words and photos by: Scot Zimmerman
Monday is Pioneer Day, the day Utahns jubilantly celebrate the arrival of the first settlers, those brave souls who trekked over a thousand miles to make a home in the wild Western lands.
It’s easy to get caught up in the pageantry and parades without thinking about what life was like for the early settlers. Hence, I am featuring a pioneer home this week.
Homes tell stories about the people who built and lived in them, and yes, I’ll admit that I am an ardent fan of architectural preservation. Often, in my experience, people who simply love a home and what the home represents do wonderful and unheralded preservation. The rest of us benefit from their efforts to maintain the homes and to demonstrate their livability.
This 1893 brick home built southwest of Midway’s center is a joy to see and photograph. Shosho Zipprich, a painter and art and antique collector, has owned the home for at least 40 years. Just this morning she stopped by with a book and to say hello. I thought of her perfect Pioneer home for the Pioneer Day blog. It sits on a half acre, and I have featured two of the garden shots before, but this time her fabulous garden is within the context of the home.
With minimal alterations, she demonstrates how well the home functions set with antiques and artwork, many of which predate the home by a hundred years. The public spaces are the parlor, dining room, and a den with a library and TV, and all exude a welcome comfort.
The home is a little bit over 1,000 square feet, and additionally there is kitchen where she famously turns out gourmet meals, a solarium, and two bedrooms I didn’t photograph, as well as the workshop/gallery in the garden.
The gallery is open to the public, Wildwood Designs, and you walk through the lovely grounds to get there.
