Sugar factory nears life as arts center
By Jared Page
Deseret Morning News
WEST JORDAN — Dozens of uses for the West Jordan Sugar Factory have been proposed over the past four years, and Nora Duncan has heard them all.
Scott G. Winterton, Deseret Morning News
West Jordan's quest to turn the sugar plant into an arts complex picked up steam when the City Council authorized work toward a historic-register listing.
One vision had one of the two landmark sugar silos being refitted with a propeller under a grated floor, transforming it into a wind tunnel in which thrill-seekers could sky dive.
Another idea called for the silos to be converted into a giant climbing wall. And then there's the pitch to top the silos with a restaurant, creating a unique dining experience with views of the entire Salt Lake Valley.
As chairwoman of the ad hoc West Jordan Sugar Factory Committee, Duncan isn't ready to rule out the latter idea just yet, although it doesn't figure into the current vision for the historic site at approximately 8000 South and Redwood Road.
"We've pursued many ideas, brainstormed, researched, talked to a lot of people," Duncan said. "But we kept coming back to the arts."
West Jordan's longtime quest to transform the sugar-processing plant into an arts complex picked up steam last week when the City Council authorized staff to begin the application process for a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
Also last week, members of the City Council and resident volunteers on the sugar-factory committee met with a fund-raising consultant to discuss a possible capital campaign for the estimated $10 million to $20 million project.
"We are at a point where realistically we can see something happening at the sugar factory, something that will be of real value to the community and the whole valley," Mayor David Newton said.
The city envisions the site becoming a place where "all aspects of the arts can come together," Newton said.
The proposal that has been in the works since July 2003 includes performance areas for theater, dance and music groups, an art gallery, rooms for arts classes, convention and multipurpose facilities and an outdoor amphitheater.
It also calls for site's history to be highlighted throughout the complex.
"The sugar factory is a big part of West Jordan's history," Newton said.
The West Jordan Sugar Factory processed more than 4 million tons of sugar beets, producing more than 11 million 100-pound bags of sugar during its operation from 1915 to 1966. At the plant's peak in the mid-1950s, it was the largest employer in West Jordan, according to city reports.
"It had a huge impact on West Jordan," Duncan said. "The whole community was involved in the sugar-beet harvest."
Duncan moved to West Jordan in 1965, a year before the plant closed its doors. She still remembers the "sickening sweet smell" that accompanied sugar-beet processing.
"You could smell it all over West Jordan," she said.
Duncan said her interest in the sugar factory was piqued about 10 years ago when she worked as one of the writers of West Jordan's history. When talks of renovating the plant began about four years ago, Duncan made sure city officials knew she wanted to be a part of it.
"I'd see those buildings and wonder, 'What could they be used for?"' she said.
The site began its transition toward an arts center in spring 2004, when the east end of the factory was converted into the 230-seat Sugar Factory Playhouse.
"We were looking for a home," said Newton, a member of the city's arts council for the past 11 years. "We thought, 'Wouldn't it be nice if we could take the sugar factory and make a theater out of it?"'
That action, he said, led to engineering and architectural studies being done on the four buildings at the site. It was determined that all of the buildings could be renovated for reuse, but the silos would need a seismic upgrade. That $2.5 million project is not included in the city's current plans, which instead call for the silos to act as a backdrop to the outdoor amphitheater.
Newton said the next step is to commission a feasibility study to get a better idea about what the various aspects of the project will cost. The study will cost the city about $20,000, officials said.
Getting listed on the National Register of Historic Places will make West Jordan eligible to receive grants to help with rehabilitation of the sugar factory, said Kirk Huffaker, assistant director of the Utah Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit historic-preservation advocacy and education organization.
"The City Council can be commended for finally taking that step to get it on the register," Huffaker said. "I think they recognize that having the honor of being on the National Register can maybe leverage some things for them in the future."
Getting listed on the register is about a nine-month process, he said. When completed, the application is submitted to the Utah State Historical Society's Board of State History. If approved, it will be forwarded to the National Park Service in Washington, D.C., for consideration.
"I think this project will really catch people's imaginations," Huffaker said. "Having the National Register listing heightens that."
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Rendering provided by Hally O'Toole Design
It just doesn't fit. 
SLC, you're missing the whole point of this situation. First, the building is very significant as an historical site. Second, as such it is being designated nationally, which will give it options for federal funding. The actual parts of the factory which remain are not too expensive to revitalize for what would typically be their modern use. And of course there will be a lot of new contstruction to blend with the historical. Again, a big part of the project is, "Historical, A need for a cultural center, and FEDERAL FUNDING. 
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