Located at 749 East 500 South in Salt Lake City,
Gilgal Sculpture Garden was envisioned, designed and created by Thomas Battersby Child, Jr. in the mid-twentieth century.
Tucked in the middle of the block behind houses and businesses, many are still unaware of its existence and enjoy a true sense of discovery when they visit the garden for the first time.
Gilgal Sculpture Garden contains 12 original sculptures and over 70 stones engraved with scriptures, poems, and literary texts.
As a whole, Gilgal Sculpture Garden is significant as the only identified “visionary art environment” in Utah.
The public is invited to visit the garden seven days a week. There is no admission charge. Walking tour brochures are available at the garden.
Visiting hours: April/September – 8 am to 8 pm October/March – 9 am to 5 pm
Closed New Year Day; Thanksgiving; Christmas.
Gilgal in the News
SLC’s strangest city park marks its first quarter century
By TONY SEMERAD The Salt Lake Tribune What is surely Salt Lake City’s most offbeat and curious public park is celebrating its first quarter century. Saved from impending development, Gilgal Sculpture Garden is now a well-manicured sanctuary filled with native plants and the eccentric sculptured rock slabs and giant boulders of Thomas Battersby Child Jr., a Latter-day…
Continue Reading SLC’s strangest city park marks its first quarter century
March Madness: Vote for the best public art in the Mountain West
March Madness has arrived, but we’re taking it off the basketball court and into our cities’ streets this year.State of play: We’re asking you to help determine who gets the crown for the best piece of public art. How it works: Each Axios Local city in the region (Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Denver,…
Continue Reading March Madness: Vote for the best public art in the Mountain West
Atlas Obscura
The Best Atlas Obscura Places in SLC. Click for Article
Providing refuge from the commotion
There’s a space in Salt Lake City surrounded by larger-than-life sculptures click for article
Gilgal Stories
Dr. Mikel Vause
I taught at Weber State University for over 40 years. During that time I had the opportunity to learn a great deal from my students. One of my students submitted a descriptive essay the subject of which was Gilgal Gardens. I was fascinated and following his directions I first saw the garden from atop the…
Nessa Nielsen
We used to sneak thru the hole in the fence at night and wander around – 38 years ago. Rumors back then, were that the owner and sculptors wife was buried in the mausoleum dedicated to her. We always thought it was a super cool space even a little creepy- though it was actually someone’s…
Tim Clinkenpeel
Standing before the Joseph Smith Sphinx in Gilgal Gardens, I felt a strange yet powerful connection to something beyond the ordinary. The fusion of ancient symbolism with modern faith created an unexpected harmony, inviting me to consider the interplay between history, belief, and personal transformation. The weathered stone, carved with deliberate intent, seemed to whisper…
Gilgal Needs Gardeners
This might be just the place for you. Gilgal Garden is a city park, and SLC cuts the grass and does the heavy work like pruning the trees. The garden is maintained by a group of dedicated gardeners from the Salt Lake County Gardening Association. We are looking for new helpers.
