The Memorial Building was dedicated in 1926 and was the first municipal building constructed in the U.S. in honor of World War I veterans.

Lehi resident William Allen Knight raised the idea of a Lehi Soldiers’, Sailors’ and Marines’ Memorial Building just weeks after the Armistice to end World War I was signed on Nov. 11, 1918, in Compiègne, France.

Construction on the basement of the building began in March of 1919, while now noted architects, Walter E. Ware and Alberto O. Treganza, drew up plans to incorporate a memorial hall, city hall and public library. A $10,000 Carnegie Foundation grant allowed the library to be completed for its Dec. 1921 dedication.

Progress was slower on the other sections. Dedication services for the $55,000 center were held on Memorial Day, May 31, 1926. Since then, the building has served a wide variety of public interests, including city council meetings, court proceedings, public assemblies, political primaries and more.

It has housed a library, jail, city hall and fire station and is home to Lehi’s Post 19 of the American Legion. Since 1996, the building has been home to the Hutchings Museum.

Additional Resources

For more on Lehi’s many veterans, see the Lehi Historical Society and Archives Veterans Collection. Collected by Lehi Historical Society founder, John K. Haws, the collection consists of stories, interviews, documents, photographs and some clothing. To access veteran interviews conducted by Lehi Historical Society volunteer, Judy Hansen Shelley, click here.

The Hutchings Museum’s military collections, as well as ours, can be found on Fold3.