The Logan Historic Preservation Committee is scheduled to consider a request for a Certificate of Appropriateness regarding lighting and electrical renovations at the Utah Theatre on Nov. 16, 2026. According to a staff report published Nov. 5, the proposal involves updating the façade, sign, and marquee at 18 W Center.
The applicant, Utah Festival Opera Company and Gary Griffin, intends to perform a remodel of the front marquee and sign. The project includes replacing the existing neon trim lighting on the façade, blade sign, and marquee with a neon substitute LED tube light. Additionally, the proponent seeks to update lighting within the UTAH vertical blade sign, install a new lighting system on the underside of the marquee using LED bulbs, and provide general refurbishment of the marquee, reader board, and blade sign.
The proposal includes a request to replace the reader board with an electronic message display (EMD) on the east side of the marquee. However, staff noted that EMD signs are prohibited in the Historic District under the Logan Land Development Code. The report states that permitting an EMD would require an amendment to the Land Development Code, which is outside the review authority of the Historic Preservation Committee.
The Utah Theatre, located at 18 W Center, was built in 1935 and was originally known as the Roxy Theatre before the name was changed in 1958. The large marquee sign was constructed as part of the original façade by the Young Electric Sign Company. The building is currently zoned as Town Center 1/Historic District Overlay (TC-1 HD) and has received a "B" evaluation in reconnaissance level surveys from 1999, 2011, and 2025, indicating it is considered eligible and contributory to the historic district.
Staff recommends that the committee conditionally approve the request for lighting and electrical renovations. The proposal specifies that no changes to the material, color, or shape of the façade, sign, or marquee are proposed, and the project is subject to several conditions, including the requirement that all new signage must obtain a sign permit in accordance with the Land Development Code and Center Street Historic District.
