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Hidden Utah Garden: Stone Sphinx & Sacred Texts
21 Oct
Summary
- Sculpture garden features a stone sphinx resembling Joseph Smith.
- Garden began in 1945, reflecting the owner's deep religious faith.
- Saved from development in 2000, now a cherished city park.
Gilgal Sculpture Garden, located east of downtown Salt Lake City, is an unexpected artistic sanctuary on a residential block. Designed by stonemason Thomas Battersby Child Jr. as an expression of his Latter-day Saint faith, the garden began in 1945 when he was 57. It features large stone figures, lawn, trees, and flat stones inscribed with scriptures and poems.
Child enlisted help to create the garden, with Bryant Higgs assisting in developing a torch-based sculpting technique. Sculptor Maurice Brooks later used this method to carve intricate details, including the face of the 25-ton Egyptian sphinx, which bears the likeness of Joseph Smith. Some stones weigh as much as 62 tons, transported by boxcar and lifted by crane.
Child worked on the garden until his death in 1963. After passing into private ownership, the site faced demolition for condominiums. Friends of Gilgal Garden organized in 1997, leading to a joint effort by The Trust for Public Land and Salt Lake City to acquire and preserve it.
Reopened in October 2000 by Mayor Rocky Anderson as a city park, Gilgal Sculpture Garden is recognized as Utah's only visionary art environment. Ongoing efforts include maintenance by the Salt Lake County Master Gardener Association and irrigation system upgrades funded in 2013.
