As a powerful symbol of Utah's justice system, the Utah State Penitentiary in Draper is an architectural complex that engages and implicates us all. Its history should be better known then is the history of its predecessor, once located where Sugar House Park exists today. Like the Sugar House Prison, the Draper Prison is lined up to disappear before the public has a chance to experience or really understand this resource.
Preservation Utah wants to see public tours of the historic prison core occur before it is demolished. That being said, we continue to believe these historic prison buildings have great redevelopment potential (see Salt Lake's Granary District for how buildings once classified as "throw-away" are being adaptively reused). At the very least, we wish to see the prison's chapel be saved. Not only does this chapel have a rich history of its own, but it serves as a reminder of the complicated history (good, bad, and everything in-between) of the Draper prison site.
More information:
Articles Discussing the Utah State Penitentiary Chapel:
- Department of Corrections: Religious Services and Volunteer Information
- 1999, Church News: 'I was in Prison'
- 2013, Deseret News: Prison Volunteers want Draper Facility to Stay Put as a Beacon of Hope
- 2017, City Weekly: Inmate Blues
- 2017, Church Hopping in Utah: Mass in Prison
- 2017, Salt Lake Tribune: Chris Stewart Town Hall Meeting in Prison
- 2020, Salt Lake Tribune: Historic parts of Utah prison shouldn’t get torn down, groups argue
- 2022, Salt Lake Tribune: Why aren’t parts of Utah’s prison being saved for history’s sake?