Westminster dedicates Holt Home, a 1926 French chateau gifted to the college

Westminster dedicates Holt Home, a 1926 French chateau gifted to the college

(Steve Griffin, KSL)


6 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY – Dale and Sheri Holt planted every tree and shrub in the front yard of their former home in the Gilmer Park Historic District.

They meticulously restored the 8,019-square-foot French château, returning the 1926 residence to its former grandeur, going so far as to collect the original furnishings owned by the J.G. Vincent family, who built the home.

Last year, they gifted the historic home to Westminster College for a presidential residence, gathering space and fundraising venue. At the time, the house was worth $4.1 million and the furnishings an additional $600,000.

On Tuesday, the college hosted the couple for the official dedication of the Holt Home, now occupied by Westminster College President Beth Dobkin and her husband Randy Chiotti.

The Holts said the house is ideal for entertaining, which they immensely enjoyed in the 20 years they owned and thoughtfully restored the home. It’s where they hosted family holiday celebrations, weekend pool parties and egg hunts in the lower garden.

Their 19-year-old grandson took the news of the home being gifted to the college particularly hard, Sheri Holt said.

“He said ‘I have the best memories there. Why did you have to move?’ ” Sheri Holt said.

For the Holts, it made more sense to gift the residence to the college than to offer it for sale.

Westminster College president Beth Dobkin gives a tour of the historic Westminster Holt Home in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. The 8,019-square-foot home was built in 1926 and was given to Westminster College by Sheri and Dale Holt. The French chateau-style home will be used for entertaining and meeting space as well as the college president’s residence. (Photo: Steve Griffin, KSL)
Westminster College president Beth Dobkin gives a tour of the historic Westminster Holt Home in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. The 8,019-square-foot home was built in 1926 and was given to Westminster College by Sheri and Dale Holt. The French chateau-style home will be used for entertaining and meeting space as well as the college president’s residence. (Photo: Steve Griffin, KSL)

“The home is just made to be the presidential (residence), it really is. I guarantee you, the University of Utah would like to have something this nice,” Dale Holt said.

Sheri Holt added: “It’s something that people shouldn’t own. It’s something that should be a gift for the city. It’s just really beautiful.”

Plus, the couple had family connections to the college. “Three of our children graduated from Westminster and we have a grandson there now,” she said.

The residence is located a few blocks from the college campus on a .83-acre parcel. The home has a storied history. Its visitors have included former President Franklin D. Roosevelt and several governors of Western states.

The Holts purchased the home in 2003 and set about hiring the best artisans and craftsmen to restore the home. The Holts employed the same painter who restored the Utah Governor’s Mansion, which was gutted by fire in 1993.

Dale Holt said restoration of the home’s great room alone cost more than $250,000, with the artist largely relying on black-and-white photographs provided by J.G. Vincent’s granddaughter. The panels in the great room were restored to fidelity, although one was created with Holt and Vincent in mind. It features wine glass as a nod to Vincent, who was a successful restaurateur, and a lightning bolt for Holt, founder of Codale Electrical Supply Inc.

Westminster College president Beth Dobkin, center, is pictured with with Sheri and Dale Holt at the historic Westminster Holt Home in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. The 8,019-square-foot home was built in 1926 and was given to Westminster College by Sheri and Dale Holt. The French chateau-style home will be used for entertaining and meeting space as well as the college president’s residence. (Photo: Steve Griffin, KSL)
Westminster College president Beth Dobkin, center, is pictured with with Sheri and Dale Holt at the historic Westminster Holt Home in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. The 8,019-square-foot home was built in 1926 and was given to Westminster College by Sheri and Dale Holt. The French chateau-style home will be used for entertaining and meeting space as well as the college president’s residence. (Photo: Steve Griffin, KSL)

Vincent’s portrait hangs in the home’s library, which was an addition to the original home,.

Dobkin, who assumed the presidency of Westminster College last fall, said she and her husband occupy part of the home and the rest is reserved for college functions.

In the past year, the Holt Home has hosted 26 events, which ranged from quiet dinners with college leaders to talk policy to hosting Westminster’s women’s soccer team.

Dobkin and her husband saw the residence prior to moving to Salt Lake City from California, where she was provost and vice president for academic affairs of Saint Mary’s College of California for 10 years.

“It’s a jaw-dropper, right?”

Dobkin said much of their furniture worked well with the architecture and furnishings of the Holt Home, so that helped them feel comfortable living there.

More importantly, it works both as a home and an extension of the college, she said.

“Randy and I have always liked to entertain. So the idea of having a space that was close to campus but still have some distance from campus was ideal. It’s part of campus but it has enough separation for privacy. It’s walkable. We’ve had open houses for the campus last fall and we’ll be doing it again this fall so people can just come and enjoy a snack and a beverage and see the home as part of the campus.

“That was our main thought. This has so much potential,” Dobkin said.

Photos

Related stories

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

UtahEducation
Marjorie Cortez

STAY IN THE KNOW

Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast