Gilgal Garden (Group Post)

Nestled away in the middle of a neighborhood, between a Wonder Bread bakery and an Office Max, you will find Gilgal Garden. It's not hard to believe that our group nearly missed Gilgal Garden while trying to find it. It's very well hidden in between what appears to be two very ordinary houses in a neighborhood off of 400 S. We visited the garden on a sunny Tuesday afternoon. The place was flat out deserted. We were the only people visiting the space. True, we did visit on a weekday afternoon, but we kind of got the feeling that Gilgal Garden isn't a place that's usually filled with hustle and bustle. The garden seemed like a secret spot, only known by a select few.


One of the first sensory observations that we collectively made was the overwhelming smell of fresh bread. Because the garden is located right next to the Wonder Bread Bakery Thrift Store, the smell of bread was unavoidable. Besides the smells, the garden was visually stimulating. Nearly everything in the garden was carved out of stone. Contrasting the towering stone sculptures was the actual flora of the gardens. The two different aspects worked cohesively to make for a visually interesting experience. The garden was also fun to physically move through. The pathways were either made of wood chips, or marked by stone tablets engraved with LDS scriptures by the the creator of the garden.

The garden was the work of local Utah sculptor Thomas B. Child (1888-1963). Child was the bishop of the LDS 10th Ward for over 19 years of his life. The garden was the result of his years of hard work. Each piece in the garden has special significance to the LDS religion. The overall feeling of the garden was peaceful and most importantly spiritual. Even for someone who isn't part of the LDS Church, Gilgal Garden is still a place that can used by everyone for a moment of quiet reflection. There's not really a need to worry about social relations, echelons or interaction in general because of the solitude the garden provides. A personal spot of recommendation would be underneath a willow tree in the middle of the garden. There's a small bench that's great for shade and perfect for hiding away from the rest of the noisy world. Once you step out of the garden it's back to 400 S. and the smell of Wonder Bread.

Gilgal Garden is an example of what Kevin Lynch in Image of the City refers to as a "node." The central focus of this node is the art of Thomas Child. In this case of this node, the node is not a junction of two streets. It is a square hidden away in a neighborhood. Some types of nodes have a functional purpose, but Gilgal Garden doesn't serve a functional purpose. Its purpose is more cultural and artistic. The garden is an interesting node because once inside the garden, it doesn't have the same characteristics as the rest of Salt Lake City. It is not structured with straight lines or sharply organized. At the same time the node fits into the cultural history of Salt Lake City because of the theme of the art.