A Utah architecture firm is gaining national exposure for its modern homes in the Wasatch Mountains.

Why it matters: Utah historically hasn't gotten much attention for its residential architecture despite our abundance of stunning home sites.

• Few other major population centers directly abut such dramatic topography. But many of Utah's swankiest hillside neighborhoods are generally filled with boilerplate suburban homes or McMansions.

Driving the news: A sleek home above Park City by the firm, Sparano + Mooney, was featured earlier this month in the New York Times.

• In recent years, their Utah home designs have appeared multiple times in national outlets like the Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Catch up quick: Founding partners Anne Mooney and John Sparano have both been recognized as fellows by the American Institute of Architects.

• Their buildings are frequently highlighted in the Utah AIA chapter's annual awards.

What they're saying: The firm was founded in L.A. but expanded to Utah "because of the vast, relatively untapped potential for great architecture in this region," Mooney told Axios.

• "Utah is a dream setting for an architectural home," she said.

Zoom out: You can see their homes around the Wasatch Front and Back.

• Here are some of our favorites.

In Emigration Canyon, this house is covered in steel shingles arranged as scales — like on a desert reptile.

• The cladding "was selected for its resilience to fire and its ability to change and patina in a way that blends in really well to its natural mountain context," Mooney said.

At Powder Mountain, this house is inspired by kirigami, a variation of origami where paper is folded and cut.

• The zinc siding has "standing seams" (ridges like you'd find on a metal roof), making the outside appear pleated.
• Take a look around.

To explore one of Sparano + Mooney's works yourself, the best bet is St. Joseph the Worker Catholic church in West Jordan.

• The main church celebrates Mass daily — but the can't-miss feature is the adjacent day chapel. It's generally open to worshippers from 8am to 7pm Monday through Friday.

New buildings coming

Orem's stunning Dreamwalk Park is drawing crowds to the University Place Mall.

Why it matters: You don't need to be snagged by the ever-viral, TikTok-y cachet of immersive-experience trends like the Meow Wolf and Culturespace franchises to engage with this attraction.

• My kid and I both promise, this is not last year's "immersive" Willy Wonka debacle of Glasgow infamy.

Catch up quick: The walk-through exhibit opened in December at the mall after years of preparation by a team of film set creators.

What's inside: See for yourself.

Tickets: $29.95 for adults, $19.95 for kids 3-12. Adaptive sessions are available with sensory adjustments.

• Based on the line I saw at the door on a Saturday afternoon, you should buy tickets online.

The big question: How does Dreamwalk compare to SLC's Dreamscapes?

• I defer to my 12-year-old: Dreamwalk "is like 'Avatar' Land at Disney World. Dreamscapes is like that fever dream truck stop we went to in Montana. I can't choose."

Go see both

On a Thursday night 144 years ago today, Salt Lakers crowded onto Main Street to see "a new light, such a feeds the torches of the fixed stars and marks their courses through the fathomless ocean whose billions roll shoreless through space" — which is how the Salt Lake Tribune described Utah's first fully functioning electric streetlights.

• This is Old News, where we feel our way back through the darkness of Utah's past until we reach the earliest of commands: "Let there be light."

What drove the news: Three outdoor bulbs were placed near the Walker Brothers' store for the big debut.

• Another 30-some bulbs were placed in adjacent houses, stores and saloons.

The intrigue: The lights were tested the night before, but they didn't work.

• In the words of Edison: "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

Yes, but: On March 31, 1881, they clicked.

• "A faint blue spark was seen to appear simultaneously in these three outdoor globes, and in a few seconds they had developed into the most beautiful and brightest of lights illuminating quite a large radius on the streets and sidewalks," rhapsodized the Salt Lake Herald.
• "A murmur of admiration ran through the wondering crowd as the dazzling light poured upon them," the Herald continued. "The light is brilliant, almost beyond description."

Too much of a good thing?

🦷 Fluoride is banned in Utah's public water systems now that Gov. Spencer Cox has signed H.B. 81 over the protests of dentists and public healh experts.

🏳️‍🌈 Pride and transgender flags will be forbidden in public buildings starting May 7 after Cox allowed the law to take effect without his signature. (Utah Legislature)

🏳️‍⚧️ The world's largest transgender flag was unfurled on the Capitol lawn Saturday in Utah's celebration of Trans Day of Visibility. (KSL-TV)

💰 Median home prices in Summit County are now higher than in San Francisco or Honolulu. (KPCW)

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The South Salt Lake bakery Daydreams Cakes and Pastries posted this amazing video earlier this month.

• It took us a second to realize what the Chanel handbag actually was: cake.

Behind the scenes: This gorgeous creation is the work of Héctor Collin, a student in a class led by Alicia Bernardo, the bakery's owner.

• See more on Instagram.