite being built from the same granite as the famous Mormon Temple.

Built in 1884 by entrepreneur Robert R. Anderson, the eponymously named Anderson Tower was modeled after the medieval towers of Scotland. It was Anderson's intention to create an attraction where visitors could pay to go to the top of the tower and observe the young city. The tower was built 54 feet high and another 25 feet in diameter using granite mined from the same quarry that had previously supplied the nearby temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Unfortunately the fatal flaw in the plan would seem to be the location. Anderson built his tower atop the highest hill in the region, from the summit of which, visitors already had an impressive and unobstructed view of the Salt Lake Valley.

Due to the lack of interest in paying to ascend the redundant tower, Anderson eventually simply boarded the tower up. In the ensuing years the site was reopened, allowing visitors to climb to the top, free of charge. Unfortunately interest in the tower waned yet again and it was finally demolished in 1932.

Today the only remnant of Anderson Tower is a low-lying monument that is built out of the destroyed tower's own granite. 

Related Tags

Monuments Towers

Know Before You Go

Just north of 300 North on A Street on the west side of the street

Community Contributors

Added By

Divamanda23

Edited By

iNate2000, slgwv, EricGrundhauser, WhiskeyBristles...

  • iNate2000
  • slgwv
  • EricGrundhauser
  • WhiskeyBristles
  • notoriousFIG
  • JennyBenny
  • breaingram

Published

May 12, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://heritage.utah.gov/apps/history/markers/detailed_results.php?markerid=2070
  • http://www.examiner.com/article/the-anderson-tower-a-salt-lake-icon-now-lost-to-history
Anderson Tower Monument
303 North A Street
Salt Lake City, Utah, 84103
United States
40.776141, -111.883654
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Pioneer Memorial Museum

Salt Lake City, Utah

miles away

Seagull Monument

Salt Lake City, Utah

miles away

Solitude Speedway

Salt Lake City, Utah

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City

Utah

Places 17
Stories 6

Nearby Places

The Pioneer Memorial Museum

Salt Lake City, Utah

miles away

Seagull Monument

Salt Lake City, Utah

miles away

Solitude Speedway

Salt Lake City, Utah

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City

Utah

Places 17
Stories 6

Related Places

  • Waterville Valley, New Hampshire

    The Stone Tower

    Off a back road near Waterville Valley, one can find a castle turret built by an eccentric reverend over 100 years ago.

  • Tyndale Monument at sunset

    North Nibley, England

    Tyndale Monument

    A 160-year-old tower built in honor of a scholar who was burned at the stake for translating the Bible.

  • Eslöv, Sweden

    Stenberget (Stone Mountain)

    According to legend, this structure was inspired by the Tower of Babel and built in a 19th-century industrialist's yard so he could walk his dogs without leaving home.

  • Waterloo Pioneer Tower

    Kitchener, Ontario

    Waterloo Pioneers Memorial Tower

    An 18.9-meter tower that pays tribute to the Pennsylvania-German pioneers who settled the Waterloo Region between 1800 and 1803.

  • Tour de l’Échangeur

    Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Tour de l'Échangeur

    Also known as the Limete Tower, la Tour de l'Échangeur can be seen from almost everywhere in Kinshasa.

  • Indianapolis, Indiana

    Soldiers & Sailors Observatory

    This Indianapolis landmark offers a secret panoramic view of the city. 

  • Frank Lloyd Wright Spire

    Scottsdale, Arizona

    Frank Lloyd Wright Spire

    Originally conceived as part of a proposed Arizona State Capitol building in the 1950s, this structure built in 2004 stands as a monument to the architect's legacy.

  • Port Erin, Isle of Man

    Milner's Tower

    A prison tower–like edifice honoring a beloved local benefactor.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.