Utah Arts Alliance Art Castle

A Utah Arts Alliance project

Art Castle

live colorfully — create fearlessly

A 1904 chapel becomes Utah’s boldest arts campus — a Meow Wolf-level interactive art center for families by day and adults by night, 32 affordable homes, a public sculpture garden, and Utah’s first PTSD veteran art therapy clinic.

See the project Name it

Under construction now

The accessible restrooms and ramps are going in now. That lets the castle soft open in 2027, before we build the homes.

Concept rendering of the finished campus from 100 South at sunset. The chapel, the Art Deco annex with its glowing Art Castle District sign, a café and the new homes building stand side by side, with mountains behind.Concept rendering
The 1904 chapel seen from below. Its shingled tower and turrets rise against a deep blue sky, with a black iron fence in the foreground.The chapel today
The pastel Art Castle chapel on a sunny day. The giant mirrored sphere of The Illuminator stands at left, and a sculpture rests on the lawn at right.The castle today

Caption: Top: concept rendering of the finished campus from 100 South. Below: the 1904 chapel today, with The Illuminator by Derek Dyer. Photos: UAA, 2026.

915 W 100 S · Poplar Grove · Salt Lake City

The campus from above

Colored site plan of the Art Castle campus. The chapel appears in lavender, the new homes building in aqua, and the sculpture garden in mint along the chapel’s whole east side. The Operation Palette clinic appears in pink.
Conceptual plan, designed by project architects ASSIST, Inc. Tap a number to learn more.

Why it matters

We’re building what’s missing

Art needs room to grow, and so do Westside families. Art Castle builds both: 32 affordable homes, 20 with two or three bedrooms; a sculpture garden that stays free; and a chapel alive with music, galleries and makers.

  • Homes families can afford. Twenty of the 32 homes have two or three bedrooms. All are 30–80% AMI (area median income).
  • Free art, every day. The sculpture garden stays free to view, and UAA hosts more than 100 free public events each year.
  • Healing for veterans. Operation Palette brings art therapy to veterans where they live.
  • Room for Utah’s creatives. Five homes are set aside for working artists, steps from the galleries and concert hall.
3

Three parts

The Castle, the Homes and the Garden, plus the neighborhood and the full financial plan.

See the project → 1904

History

From the first ward meetinghouse to a recording studio that hosted Dolly Parton.

Read the story → V

Operation Palette

Art therapy for veterans, where they live. Read what the research says.

Read more → NEW

News

Garden installs, Whale Tail renderings and every update, with dates.

Read the news → 24

Team

UAA’s leaders, its advisors, the architects at ASSIST and the project team.

Meet the team → 19

Name it

From a $50 name online to the whole castle.

See the levels →

How we pay for it

$30.5M, four sources

Ninety-five of every hundred dollars come from gifts, tax credits and public funds, not loans. Housing credits, historic credits and a preservation easement work alongside philanthropy, so the campus can focus on art and families instead of debt payments.

  • $8.9MPhilanthropyGifts, grants and sponsorships
  • $16.9MTax credits + easementHousing, historic, New Markets and sustainability credits, plus a preservation easement
  • $3.3MPublic fundsGrants and contributions from public agencies
  • $1.45MLoansThe city housing loan request

Where it goes: $12.8M homes · $4.5M chapel · $4.2M parking · $2.24M contingency · $1.87M land · $1.73M pre-development · $1.06M solar and battery · $1.0M developer fee · $0.43M sculpture garden and art · $0.64M site work, furnishings and other.

See the full financial plan

More ways in

Find what you need

Join the castle.

Crystal Young
Development Lead, Sterling & Pink
cy@sterlingpink.net

Derek Dyer
Executive Director, Utah Arts Alliance
derek@utaharts.org

Email Crystal Donate now