Show Discover is cover a Secret ecret Garden ar en t w Laree Mecham Contributing Writer Man Many people lived in Salt Lake for decades and never knew about Gilgal Garden Some when they discovered it kept it a smug secret sharing it only with their closest friends mends It was accessible accessible accessible sible day and night and each visit disclosed previously unseen nuances That was long ago before the new owners became concerned about finances and liability r before vandals meddled with this generously public private proper proper- H ty Then the garden was fenced closed to visitors and amid protests opened only on Sundays Rumors that a Canadian investment company sought to build condominiums on the property property property prop prop- erty prompted the formation of Friends of Gilgal Garden a nonprofit nonprofit nonprofit non non- profit organization to try to save the sculpted rock garden Those volunteer Friends held fund raisers requested donations from visitors and dispersed information about the plight of the park Salt Lake County donated donat donat- ed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Latter Saints and the Delores Dore Dor Eccles Foundation each gave toward the effort Finally after a three year effort Friends of Gilgal Garden purchased the rock garden and the legacy was pre pre- served The Friends donated the park to Salt Lake City but with little budget for maintenance agreed to continue as curators The Master Gardener Association of Salt Lake recently began overseeing overseeing overseeing oversee oversee- ing the venture Volunteers gather for preservation beautification and fund raising endeavors Bob Bliss former dean of architecture architecture architecture archi archi- at the University of Utah and a Friend of Gilgal Garden designed the new gate and walk walk- way Other improvements are planned but have not been fund fund- ed Gilgal was conceived by Thomas Battersby Childs Jr 1963 1888 and he began work on it in 1945 when he was 57 years old If you want to be brought down to earth in your thinking and studying try to tomake tomake tomake make your thoughts express themselves with your hands His arrangements include a monument monument monument ment to peace and a monument to the trades Childs a stonemason hoped the garden would inspire viewers to ponder the unsolved mysteries ies of life and find their own answers You dont don't have to agree with me you may think I Iam Iam Iam am a nut but I hope I have aroused your thinking and curios curios- ity He would not be disappoint disappoint- ed Childs would be pleased to know his creations are again being enjoyed by the public Some think of Gilgal as a spiritual al sanctuary some as a poetical or philosophical retreat To me personally personally personally per per- it speaks to the artistic points said Cathy King from the board of Friends of Gilgal Garden Its still new to me she said I lived here 20 years before a friend introduced me to Gilgal King pointed out Gilgal is the only identified visionary art environment in Utah and it is listed on the Smithsonian Registry of Historic Gardens If you have never had the opportunity to ponder the mysteries ies of Gilgal if youve you've never V J J Js s w r pF i irv rv Photo by bv Laree Mecham taken a date or your family to see seethe seethe seethe the folk art rock sculptures the secret garden is now a city park for your indulgence It is hidden behind homes and business at 9 S. S Gilgal is open daily except Thanksgiving Christmas and New Years and its it's FREE C 0 |