Gilgal Sculpture Garden | Utah Roadside Attraction

On the very top of most Salt Lake City sights to see lists was Gilgal Sculpture Garden, boasting a large Sphinx statue as its main attraction. Or at least, the main photo everywhere I looked. As is often the case, Jamie and I did very little additional research and immediately put it at the top of our To-See list. And it delivered!

Gilgal Sculpture Park
Located at 749 East 500 South, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84102
Free to visit.
GilgalGarden.org

I can’t exactly say Gilgal Sculpture Garden was hidden – it is well marked on maps and on its large entrance gate. But it is not quite the park I had expected and was a little hard to find.

We drove right past it initially, expecting to see a large visible park from the road. But we were mistaken. Gilgal is hidden away behind houses, tucked in the middle of the block. When you park on the street and walk toward the gate, past some lovely flowers on the left, you are walking toward one single lot with houses on either side. (Photo above) A large black fence with an entry gate sits where a house should stand. (Photo below)

The reason the garden is just like you’re in someone’s backyard is because that’s how it started. LDS businessman and stonemason Thomas Child started creating the sculptures that would become Gilgal Sculpture Garden in his backyard around 1947 when he was 57 years old. He worked on it until his death in 1963. His motivation for the creation of this half acre garden is religious. I didn’t totally realize that while I was there. Out of context (and probably also in context) many of the sculptures are creepy. The name Gilgal is a biblical reference to a location where twelve stones were placed as a memorial. Not coincidentally, the sculpture garden houses twelve distinct sculptures (along with a ton of writing carved into stepping stones throughout the garden.)

Thomas Child was not a classically trained artist, but he carved the hell out of some stone with help from more skilled sculptors and sometimes with unconventional methods. He insisted that all the sculptures were created on site. Some say it’s possible he made the sculptures large to ensure the garden would stand the test of time – who would want to haul out hundreds of tons of rock?

Gilgal Sculpture Garden is a really beautiful garden alongside of being home to some weird af sculptures and is now a Salt Lake City park.  Friends of Gilgal Garden owns and manages the park. The Salt Lake County Master Gardener Association volunteers its master gardeners to maintain the very impressive garden portion of the park.

Now for more sculptures because that’s what we came for! Everything isn’t pictured, so if you go, there’s still a ton more to see and some surprises.

The face of the sphinx is Joseph Smith, founder of the LDS church. Go figure.

Fun fact about Malachi – these are not the original hands, they were commissioned by the Friends of Gilgal Gardens. I hope this means someone stole the hands and they’re in someone’s basement somewhere. Jamie said they may have just deteriorated or something, which is not as fun.

The birdhouse is a replica of an original made by Child when he was young. He liked pigeons.

One of sooo many stones with words on them. I recognized this one.

This is my favorite part of the official Gilgal Sculpture Garden website:

Child shared Gilgal Garden with thousands of visitors during his lifetime. He hoped the garden would inspire viewers to ponder “the unsolved mysteries of life” and struggle to find their own answers. Child was aware that many people would find Gilgal Garden strange, but hoped they would accept its challenge. “You don’t have to agree with me,” he explained. “You may think I am a nut, but I hope I have aroused your thinking and curiosity.”

Tom, you were right – it’s pretty strange. And we love strange. Jamie and I both recommend a stop here if you are in the area.

-Carly

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