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Sugar factory revival

Residents work to reinvent historic W. Jordan buildings


Deseret News, 17 June 2005, page M1

Article 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