Time to renovate THE LA SALLE HOTEL in HELPER, UT to glory.

It is time to restore the La Salle Hotel and Restaurant to glory in Helper, UT.

The building is a true stylish beauty. 

Love the view looking straight at the entrance. 

You would need a construction company that specializes in renovation of historic buildings. I did a search and came up with Paulsen Construction in Utah and a company in Portland, OR that restores historic buildings into hotels McMenamins. Look at the back of the building. 

It needs a new fire escape staircase put on. I am sure the back doors would be safer with something to step onto and descend rather then, "Sorry about that Chief. I forgot to tell you about the big step down" Now Helper is a beautiful historic town located in a cirque surrounded by massive rock walls with a beautiful view of Balanced Rock. 

Main Street Helper would be a perfect photo shoot for a motion picture. Town has tons of history and character. 

Here's another view.

 

The La Salle definitely needs to be restored to help complete the renovation of the entire town.

The Price River flows behind the hotel a couple blocks down the road you see above. 

Helper was the most cosmopolitan town in Utah in its heyday. 

In 1928, this small town was comprised of many immigrants from many countries to work the mines. They said 27 different languages were spoken at that time by the various mix of citizens. Helper had a shady past according to the Helper museum. I got tickled by these signs from there. 

and this small printed card at the museum rendition of a "prostitutes bedroom"

and 

and my mom who collected antiques would have loved to have this dry sink in the room. 

and looking straight ahead at the brass bed. 

I liked this historical card on brothels and madams. 

The old advertisements on the old buildings are priceless. Look at this hotel where rooms were only 50 cents a night and an Orange Crush soda for only 5 cents! 

and this famous Piggly Wiggly advertisement.

and of course J.C. Penney had a store at one time.

and the antique items like the old fashioned gas pumps in front of a restaurant. 

Heavyweight Boxing Champion Jack Dempsey even moved close to Helper to start a coal mine at Coal City, UT at one point Jack Dempsey Coal Mine  and the name of the town was changed to Dempseyville or Dempsey City. When Dempsey pulled out of the deal, the city reverted back to its name of Coal City.

The museum has this photo. Notice how his nickname changed to " THE UTAH MAULER" whereas before he was born in the Mormon settlement of Manassa, Colorado and was known as "THE MANASSA MAULER". He was a heavy drinker as well as a boxer. He trained for a fight in Utah at the Dempseyville General store. 

Things are being restored in Helper. The Conoco Filling Station is now a cool Air B n B. 

It has two really cool classic cars in the garage. 

and this beauty. 

Here is a shot of the building lengthwise

The old movie theater that is currently not operating had the coolest posters at the entrance. 

Check these out! 

THE BLACK SCORPION starring the beautiful Mara Corday who at that time was one of the most photographed women in the world. I loved her in the film TARANTULA in the business suit, gloves, and hat. Here she is with actor John Agar who was married to Shirley Temple at one point. 

Using my Walter Mitty mind I remember a favorite line from a film I watched which makes me think about Mara in that business suit, "Something about a woman in a business suit that drives me wild. It's as if they are all tied up in this neat little package waiting for someone to come along and pull the cord that sets everything free.

A woman in a business suit is my idea of art" It's true! They need to get the movie theater working again and hold a HELPER FILM FESTIVAL.

My trip to Helper was some of the most educational fun I have had on an exploratory day trip. It is a time capsule of history and it also shows that "the good old days" were a myth and we should all be thankful for science, medicine, and technology which help us all cope with life. Helper is situated in a beautiful location. Just driving down to the town you enter a mysterious rock canyon so narrow that the walls of the canyon block out the sunlight. It was a surreal trip and just a lot of fun. That is why it is so important that the La Salle Hotel gets renovated because it would give you a cool place to stay overnight or longer in Helper which is an arts community with galleries, coffee shops, restaurants, museums, a library, and a pleasant atmosphere.

It would be a perfect place for the "Daughter of Jesus" to visit.