'Why not now?' Warm Springs advocates hope to bring back iconic Utah mineral pools
(KUTV) — Advocates for Utah’s iconic Warm Springs Park say they are hoping for public input to help guide the future of the site.
The Warm Springs Alliance recently had the water tested and said it is viable to source bathing pools.
“It appears the water is fine — as they say, ‘Come on in,’” Utah architect and board member of Warm Springs Alliance David Scheer told 2News.
The Alliance also conducted a year-long survey to see what people want to do with the site.
“Far and away, the most popular response was the spa, to be able to soak in the hot mineral water,” Scheer said.
The group may be on the path to making those mineral pools a reality once again.
A plan to develop an apartment complex on the site recently fizzled and the conversation has turned to the future of the historic building.
“93 percent of respondents to that survey said they would go there regularly to soak,” Warm Springs Alliance founder Sylvia Nibley said. “We really can create a lot of possibilities there.”
The building is part of the adjacent park, which is owned and managed by Salt Lake City government. The Alliance hopes to develop a plan to restore the site and lease it from the city while operating a new venue there.
“Hot springs are incredibly desirable and people are willing to drive hours to get to them,” Nibley said.
The final details of their plan aren’t yet settled, but the Alliance said it could imagine an event venue and mineral pools for bathing.
“Millions of people go to hot springs around the world right now; why not do that right now?” Nibley said.
The building was originally erected in the 1920s. The bathhouse operated for decades and was most recently a children’s museum until about a decade ago.
The site has remained mostly untouched since that time.
Warm Springs Alliance is inviting the public to a design event on Sunday at the Salt Lake City Library to offer input for potential designs of the site.
