Lanny Barnard
Photography: Courtesy of Lanny Barnard
EDITOR’S NOTE: The beautiful depiction of the now-gone but much-beloved “Coalition Building” was created by Park City artist Lanny Barnard. Lanny’s artwork was selected from several dozen pieces submitted as candidates for our 30th anniversary issue cover. Although we loved all of the artwork we received, we felt that Lanny’s painting said “Park City” more than any other. A bit about Lanny and the Coalition Building:
As you enter Lanny Barnard’s Main Street gallery, you are greeted by a bright, eclectic mixture of colors, textures and shapes. The small shop is overflowing with paintings, jewelry, knick knacks and antiques, all of which reflect Barnard’s love and enthusiasm for the Park City area. Her oil paintings are scattered throughout the gallery, and she is happy to point them out to visitors, explaining their inspirations.
Barnard’s painting of the Silver King Coalition Building resulted from her memory of visiting Park City in the winter and being greeted by the stately old building as she drove into town. She recalls, “I always loved the contrast of the white snow against the rusty red of the building. The building reflected character and history, and I tried to create that [in my painting] with the old car and skiers.”
In addition to her depiction of the Coalition Building, Barnard has painted many other Park City scenes. Barnard grew up in Salt Lake City and received her training from the Art Students League of New York City while accompanying her husband, who owned the Chalk Garden clothing store in Salt Lake City, on buying trips. While she does spend time at her art studio in Laguna Beach, she always returns to Utah for inspiration.
She has been painting for more than 40 years and still approaches her art with enthusiasm evidenced in her personality. She says, “I paint every day. I can’t walk past my easel without painting. It’s as exciting to me now as it ever was. Whenever I see beauty in the Park City mountains — aspens, elk, deer — I try to re-create it in a painting.”
Lanny remembers coming to Park City every summer with her family. She especially loved the Fourth of July parades when her children would decorate their tricycles and ride them down the parade route. She also recalls her excitement at the first snowfall of the season and riding up Main Street to a restaurant in a horse and buggy. Her paintings of our town reflect this fond nostalgia.
The Silver King Coalition Mine Building, known simply as the “Coalition Building” by locals, was originally built around 1901. It was the terminus of a tramway which carried ore from the Silver King Mine on the mountain down to Park Avenue to be loaded onto train cars that passed through the first floor of the building. It ceased operating as a mine building in the 1950s and stood empty. During the 1970s, the building’s image was a familiar sight to tourists and locals alike as the logo for Park City Ski Area. Its sturdy and imposing wooden facade greeted visitors to Park City, reminding everyone of the mining legacy of the area. On July 20, 1982, the Coalition Building burned to the ground, thus destroying an icon linking Park City’s mining past to its skiing present. The site is now the location of the terminal for Park City Mountain Resort’s Town Lift chairlift.
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