City officials can't bring back the walls of the old adobe fort or the three prominent structures that once stood where weeds now flourish in old Draper.
But they can ensure that a two-acre site on the southeast corner of 12600 South and 900 East won't be lost to future development.The city intends to preserve the property by turning it into the Draper City Historical Park. Mayor Elaine Redd will make the plans official in a press conference Thursday at 1 p.m. on the site.
Redd envisions a park full of trees and flowers, with winding paths, benches and a fountain, where Draper natives and the city's many newcomers can stop and spend a peaceful moment.
"As soon as we can possibly get the money, we will start construction of the infrastructure," Redd said Wednesday. "It's right in the center of old Draper, and there are some old homes and businesses that have been there for years. I hope it does something to encourage the whole area to stay viable."
Redd said she'd like to see the entire old town area, from 12300 South to 12700 South between about 800 East and 1000 East, be declared a preservation district.
The two-acre park site was once enclosed by the old Draper fort. Its 14-foot-high, 3-foot-wide walls were built by pioneers around 1852.
A meetinghouse for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stood on the site from 1861-1869. A church was erected there some time around the turn of the century. And in about 1916, a community center known as the round-house was constructed. It served as the site of basketball games, movies, dances, plays and other events until it was razed, along with the church, in the 1960s.
"We've always figured that it had to be kept for historical purposes," said Erva Smith, chairwoman of the Draper Historic Preservation Commission. "It's been individually owned for the last number of years. . . . It's been a little difficult to get it back. It's taken some doing."
To preserve the land, Redd said, the city has agreed to pay developers of South Mountain about $200,000 for four lots that will be traded to Dave and Lynet Ferre for the two-acre parcel.
A $25,000 donation from Draper Bank and Trust will serve as the down payment. Phill Whetman, a member of the bank's board of directors, is donating a parcel of land across from the park on the north side of 12600 South, Redd said.
The Ferres obtained the property about 15 years ago in a trade with the church, according to Suzanne Peacock, one of the Ferres' five children. The Ferres originally intended to divide the property so each of their four daughters would have a lot on which to build, she said.
"I think we all kind of felt like it would probably not be looked upon kindly by the community if we did build there," Peacock said. "We just hope that it's what's best for the community and think it will be a real nice park."
A committee has been formed to direct development of the park.