| Stairs Station Hydroelectric Power Plant Historic District | |
| Nrhp Type: | hd |
| Nocat: | yes |
| Location: | Big Cottonwood Canyon Salt Lake County, Utah United States |
| Nearest City: | Cottonwood Heights |
| Coordinates: | 40.6252°N -111.7441°W |
| Architect: | Jones, R.M. |
| Builder: | Big Cottonwood Power Company |
| Architecture: | Renaissance style |
| Added: | April 20, 1989 |
| Refnum: | 89000284 |
The Stairs Station Hydroelectric Power Plant was built in 1894-1895 in Big Cottonwood Canyon, about 8miles southeast of Salt Lake City, Utah. The plant comprises the powerhouse, switchyard, penstocks, and a pipeline. A dam next to the site is associated with the Granite Power Plant farther downstream, and is part of neither historic district. The powerhouse is the only remaining building associated with the plant. It is an example of an intact high-head generating plant from the late 19th century.[1]
The power plant was originally built with four Pelton wheels, since replaced by a single Francis turbine capable of generating 1.2 megawatts. The station was designed in the Second Renaissance Revival style with two levels, the lower housing the generating equipment, the upper formerly housing switchgear.[1]
Until the late 1950s water was impounded behind the Storm Mountain Dam, built in 1921 to replace an earlier dam about 2500feet above the station horizontally and 200feet vertically. The dam is a low earthfill structure, about 10feet to 20feet high and 500feet long, concrete faced on the upstream side. A 1200feet steel pipeline, now abandoned, connected the dam to a penstock that made the fall to the power plant. The penstock is about 1750feet long, made of 0.5inches steel, with a non-contributing standpipe at its head[1]
The station was designed by Robert M. Jones for his Big Cottonwood Power Company at a cost of $325,000. In 1895 the company contracted to provide power to the Salt Lake and Ogden Gas and Electric Company, In 1897 the Big Cottonwood company was absorbed into the Union Light and Power Company in 1899. An operator's house was demolished on the site at an unknown date.[1]
The Stairs Station was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 20, 1989.