Rec. Center for the Utah State Hospital

The New Deal reached the state mental hospital, and built something for the patients to enjoy. This recreation center went up in 1936–37 as one of 230 public works buildings raised across Utah during the Depression, when federal programs paid idle men to build things a strapped state couldn't. A BYU landscape architecture professor, Lavar Morris, drew the plans and oversaw the WPA crews who built it. It was meant to be the heart of a recreational area for the hospital's patients — a recognition, ahead of its time, that people confined for illness still needed places to play.

What the plaque says

Built in 1936-37, the Recreation Center at the Utah State Hospital is one of over 230 public works buildings constructed in Utah under various New Deal programs during the Depression years of the 1930s and 40s. The construction of public works buildings, of which only 130 are extant and well preserved, not only offered temporary work relief, but also provided long-term benefits in the form of improved facilities for a variety of local public programs. The types of buildings constructed included public schools, county courthouses, city halls, libraries, National Guard armories, and a variety of others. Plans for the Recreation Center were worked up by Lavar S. Morris, professor in landscape architecture at BYU, who also supervised the construction by WPA workers. The center was to be the nucleus of an extensive recreational area for patients at the hospital, but the creation of such a facility never advanced beyond the completion of this structure.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Bridal Veil Falls — 7.4 mi
  A dramatic double waterfall cascading 607 feet into Provo Canyon
• Sundance Mountain Resort — 11 mi
  Robert Redford's intimate, arts-minded ski resort on the slopes of Mount Timpanogos, in the North Fork of Provo Canyon.
• Aspen Grove — 12 mi
  The mountain-base trailhead for Mount Timpanogos and Stewart Falls
• Alpine Loop Summit — 12 mi
  The 8,000-foot high point of the Alpine Loop, face to face with Mount Timpanogos

More markers nearby

• Superintendant's Residence-Utah State Hospit — 0.5 mi
• In Memory of Dr. Barney Clark — 0.7 mi
• Provo Burial Grounds — 0.9 mi
• Maeser School — 1.0 mi