Sugar factory revival
Residents work to reinvent historic W. Jordan buildings
By Natalie Clemens
Deseret News, 17 June 2005, page M1
Summary:
Sugar Factory Playhouse:
- built in the east end of the factory
- 230 seats
- operated by West Jordan Arts Council
- includes space to store rehearsal equipment
Sugar Factory:
- factory used for storage by West Jordan City
- mayor formed a committee two years ago to investigate renovation options
- factory site includes four buildings
- factory was one of 30 plants operated by the Utah-Idaho Sugar Co.
- during first year of operation (1916), factory pumped out more than 95,000 pounds of sugar
- closed after it became unprofitable to make sugar from sugar beets
- A $23,000 feasibility study, funded by the city and a National Trust for Historic Preservation grant, found that renovating the buildings was a possibility. Cost ranges from several thousands to several millions of dollars.
- In May, the City Council approved $50,000 for a structural material and geotechnical investigation of the property.
Ideas for further expansion:
- an amphitheater
- a conference center with break-out session rooms
- a wedding reception hall
- a retail complex
- a glass elevator mounted on the side of one of the silos that would transport customers up to a restaurant