By Carter Williams, KSL.com | Posted - March 21, 2023 at 9:22 p.m.
SALT LAKE CITY — Makaylee Clark visits Allen Park frequently — partly because it's close to where she lives, but also because it's completely different from the other parks in Salt Lake City.
It's a place that is difficult to describe. It's rustic, artistic and pleasantly serene given its entrance by a bustling 1300 East and across the street from Westminster College in the city's Sugar House neighborhood. The farther a person ventures into what once was a residential space, the farther they are able to feel from one of the city's busiest districts.
The luckiest visitors are able to catch a glimpse of the peacocks, turkeys, deer and other critters that roam around the land.
Simply put, it's a gem hidden in the city.
This is what drew Clark in again Tuesday. She came to soak in as much of the park as she could before she moves out to another part of the Salt Lake Valley next month.
"I think it has an interesting backstory, so I like to imagine the history that took place there — and I feel like it has kind of a whimsical vibe to it," she said.
However, as charming as the park is, it is also very much in need of restoration after decades of neglect.
The initial repairs are finally underway ahead of work to determine what to do next to help the park thrive in the future, according to Katherine Maus, a planner for Salt Lake City's public lands department. Crews have worked to stabilize the park's main lodge and prevent leaks over the past few weeks.
The department also plans to piece together a document called an "adaptive reuse and management plan" over the next year, which will dictate how the city moves forward with how the park is used.