SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — You’ve probably heard about proposed plans to demolish Utah’s iconic Old Mill, and it looks like the building is nearing its fate of destruction.
ABC4’s Craig Worth visited the factory decades ago and has compiled photos and advertisements from when it was a speakeasy nightclub and when it was actually an old factory.
Read more: Proposed plan would demolish ‘iconic’ Old Mill in Utah
“The irony about this old factory is that it was only used as a factory for just over 10 years,” says Worth, “but this 140-year-old building has a much more colorful history as an out-of-town club.”
At the time, the old factory had signs informing passersby that the building was unsafe and off-limits, and Worth said the building had been condemned for years.
“It’s a sad end to the old factory,” he said.
In 1833, the Deseret News hung a scroll on the side of the building proudly announcing that this was their paper mill, which produced five tons of paper a day from rags and wood.
Most of the mill burned down just ten years later and remained that way for many years afterwards, but because it was in the countryside, 11 miles from town, the people decided to turn it into a great club that only needed a few repairs.
The club opened and was a success, and during Prohibition its popularity increased because it was a place where people could get more than just soda water.
People continued to dance well into the 1950s, and the laughter was something not found anywhere else in Salt Lake City.
They had a great orchestra and a lot of dreams, but it came to an end. The factory then became a special events center and a rock music venue.
Many of the young people who used to frequent the factory went off to war, and the factory slowly fell into disrepair and became the haunted house it is today.
