SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake City park unlike most others in northern Utah is set to close its gates for an extended period of time to allow for maintenance and restoration efforts.
Allen Park is scheduled to be closed to the public on Monday and will remain that way for four months. During the closure, Salt Lake City's Department of Public Lands will install new water and fire lines to the park located off 1300 East.
More commonly known by visitors as "Hobbitville" due to the small cottages and winding paths originally found inside Allen Park, the 8-acre property has become a refuge for art and nature lovers for nearly a century.
While the park has been around since 1931, it only became an official city location five years ago when it was purchased by Salt Lake City.
The Department of Public Lands said the infrastructure project is just the first step in revitalizing Allen Park. The new water and fire lines will ensure the park's safety, as well as neighboring homes.
“The new water and fire lines are essential to the park’s overall health and future. Without supplemental water, the trees are more vulnerable to drought and disease," explained department project manager Amy Reid.
According to the city, future upgrades will turn the land into "an open, public, pedestrian park that highlights the site’s unique history, preserves and enhances ecological features, repairs the artistic expressions scattered throughout the site, and restores key structures."
