The Grande Dame: the Hotel Utah (aka the Joseph Smith Memorial Building)

Historic photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections.  Photo dated ca. 1855

The block directly east of the Salt Lake Temple is historically not considered part of Temple Square.  However after the purchase of Main Street between North Temple and South Temple by the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called Mormon or LDS) in 1999 that block feels very much a modern extension of Temple Square.  All of the buildings currently standing on that block have deep Mormon ties, and as such are relevant to the posts about Temple Square.  The Joseph Smith Memorial Building, originally called the Hotel Utah, is the most striking of all of the buildings to me.  It is the only building in Salt Lake that I remember visiting during various vacations throughout my childhood to Utah.  It holds a very fond place in my memory and my heart.

Prior to the construction of the Hotel Utah, the northeast corner of Main and South Temple was the location of the LDS Church's general tithing office, a bishop's storehouse, and a printing location for the Deseret News.

The idea of the Hotel Utah was first conceived in 1909.  While the LDS church was the main investor, it was the brainchild of several prominent Salt Lake businessmen, both Mormon and non-Mormon.  Plans for construction were quickly assembled.  Within two years the the 10-story building was completed.  The building had a concrete and steel structure and was covered with white glazed terra cotta and brick.

At the time of its completion, the Deseret News claimed, "There are larger hotels than the Utah, and there are those which cost more money, but there is not a hotel from the Atlantic to the Pacific which has the elegance, the comfort and the general beauty possessed by the Hotel Utah."  The Hotel Monthly magazine echoed, "No other hotel anywhere in the world has a more interesting or beautiful setting."  Below is a picture of the main lobby.

Historic photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections.  Photo dated 1911.

The Hotel played an important role in early Utah social life.  "The largest and finest bar in the West" was installed in the basement to help pay for the cost of construction.  Due to its central location at South Temple and Main, it become a convenient location for gatherings, and latter became a location for parties during prohibition and the jazz era of the 20's and 30's.

The Hotel hosted every president from Taft in 1911 to Ronald Reagan in the 1980's.  Taft, who was the heaviest president ever, lodged in the $6-a-day Presidential Suite.  Records from his stay show that for breakfast "Big Bill" ate broiled sirloin steak, bacon, eggs, cantaloupe, sliced peaches, potatoes mashed in cream, toast, rolls, and coffee.  The meal cost $2.15.

The hotel went through several renovations after its construction.  By 1925 the Hotel had added an additional 164 rooms.  In 1940 an underground parking garage was added, which some claim to be the first of its kind in the US.  In 1961 the restaurant on the roof of the building was enclosed to provide year around dining.  Air conditioning was added in 1967.  In 1974 the East and West wings were expanded towards the north to accommodate 160 new guest rooms, a grand ballroom, a spacious exhibit area, smaller meeting rooms, and another restaurant.  Evidence of this expansion can be seen upon close examination of the building.  If you look at the wall on the west side of the building while standing in Main Street Plaza, you may notice that the bricks about 2/3rds of the way from South Temple suddenly turn to a slightly different shade of white, although they are hard to notice unless you know to look for them.

Historic photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections. Photo dated 1914.

In January, 1978 "the grande dame" was named to the National Register of Historic Place, for, as the state-prepared nomination form says, its uniqueness, "architectural beauty, historic location, and tradition [that] makes it the best known hotel in Utah."

Historic photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections.  Photo dated 1911.

In 1987, the Hotel closed for extensive renovations.  The building reopened in 1993 as the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.  Then-president of the LDS church Gordon B. Hinkley decided to name the building after Joseph Smith because Utah's capital had several locations named in honor of Brigham Young yet none in honor of Mormonism's founder.  Today, the building continues to serve the LDS Church and includes the FamilySearch Center, the Legacy Theatre, three restaurants, and several rooms that can be rented for receptions and weddings.

2011 was the 100 year celebration of the building.  An excellent website was developed where people can record their memories about the Hotel Utah.  The stories are touching, and I encourage you to go through and read a few.  A quick blurt from one of the stories from 1934 goes, "We stayed at the Hotel Utah that night and it seemed like the spacious beauty of Heaven."

Historic photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections.  Photo dated 1912.

Thanks to the following websites for their assistance in researching the Joseph Smith Memorial Building: Wikipedia, hotelutah100.com, and the Deseret News.

LOST IN HISTORY: On a yearly basis, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building is in the news because of a specific animal that started calling the building its home in 1984.  What is the animal?

Answer to the previous "Lost in History":  Three temples located in Utah were announced after construction had begun on the Salt Lake Temple but were completed before Salt Lake Temple finished in 1893.  These were the temples located in St. George (1884), Logan (1884), and Manti (1888)

Salt Lake LDS Temple

Historical photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections.  Photo dated ca. 1887

On the 24th of July, 1847, pioneers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as Mormons or LDS) arrived in the Salt Lake Valley.  A mere four days latter, the 28th of July, Brigham Young, the leader of the Mormons, drove his cane into a spot of ground and declared that the location would be where the LDS members would build the Salt Lake Temple.

Constructing the temple was a long, 40 year affair.  Truman O. Angell, Sr. was named head architect of the building.  He traveled to Europe to study the cathedrals located around the continent.  Young gave Angell a very rough sketch of the building that he wanted constructed.  "Brigham Young drew upon a slate in the architect's office a sketch, and said to Truman O. Angell: 'There will be three towers on the east, representing the President and his two counselors; also three similar towers on the west representing the Presiding Bishop and his two counselors; the towers on the east the Melchisedek priesthood, those on the west the Aaronic priesthood.  The center towers will be higher than those on the sides, and the west towers a little lower than those on the east end.  The body of the building will be between these.'" 

Young originally called for the site of the temple to be forty acres but later reduced it to ten acres to make it compatible with the ten-acre blocks proposed for the city.  The reduction in the lot size left the Salt Lake Temple on what is the northeast quadrant of the present site rather than what would have been the middle of the originally proposed forty-acre site.

The temple holds a central location in Salt Lake geography.  Salt Lake is laid out in a grid with South Temple and Main Street, which previously was called East Temple, serving a zero.  Every block traveled from those roads, the address increases by 100.  It can be a horribly confusing system for visitors, but once you finally figure it out, it makes it incredibly easy to get around anywhere in the Salt Lake Valley.  It also makes it so that every address in Salt Lake Valley refers to how far that location is from the Temple.  For example, 900 E 900 S is nine blocks east and nine blocks south of the Temple and Temple Square.

In 1852, construction began on the 14 foot wall around the temple block, now known as Temple Square.  During a conference held in October 1852, Heber C. Kimball asked whether the temple should be built using sandstone, adobe, or "the best stone we can find in these mountains."  The congregation voted for the best stone possible.  In the mid 1850's, deposits of granite were discovered in Little Cottonwood Canyon, twenty miles southeast of Salt Lake City, and it was determined that it should be quarried for the temple's construction.  The temple site was dedicated on Fedruary 14, 1853.  Some claim that the photo below is a image of the groundbreaking ceremony.

Photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections

The Utah War started in 1857, sending US troops to Utah.  To protect the temple grounds, pioneers covered the temple foundation to make it appear as if it were a farm.  After the tensions eased in 1858, the foundation was uncovered only to discover that several of the sandstone blocks originally used had cracked.  These stones were removed and replaced with granite stones from the Little Cottonwood Quarry.  Rebuilding the foundation proceeded slowly; the foundation did not reach ground level until 1867, fourteen years after the original cornerstones were laid.  The picture below shows Temple Square and the temple's foundation in 1867.

Photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections

In 1869, a solution was found to the extremely long trip required to haul stone by oxen.  In 1869 the transcontinental railroad had been completed at Promontory Summit and in that same year a rail line called the Utah Southern was completed towards Utah County.  Near the south end of the Salt Lake Valley, this rail line curved towards the east, following the current TRAX line in Draper, to make the Little Cottonwood Quarry more accessible.  Shipping the stone blocks to the temple via rail car rather than oxen saved considerable time and dramatically sped up the temple's construction.

Historical photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections.  Photo dated 1886.

Construction steadily continued until April 6, 1892, when LDS members gathered at Temple Square to hear "The Capstone March" played by a local band.  That day the capstone, the circular ball on the center eastern spire, was placed.  The ball was hollowed out and filled with scriptures, books, and historical mementos, including music, coins, photographs, and "a polished brass plaque inscribed with historical information."  Later that day the 12.5 foot tall statue of the Angel Moroni, the first on any temple in Utah, was placed atop the 210 foot tall eastern spire. 

Photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections

Photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections

 Photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections

After construction was completed, then-president of the LDS church Wilford Woodruff asked that the interior of the temple be completed within one year.  Carpenters, artists, glassblowers, and seamstresses worked almost constantly to complete the project within the proscribed timeframe.  Woodruff dedicated the temple on April 6, 1893, exactly forty years after the cornerstone was laid.  At the time of construction, the temple cost $3.5 million to complete.

 Historical photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections.  Photo dated 1908

Historical photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections.  Photo dated 1911

While constructing the Temple, the Mormon pioneers crafted several symbolic features into the building's stones.  One of the most prominent is the Big Dipper, which is on the west side of the building.  The constellation references how the temple can help people find their way back to heaven.  One of my favorite symbolic additions are the "moonstones", stones with the moon cut into them, near what would be the top of the 1st floor.  These stones, which represent life in all of its phases, if followed from right to left successively represent the moon's new, first-quarter, full, and third-quarter phases.  If you'd like to read more about the symbolism in the building, click here.

While Temple Square is the most popular tourist attraction in Utah, only Mormons with a temple recommend can enter inside of the building.  In 1911 a man named Gisbert Bossard took several photos inside the temple.  The photos were given to Max Florence who attempted to sell them in New York while conducting a series of lectures using the photos.  This controversial issue died once a buyer could not be found, and the LDS church published the book House of the Lord, which contained higher quality photos of the temple's inside.  Currently photos of the interior can be seen in the South Visitors Center and a very elaborate diorama of the inside of the building can be viewed at this KSL site.

Photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections

Photo courtesy of moroni10.com

A common rumor associated with the Salt Lake temple is that Brigham Young had the foresight or revelation from God to keep the pillars hollow, which were later used as elevators.  Unfortunately, this is just an urban myth and is not true.  The areas were kept hollow for elevators, but the technology was already know by the temple's builders.  In fact, the technology existed long before the construction of the Temple; the Palace of Versailles had an elevator installed as early as 1743.  

Another common rumor about the Temple are about the numerous tunnels leading to and from the Temple to various locations around Salt Lake City.  Utah Stories did an excellent summary of the tunnels, discussing that there are tunnels and many are used on a daily basis by temple patrons.  There is the possibility of other tunnels, which is not unusual of any city older than 100 years.  Finally, Utah Stories discusses additional tunnels found around Salt Lake City, including the tunnel from the City and County Building to what was previously the jail, now currently the public library.

Probably the most fantastic legend regarding the temple is about the statue of the Angel Moroni.  Rumors claim that the statue is made of pure gold, although it is actually made of bronze and covered in gold leaf (one story I heard claims that someone once tried to steal the statue using a helicopter because they thought that it was solid gold).  Many claim that the gold came from the Lost Rhodes Mine, a mine somewhere in the Uinta mountains.  One website states, "The story begins with Brigham Young adopting and baptizing Chief Wakara, of the Ute Indians, as a member of the Mormon Church.  Wakara made an agreement with Brigham that he could designate one man as his representative and Wakara would show him where a fabulous gold mine was located.  Brigham designated Thomas Rhoades as his representative.  Wakara took Rhoads to the secret place where the gold was hidden, only after he and Brigham had agreed that no other man would ever know it's location.... According to the story the mine was located in the Unita Mountains, in an area approximately 75 miles long from Hanna to White Rocks."  Legend says that the mine brought a bounty of gold wealth to the early Mormon church, but all attempts to find it since have been fruitless.

Historical photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections.

Thanks to the follow sites that assisted me in researching about the Salt Lake Temple: Utah.com, Wikipedia, Brigham Young University, mormonnewsroom.org, holyfetch.com, and Utah History to Go.

LOST IN HISTORY: Although the Salt Lake Temple was the first temple that the Mormon pioneers in Utah started constructing, it was not the first to be completed.  Which temples in Utah were completed before the Salt Lake Temple?

Answer to the previous "Lost In History": The historical item that was attached to the center spire of the Assembly Hall was the angel attached to the top of the Nauvoo Temple.  Although this angel is often associated with Moroni due to Moroni's prominence atop LDS temples, the angel was of no individual in particular.  As opposed to the current image of the angel Moroni, which stands vertically, the angel atop the Nauvoo temple laid horizontally.

Salt Lake Assembly Hall at Temple Square

Historical photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections

Finding ample meeting space was a constant struggle for the early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (also referred to as the LDS or Mormon church).  After building multiple tabernacles and boweries, the pioneers finally constructed the Tabernacle which currently sits on Temple Square in Salt Lake City.  The Tabernacle could not be adequately heated during the winter and consequently in 1877 the old (or adobe) tabernacle was demolished in order to construct the Assembly Hall.

The Assembly Hall was built mostly using left over granite from the Salt Lake Temple.  Unlike the Temple, the granite for the Assembly Hall was not finished nor polished which gives it a rougher, gray appearance.  Construction continued for 3 years, and the building was dedicated in 1882.

Historical photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections.  Original photo dated 1910

During construction, the building was often referred to as the "new tabernacle."  Then president of the LDS church John Taylor corrected the confusion by naming it the "Salt Lake Assembly Hall" in 1879.  Every member of the Latter-day Saint community was asked to contribute the equivalent of one day's pay or one day's labor to the construction of the building.  The building originally was meant to hold around 3,000, but it currently only sits around 1,400, less that the old, adobe tabernacle that was razed.  People from Provo may recognize the building because the Assembly Hall was used as a blueprint for later construction of the Provo Tabernacle.

The building has several architectural features that I have found confusing, one being the prominent star of David over the entrance.  The year the building was finished, 1880, was the "jubilee year," or 50th anniversary of the founding of the LDS church.  Consequently builders decided to incorporate the star in reference to the Israelite jubilee celebrations in the Old Testament.  An additional oddity are the spires, several of which are truncated.  These spires previously served as chimneys.  Finally, I have often wondered about the incorporation of the large flowers around the ceiling.  These flowers are sego lilies, the Utah state flower and an important food source for early pioneers.  Murals of important figures and locations in the LDS church were previously painted on the ceiling, although these have since been removed.

 Historical photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections.  Original photo dated 1880.

Historical photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections.

Extensive renovations occurred between 1979 and 1983, which mainly consisted of making the building and its roof more structurally sound.  Like the Tabernacle, the Assembly Hall has mainly served as a meeting hall and a location for musical concerts. It still fulfills that purpose today, serving as the location for the Temple Square Concert Series, meetings, and overflow for General Conference, a bi-annual LDS meeting.

Historical photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections.  Originally photo dated 1927.

Thank you to the following sites for resources and information regarding the Assembly Hall: Utah.com, elliotti.tripod.com, byujourneys.org, Wikipedia, and ldsarchitecture.wordpress.com.

LOST IN HISTORY: Originally the Assembly Hall had an interesting historical item, which was later removed, attached to its center spire. What was it?

Answer to the previous "Lost In History": The ingredient that was included in the plaster for the Tabernacle ceiling to make it harder was cattle hair.

The Salt Lake Tabernacle: the Church of the Holy Turtle or an Architectural Masterpiece?

Historical photo from Utah.gov Digital Collections.  Photo dated between 1863-1867

When determining where to begin in highlighting Salt Lake's history, an obvious answer emerged: religion.  Salt Lake's history is founded on religion.  I want to highlight several of the religious buildings throughout the town, both Mormon and non-Mormon.  It is only appropriate to start the discussion about religion with a discussion on Temple Square.

For the first installment about Temple Square I want to highlight the Tabernacle.  Discussion regarding some type of assembly hall amongst pioneers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS or Mormons) begun almost upon arriving in Salt Lake Valley in 1847.  Temple Square was designated as the location for the future Mormon temple and as a result, an assembly hall at Temple Square logically followed.

The first type of structure built was a bowery, located in the southwest corner, around the area where the Assembly Hall is currently located.  A bowery is an open sided building with a roof of branches to provide some type of covering.  The first bowery was assembled on July 31, 1847 by pioneers returning from the Mormon Battalion.  This bowery was replaced with another in 1849.  

In 1852, the first tabernacle at Temple Square, called the Old Tabernacle or sometimes the Adobe Tabernacle, was constructed in the Assembly Hall's current location.  Even though it was able to hold 2,000 to 3,000 people, it was too small even before it was completed.  To hold the ever-increasing Mormon crowds, a third bowery was constructed outside the Old Tabernacle in 1853.  The Old Tabernacle was razed in 1877 for the construction of the Assembly Hall.   BYU compiled an excellent history of the Old Tabernacle and boweries located at Temple Square, which can be read here.  Below is a picture of the Old Tabernacle and the third bowery.

Photo courtesy of BYU Religious Studies Center

Construction of the Tabernacle started in 1863.  The building was designed to lie on the center line axis of the Salt Lake Temple.  One source that I found stated that the inspiration for the Tabernacle came from a similar building that was once proposed while the Mormon pioneers were living in Nauvoo, Illinois.  A more entertaining story (and possibly more common) is that Brigham Young came up with the idea while contemplating over an egg shell cracked in half length wise.

Stone for 46 supporting piers was cut from Red Butte Canyon, on the east side of Salt Lake City, and lumber was hauled from the Wasatch Mountains.  Young wanted a self-supporting domed building to allow for clear sight lines.  To accomplish this, large pieces of timber were steamed while being weighted on both sides.  Skeptics argued that the whole roof would collapse upon removal of the scaffolding.  In place of nails, which were a rarity at the time, the Tabernacle was constructed using wooden pegs which were bound with rawhide.  Its seating capacity was 8,000, although it currently holds less due to the extra legroom between pews that was added during the 2005 renovations.  The pioneers, trying to make the craftsmanship look as exquisite as possible, painted the pew benches to look like oak and the pillars to look like marble.  Construction continued until 1875. Below are pictures from inside the ceiling, which is 9 feet thick.

Photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections

Photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections

One of the most noteworthy pieces of the Tabernacle is the organ.  Construction of the organ continued after the completion of the Tabernacle.  The organ was completed in 1870.  Originally it held 700 pipes; with time it expanded, and currently there are 11,623 pipes, making it one of the largest organs in the world.  One source I found stated that it is the 12th largest while another quoted it being the 16th.  One interesting note is that the pipes on the facade are actually made of wood and not metal.

Historical photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections.  Photo dated from the 1950's

Another incredible part of the building is its amazing acoustics.  The elliptical domed shape of the Tabernacle allows for incredible amplification of noise.  On tours, LDS missionaries will drop a pin while standing at the pulpit.  The slight noise from this pin drop can be heard at the back of the building.  In 1870, the gallery, more commonly known as the balcony, was added to additionally aid the acoustics.  Currently, some argue that the building is acoustically perfect.

Historical photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections.  Photo dated 1905

According to Wikipedia, "The structure was an architectural wonder in its day, prompting a writer for Scientific American to comment on 'the mechanical difficulties of attending to the construction of so ponderous a roof.'  Some visitors around the beginning of the 20th century criticized it as 'a prodigious tortoise that has lost its way' or 'the Church of the Holy Turtle,' but Frank Lloyd Wright [who is arguably the most famous American architect ever] dubbed the tabernacle 'one of the architectural masterpieces of the country and perhaps the world.'"

While the Tabernacle has had several significant purposes, such as the home of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Utah Symphony Orchestra before the construction of Abravenal Hall, the building was often associated the bi-annual conference held by the LDS church, commonly referred to as General Conference.  By the end of the 20th century, the LDS church had far outgrown the building, and in the April 1996 conference, then President Gordon B. Hinckley announced the construction of a new 26,000 seat conference center which would be located at the block north of Temple Square.  This building, now called the LDS Conference Center, was finished in 2000. 

In 2005, the Tabernacle closed for 2 years to allow for seismic upgrades and renovations.  

The building is a one-of-a-kind example of early Mormon pioneer architecture and is open for tours on a daily basis.  You can attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir practice, which is usually Thursday evenings between 8 and 9:30 PM, and the Sunday broadcast of the Choir performing with Music and the Spoken Word which is the oldest continuous nationwide network broadcast in the world and the third longest running US television series.  Organ recitals are at 12 PM Monday through Saturday and 2 PM on Sundays.  Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, an additional organ recital occurs a 2 PM Monday through Saturday.

Below are additional photos of the Tabernacle throughout the years.

Photo Courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections

Photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections

Historical photo courtesy of Utah.gov Digital Collections.  Photo dated 1909 

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia.com

Thanks to the follow sites for assistance and information regarding the Tabernacle: Utah.com, lds.org, mormonsoprano.com, and Utah History To Go.

LOST IN HISTORY:  Skeptics argued that the Tabernacle roof would collapse upon removal of the scaffolding.  Several measures were instituted to assure that this did not occur, including plastering the roof to give it additional strength.  This plaster contained a very unusual ingredient.  What was it?  The answer will be included in the next "Lost in History" segment.

Urban Myth 3: Gilgal Garden and the Joseph Smith Sphinx

For my third and final urban myth, I wanted to focus on an often circulation story about a sculpture in Salt Lake City that is a sphinx with the head of Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism.  Unlike the previous urban myths, this is not a myth at all; it is actually a real place.  The sphinx of Joseph Smith is located in what I would argue is the most quirky sculpture garden in Utah: Gilgal Gardens.

The history of the Garden on Wikipedia reads: "Thomas Child, a masonry contractor and Bishop of the 10th Salt Lake LDS ward, conceived of a symbolic sculpture garden that would be a retreat from the world and a tribute to his most cherished religious and personal beliefs.  He began building the garden in the back yard of his family home in 1947, when he was 57 years old, and continued to pour his time and money into the work until his death in 1963.  Child named the garden Gilgal after the Biblical location where Joshua ordered the Israelistes to place twelve stones as a memorial.  The name 'Gilgal' is sometimes translate to mean 'circle of standing stones,' an appropriate appellation for a sculpture garden.  Gilgal is also the name of a city and a valley in The Book of Mormon, a sacred scripture in Mormonism.

"Many of the sculptures and quotations found at Gilgal refer to LDS themes: the restoration of the Priesthood, the great Mormon migration west, and the many similarities Child saw between the ancient Israelists and his LDS forefathers.

"Although Child was not a classically trained artist, he went to great lengths to obtain and shape the perfect stones for his beloved garden.  He created a complete workshop in his yard for handling and cutting the stones, proudly stating that all the finish work for his statues was completed on the site.  

"The finished statues are likewise unconventional, even eccentric: a sacrificial altar, a shrine to Child's beloved wife Bertha, even a sphinx with the face of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith, Jr.  Child, who shared the garden with thousands of visitors over his lifetime, knew that not everyone would appreciate his particular vision.  His primary concern, however, was the the garden would succeed in marking people think: 'You don't have to agree with me,' he said.  'You may think I am a nut, but I hope I have aroused your thinking and curiosity.'

"Until 2000, the Garden was owned by the late Grant Fetzer family.  Fetzer was a neighbor who bought the property after Child's death in 1963.  Only open on Sundays, the garden was visited and often vandalized by late night trespassers.  The family, tired of keeping up the garden considered making it the centerpiece of an apartment development.  Later a plan was floated by a Canadian company to teach down the garden and put in condominiums.

"Instead, a group of citizens called the Friends of Gilgal Garden, headed by Hortense Child Smith, the widow of Child's son, purchased an option to buy the property provided they could raise funds by January 10, 2000.  The group arranged a $400,000 commitment from Salt Lake County and $100,000 each from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation, covering the lion's share of the purchase price.  However these commitments were conditioned on the garden becoming a city park, which Salt Lake City Council was reluctant to take because of a budget crunch.  The property was eventually purchased for $679,000 and turned over to the city.  On October 21, 2000, Gilgal Garden reopened as a city park.  At a ceremony celebrating the occasion, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson called the Garden 'an absolute jewel.'"

Gilgal Garden, the only visionary art environment in Utah, is located at 749 E 500 S in Salt Lake City.  It is sandwiched between two houses and is incredibly easy to miss if you don't know its there.  In fact, I have talked with several locals that did not even know that it exists.  The Garden is open from 8 AM to 8 PM from April to September and from 9 AM to 5 PM from October to March.

My favorite art piece at the Garden is one of Child himself.  Child created a statue of himself with brick pants.  He pieced all the bricks together before firing to make sure the statue would look correct, he disassembled the bricks, and numbered each one.  However, during the firing, the numbers ran off.  Child had to reassemble the brick pants much like a jig-saw puzzle in order to put the statue back together.

Below are several pictures of the Garden.  Immediately below is the location of the garden, between the two houses on the north side of the road.  As I said earlier, it can be easy to pass by.

Similar to Hobbitville, there are several stones throughout the Garden with sayings carved into them.  Most of the sayings are scriptures from the Mormon Canon (the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price)

Photo courtesy of visitusa.com 

The piece below is a representation of a sacrificial altar.

The famous brick pants.

Courtesty of bestroadtripever.com

An archway with a very large keystone and four books representing the Mormon canon.

At the Gardens are a couple of really cool bird houses.

Gilgal's wife.  Yes, it does look as spooky in real life.

A representation of Daniel 2

Gilgal Garden is one of my favorite place in Salt Lake, simply because of it one-of-a-kind quirkiness.  It is a beautiful area and a fun place to visit.  If you would like more information about the Gilgal Garden or would like to make a tax deductible donation, please visit the Friends of the Gilgal Garden website.

While researching Gilgal Gardens, I came across some really cool artwork by Ryan Perkins.  I wanted to include his piece entitled "The Man Child (in Gilgal)" which is an image of the statue of Child wearing the brick pants.

Courtesy of ryanperkins.net

LOST IN HISTORY:  Thomas Child was the bishop of the ward that met at the 10th Ward Meeting House.  This building still stands.  Where in Salt Lake is it located?  As an additional help, there is an image of the building behind the statue of Child wearing the brick pants.