Archives West Finding Aid

Richard Karl August Kletting (1858-1943) was born on 1 July, 1858, at Unterboihingen Oberamt, Neuertingen, Werttemberg, Germany. His father, a railroad builder, moved the family often, exposing Richard to drafting, engineering, and stone cutting early in life. In 1879, he obtained a job in the Paris architectural firm which constructed the Sacre Loeur and Credit de Lyonnais. He received a private education and served a mandatory term in the German army before immigrating to the United States in 1883. In Salt Lake City, Kletting found work with John Burton, who was then working on the University of Deseret Building. Kletting soon opened an office of his own. Richard Kletting practiced architecture in Utah from 1890-1920, and became very prominent in his field. He designed over a hundred buildings--residential, commercial, industrial, church, and public buildings. He followed a wide variety of architectural styles, including Romanesque and Victorian, and could work comfortably within a wide range of budgets. He became known for his finely detailed work. Kletting Prolific career included the designs of the Utah State Capitol, the Territorial Insane Asylum, Saltair, the original Salt Palace, the McIntyre Building, Cullen Hotel, and the Felt Building. In addition to his architectural work, Kletting conducted the first night classes in Salt Lake City and undertook the cataloging of the Salt Lake Public Library. After completing his design for the Utah State Capitol in 1912, he went into semi-retirement. He died in an automobile-pedestrian accident in 1943.