Salt Lake City's oldest private club (est. 1883) carries two documented ghosts—a 1950s member whose cigar started a third-floor fire, and a basement presence connected to a 1960 triple shooting.
100 E South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Research updated June 2026
Age
21+
Cost
$$$$
Private membership club; access requires member sponsorship or a reciprocal club arrangement
Access
Wheelchair OK
Italian Renaissance clubhouse with elevator access
Equipment
No Photos
Est. 1898 · Founded 1883, oldest private club in Utah · 1960 triple shooting (Bertleson/Van Gerren/Sasaki) · Italian Renaissance architecture by Frederick Albert Hale
Eighty-one charter members founded the Alta Club in 1883, drawing their model from established English and San Francisco social clubs at a time when Salt Lake City was still a territorial settlement without statehood. The membership included mining executives, bankers, and civic leaders who operated largely outside the LDS Church's social network—the Alta Club served, in part, as a gathering space for the city's non-Mormon business elite.
The club relocated twice before settling at its permanent address. The current clubhouse opened June 1, 1898, designed by architect Frederick Albert Hale in the Italian Renaissance style. An east wing was added in 1910. A fitness center was completed in 1993, and the club spent $4 million on comprehensive renovation in 2001. As of recent reporting, the club operates with approximately $1.5 million in revenue.
The most documented violent incident in the club's history occurred on July 23, 1960. Jay Bertleson entered the kitchen and fired three rounds into pantry maid Lucille Van Gerren, age 46, killing her. Chef Edward Sasaki struck Bertleson with a large mixing spoon before being shot himself. Bertleson then fled to a basement bathroom and turned the weapon on himself. His motives were never established. The incident is documented in Salt Lake City records and local newspaper archives.
In the 1950s, a member fell asleep in a third-floor bedroom while holding a lit cigar. The resulting fire damaged most of the third floor. The member died. That section of the building remained closed for years afterward.
Sources
The Alta Club's paranormal tradition involves two well-documented figures, each tied to a specific location in the building and to a specific historical incident.
The first is the cigar man. In the 1950s, a club member fell asleep in a third-floor bedroom with a lit cigar. The fire that resulted damaged much of the third floor and killed him. Club members have reported seeing an apparition described as a 'dapper gentleman' in 1950s dress, sitting on a couch and smoking in the main room. The third-floor bedroom where the fire originated remained sealed for decades after the incident.
The second presence is known as the Lady of the Evening. She appears primarily in the basement, announced by the scent of lilac perfume. The basement is where, on July 23, 1960, Jay Bertleson shot and killed pantry maid Lucille Van Gerren, wounded Chef Edward Sasaki, and then shot himself in a basement bathroom. Whether the woman in white represents Van Gerren or an unrelated presence is unresolved. The connection between the 1960 murders and the basement apparition is a matter of folk tradition rather than documented investigation.
Both stories circulate among club staff and members and have been reported in Salt Lake Magazine and documented on regional haunted-history sites. The incidents that anchor them—the cigar fire and the 1960 shooting—are matters of historical record.
Notable Entities
The Alta Club operates as a private social organization at 100 East South Temple in Salt Lake City. Members and guests from reciprocal clubs access the Italian Renaissance clubhouse, where the documented paranormal lore centers on the third-floor bedroom and the basement kitchen area.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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