• Bryant Heath
• Distinctive colors and shapes top the Shiners Children’s building, left, and the Salt Lake Acting Co. theater, right.

With our heads buried in our phones while walking or concentrating hard on the bumper in front of us while driving, we don't often get a chance to look around when we're out and about.

If you do happen to get a few fleeting moments to steal a glance at your surroundings, I suggest looking up as you might catch one of the many impressive domed roofs in our city.

I'd imagine most will have a vague recollection of where some of the major ones are located. There's the Matheson Courthouse on State Street across from the City & County building, the Huntsman Center arena on the U of U's campus and, of course, the Tabernacle in Temple Square. But for every grandiose dome that exists in Salt Lake, there are dozens of smaller ones that go unrecognized.

The Shiners Children's building on 1275 E. Fairfax Road in Federal Heights has one of the most distinct domes I've seen due to its aquamarine color and precise lines emitting from the center like rays of light (above left). Another one of my personal favorites is situated atop the Salt Lake Acting Co.'s theater at 168 W. 500 North (above right). The historic building was the former home of the 19th Ward and is believed to be the only Latter-day Saint meeting house built with an onion dome.

The valley's love of domes also extends out into the surrounding suburbs. I particularly enjoy the golden one at the Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church on 5335 S. Highland Drive in Holladay (below left). From the street level, the main dome has a low profile and is relatively flat, so it is a bit obscured from view. But when viewed from above, seeing the gilded roof glistening in the sunlight is quite impressive.

Although religious buildings have a bit of a monopoly on domes, there are secular ones too. My all-time favorites are the ones located at The Shops at South Town, near 10450 S. State Street in Sandy (below right). There, you can find several abstract looking ones with jagged lines and geometric construction. Absolutely dome-founding!

• Bryant Heath
• Domes atop Holladay’s Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church, left, and at Sandy’s The Shops at South Town.