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SAVED!
Allen Park was purchased by Salt Lake City and opened to the public on October 4, 2020.
“Allen Park is a rare opportunity to preserve almost seven acres of unique ecosystem in a historic area that would otherwise be developed by private entities,” Mayor Mendenhall said. “We have heard the request from many members of our community to use parks impact fees to purchase this land, and are grateful for an opportunity to be able to do so.”
“This is an iconic parcel in a City that needs more open space,” said Chris Wharton, City Council Chair. “We hope we will have partners to help make it an important public park soon.”
https://www.slc.gov/parks/allenpark/
https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2020/03/31/salt-lake-city-under/
For the last decade, this c. 1890 former LDS chapel in Taylorsville has served Utah’s Shia Muslems as a gathering place and worship center. Thanks to grants provided by the Chicago-based Center for Sacred Places, money to comprehensively restore this important building may soon be available. Preservation Utah worked intensely with the Al-rasool Center and with the Taylorsville’s Historic Commission to prepare a grant application that, if accepted by Sacred Places, could open the door to hundreds of thousands of dollars in restoration financing.
1100 East and 700 South, Salt Lake City
Standing on the southeast corner of the Judge Memorial School block, with a commanding view of Salt Lake City below it, Our Lady of Lourdes catholic church has served the city and the catholic community continuously for the past 110 years.
As the catholic diocese is planning the relocation of Judge Memorial High School, and the sale of the property on which it sits, the historic church is being threatened with demolition. Please help us save this sacred building and important landmark of Salt Lake City history.
At the time of the Church’s construction, the land now occupied by Judge Memorial Catholic High School was the site of Judge Memorial Miners’ Home and Hospital (Judge Mercy Hospital). Mrs. Mary Judge, widow of miner John Judge, made a sizable donation to the Diocese in 1900 for the construction of this institution which opened in 1910 to provide care for infirm and retired miners, and miners who needed medical treatment often associated with black lung disease. The hospital was underutilized and closed in 1915, but in 1918 Bishop Scanlon of the Catholic Diocese turned operation of the hospital over to the Red Cross who used it to serve influenza (Spanish Flu Pandemic) patients from throughout the valley. In 1922 the hospital became Judge Memorial Catholic School. 
Over the next 100 years, the small church next door, that is, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, welcomed, promoted and supported Catholic education Kindergarten through Grade 12. Ultimately, in the mid 20th century, the parish built Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Elementary School staffed by Sisters of the Holy Cross next to the Church. Judge Memorial became a high school grades 9 through 12.
Lourdes Church has been and continues to be the spiritual home of a dynamic, welcoming faith community. In addition to celebration of daily Mass, 5 Masses are celebrated on weekends: 3 in English, 1 Korean and 1 Filipino/1 Spanish on a rotating basis. Several movies were filmed in the Church including Stephen King’s The Stand. During the World War, the parish bought war bonds with building funds in anticipation of their post war 1951 remodel.
Presently, the Diocese of Salt Lake City is exploring the possibility of selling the property on which Judge Memorial and Our Lady of Lourdes Church are located. The parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, many neighbors, community partners and alumni of Judge Memorial would like to keep their historic church. The Church is home to a vibrant, ethnically diverse and charitable community, financially solvent and in great condition. It is important to note that despite its rich history, unique architecture and listing on the National Register of Historic Places, the church itself is under no historical protections.
If you would like to join us in our mission to keep Our Lady of Lourdes Church in our community please do the following:
- Please send your kind thoughts and hopes of preservation to: Most Reverend Oscar A. Solis, Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, Diocesan Pastoral Center, 27 C Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84103.
- We also encourage you to sign our Google Form to indicate your support for Our Lady of Lourdes building. We will use this to gather and forward your messages of support to key decision makers.
SL Tribune Article:
Worshippers hope — and pray — to save SLC church next to Judge Memorial HS from wrecking ball
Preservation Utah Position Statement on the Provo Temple
Provo’s Modernist Temple has served as a unique spiritual beacon for the past five decades and has been revered by people throughout Utah Valley and beyond. Preservation Utah asks church leadership to save the Provo Temple and, by so doing, show as much consideration for those who hold the Provo Temple dear as the church has shown those who love and revere the other temples that have been so carefully preserved and updated over the past decade.
More Information
Make a Public Comment
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints welcomes comments. Please email Brother Juan Becerra at to share your thoughts on why this temple should be preserved.
Facebook Page
Articles
- David Amott / Salt Lake Tribune
- Rob McFarland / Daily Herald
- Tom Fairholm / Personal Blog
- Tracey Smith / Opinion Piece
Photography Contest
Video Lectures
- Why does the Provo Temple Matter? - by Preservation Utah
Salt Lake City Public Safety Building (Historic Northwest Pipeline Company Headquarters), 1958
315 East 200 South, Salt Lake City
Updated 2/17/2022 at 9 am
Thank you! The Utah State Historic Tax Credit remains safe. H.B. 262 didn't make it past its committee hearing. There was support online and within the committee itself for the tax credit. We will continue to keep our eyes on any threats to the bill and keep you informed.
A bill was launched in the Utah State House of Representatives (H.B. 262 - Lines 77 and 1167) which if passed would have:
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- Reduced the Utah preservation residential tax credit from 20% of qualified expenses to 10% of qualified expenses – lines 1166-1167. If someone spends $10K on a project they would get a $1,000 state income tax credit instead of $2,000.
- Eliminated the credit for corporate income tax (line 77). This would make it harder for corporations to utilize the credit when rehabilitating historic spaces for residential use or to invest in these projects.
In aggregate, the inclusion of the preservation tax credit in this bill threatened the preservation movement in Utah. Not only would this bill, if passed, make residential historic preservation projects more difficult to pencil out, but it would hit many historic preservation-minded businesses who have come to depend on this credit, either directly and indirectly.
Anderson House in Manti who received the tax credit.
What you can do to help:
Contact your own Utah House Representative as well as HB 262's sponsor, Rep. Kay Christofferson of Utah District 56 / Lehi and tell them how much you value the Utah residential historic preservation tax credit.
One pager of talking points on the Utah State Historic Tax Credit and its benefits.
Let your representatives know that this credit:
- Increases state tax revenues by spurring private investment (see table)
- Supports Utah's local economies
- Funnels federal dollars into local economies by partnering with the federal preservation tax credit
- Sustains naturally occurring affordable housing
- Revitalizes neighborhoods across the state
- Preserves Utah's rich history
This report includes a breakdown of the value of this residential credit to the State of Utah. It also includes images of buildings that have recently been or will be revitalized using this tax credit.
PLEASE SUPPORT UTAH'S HISTORIC PRESERVATION TAX CREDIT BY TAKING ACTION TODAY!!!
Borden Milk Plant in Logan now lofts thanks to the state tax credit!
Please explore the information below by clicking on the article title to read.
Please sign our Google Form to indicate your support for West High School.
Letter to the School Board and Arguments for Preservation
Preservation Utah Letter to the School Board and Arguments for Preservation (PDF)
School Board Presentation: Feasibility Study on West High School
West High School Feasibility Board Presentation (pages 16-24, PDF)
West High School History
West High School History, A Long Search for Home, by David Amott, 1.2023 (PDF)
Ogden High School Retrofit
Ogden High School: How A Utah Community Saved It's Beloved Art Deco Gem, by Saving Places, 2014 (article link)
Marble walls and Art Deco: This Utah school is straight out of ‘The Great Gatsby' ABC4, 2021 (article link)
South High School Retrofit
Old South High houses community college in style, SL Tribune, 1991 (PDF)
Classy Old South High Dresses up for College, SL Tribune, 1991 (PDF)
Seismic: In the 1990s, Salt Lake City School District sunk millions of taxpayer dollars into West High School's seismic retrofit.
West High Retrofit Hits $19.7 Million, Deseret News, 1996 (article link)