County
Salt Lake
Year Built
1907
Architect
Unknown
National Register?
Was a contributing property in the Salt Lake City East Side National Historic District
Status
Lost
Status Explanation
The Phillips Congregational Church was demolished in August 2025. Robot Butcher Shop LLC, the owner, applied for a demolition permit in January 2025 after combining the church property with a neighboring lot in 2022. In May 2025, Preservation Utah added the building to its 2025 Most Endangered list to try to find a buyer or tenant, but no preservation solution was found. Fencing was installed in July 2025, and demolition finished in August. The building did not have a local landmark designation and was just outside the Central City Local Historic District. Its status as a contributing property in the Salt Lake City East Side National Register Historic District did not protect it from demolition. No public hearing was required or held.
About the Threat
Robot Butcher Shop LLC, based in Las Vegas and linked to Overland West, Inc. of Ogden, applied for a demolition permit for the church and the former Palace Meat Co. building at 705 East 500 South after combining the two properties in 2022. The combined .49-acre site was put up for sale at $3,628,548. The property is zoned TSA-UN-T (Transit Station Area Urban Neighborhood Transition) and is two blocks from the TRAX Trolley Square station. According to the owner's listing agent, the owner thought a ground lease would bring in more income than leasing the buildings as they were. Early plans to turn the church into a brewery were dropped because the parking requirements for the TSA-UN-T zone could not be met.
The building was considered a contributing property in the Salt Lake City East Side National Historic District, but it was just outside the Central City Local Historic District, which would have protected it from demolition. Since it did not have local landmark status, there was no legal way to prevent its demolition.
Access
The building was demolished in August 2025, and the site is now empty.
History
The building was demolished in August 2025, and the site is now empty.
What can be done? What was learned?
The story of Phillips Congregational Church clearly shows the difference between National Register status and local protection from demolition. Being listed on the National Register or being a contributing property in a National Register district does not provide any local legal protection. Only local landmark status or being part of a local historic district can actually prevent demolition.
What is the timeline?
Yes. The owner filed a demolition permit with Salt Lake City in early January 2025 and planned to start demolition by the end of that month. In May 2025, Preservation Utah added the building to its Most Endangered list to try to find a buyer or tenant interested in saving it. By July 2025, fencing went up around the building, showing that demolition was close. The church was torn down in August 2025.
What has been the public discussion?
Building Salt Lake and Rachel's SLC History started covering the building in January 2025, when the demolition permit was filed. The owner's listing agent said the owner preferred income from a ground lease instead of preserving the building. A brewing company was interested in reusing the space, but the idea was dropped due to parking issues. Preservation Utah listed the building in May 2025. There were no city council or HLC meetings about the demolition. The building was torn down in August 2025 without a public hearing, since no local rules required one.
Links to more information and articles.
Rachel's SLC History (January 2025 — demolition permit filed): https://www.slchistory.org/2025/01/demolition-of-historic-phillips.html
Building Salt Lake (January 2025 — adaptive reuse unlikely): https://buildingsaltlake.com/historic-church-building-near-trolley-square-on-the-marketand-the-demo-list/
Rachel's SLC History (July 2025 — fencing up, demolition imminent): https://www.slchistory.org/2025/07/phillips-congregational-church.html