Photo Credit
Jacob Barlow and Community Members
County
Salt Lake
Year Built
1880/1927
Architect
Henry Grow
National Register?
Yes, listed 1971
Status
Endangered: Imminent
Status Explanation
The Conditional Use Permit application for demolition was filed on January 9, 2026, by Doug Shelby of WDOM Properties LLC for the Walker family. The application is now pending before the Cottonwood Heights Planning Commission. According to the city code, the application must stay pending for at least one year before any action can be taken. This means the earliest the Planning Commission could act is January 21, 2027. After that, the Cottonwood Heights City Council would have the final say and must also issue a Certificate of Appropriateness before demolition can move forward. The planning commission held its first public hearing on January 21, 2026. Residents strongly opposed demolition, and the commissioners told the applicant to keep exploring preservation options, such as finding donors or rehabilitation partners. No final decision has been made, and the building is still standing.
About the Threat
The Cottonwood Paper Mill is currently under threat of demolition. Walker Development Company, which has owned the site since around 1987, applied for a Conditional Use Permit on January 9, 2026, asking for permission to tear down the building. The company claims the mill is a safety hazard, an attractive nuisance, and cannot be saved. Engineering studies they ordered in 2022 and 2024 found that restoring the building would be too expensive, with costs estimated between $45 million and over $100 million. One major reason for the high cost is that the mill was built without a foundation, so making it earthquake-safe would be especially costly. The company suggested salvaging the mill stones for a nearby city center project, putting up a historical marker, and creating a digital history, but residents and preservation advocates have said these steps are not enough.
This application follows a failed attempt in May 2024, when the owner sought a variance to skip the usual planning commission process and demolish the mill without a conditional use permit. That request was denied by the Appeals Hearing Officer in November 2024. The current application is the owner's second attempt to obtain demolition approval. The bigger picture is a proposed 30-acre redevelopment called Papermill Village at the Old Mill, with initial plans that include about 175 condos, 120 townhomes, and 14 single-family homes.
Access
The property is fenced off and has been condemned. Cottonwood Heights condemned the building in 2005 because of concerns about earthquake safety. The public cannot enter the structure, and trespassing has been a problem. However, you can still see the stone walls from Big Cottonwood Canyon Road.
History
The Deseret News, the first newspaper in the Mountain West, started publishing in June 1850. To help the newspaper grow and lower paper costs, LDS Church leader Brigham Young asked English paper maker Thomas Howard to build a local paper mill in Sugar House. As time went on, the equipment needed upgrades. In 1883, under the direction of Henry Grow, a well-known Latter-day Saint builder and civil engineer famous for his work on the Salt Lake Tabernacle, the Deseret News Company built the Cottonwood Paper Mill along Big Cottonwood Creek. This new mill was meant to house older equipment as backup while newer technology was used at the main Sugar House site.
The mill ran for almost ten years and, at its busiest, made up to five tons of paper each day. It provided jobs for local people and supported the church's publishing work. But after the transcontinental railroad was finished, cheaper paper from other places became available. In 1892, the Deseret News sold the mill to Granite Mills Paper Company. Just a year later, on April 1, 1893, a fire destroyed the inside of the building. Many people ignored the alarm, thinking it was an April Fools' joke. Only the stone walls were left standing.
The building stayed empty until 1927, when J.B. Walker brought it back to life as the Old Mill Club, an open-air dance hall that became a favorite spot for the community and hosted events for many generations of Cottonwood Heights residents. The club closed during World War II and never fully reopened, but the site still played a role in the community. In the 1960s, it was a venue for local rock bands. In the 1970s and 1980s, it was used as a haunted house and craft boutique.
The Cottonwood Paper Mill was named a historic site by the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers in 1966 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 as part of the Public Works Buildings Thematic Resource. Cottonwood Heights condemned the building in 2005 because of earthquake safety concerns, and it has been empty ever since. The mill is important not just for its role in Utah's early industry and communications, but also for its design by Henry Grow and as a symbol of the LDS Church's focus on self-reliance, record keeping, and publishing. It is one of the few 19th-century industrial landmarks left in Utah and the only one of its kind along Big Cottonwood Canyon.
What can be done? What was learned?
The one-year waiting period for the Conditional Use Permit, which runs through at least January 21, 2027, gives preservation advocates, the community, and potential partners time to make their case and find a way to save the mill. Community members can sign and share the Change.org petition to get updates. Residents can also contact Cottonwood Heights City Council members directly to show their support for preservation. If you are interested in helping with a rehabilitation project, reach out to the Cottonwood Heights City planning staff at planning@ch.utah.gov.
What is the timeline?
According to the Cottonwood Heights city code, the Conditional Use Permit application must stay with the Planning Commission for at least one year after the public hearing. This means the earliest the commission can act is January 21, 2027. After that, the City Council must review and approve a Certificate of Appropriateness before any demolition can proceed. The Planning Commission held its first public hearing on January 21, 2026, asked the applicant to explore preservation options, and scheduled another discussion for March 4, 2026. The time between now and January 2027 is crucial for making a case to save the mill and finding a partner or buyer to help with rehabilitation.
What has been the public discussion?
Community concern about the Old Mill began in June 2024, when Walker Development Company introduced the Papermill Village redevelopment plan to the Cottonwood Heights Planning Commission. Two neighborhood design workshops held in July and August 2024 both faced strong public opposition to demolition.
At the January 21, 2026, public hearing, the Cottonwood Heights Planning Commission faced a standing-room-only crowd, with the overflow room also filled. During the hearing, speakers highlighted the building's historical and cultural value, questioned the accuracy and independence of the applicant's engineering estimates, and argued that the building's condition was due to the owners' deferred maintenance rather than structural failure. The applicant's representative said the demolition request was not made lightly and offered to salvage millstones for the Hillside Plaza Town Center project and to create a digital history of the site. However, the commissioners were not satisfied with these alternatives and told the applicant to seek preservation partnerships. The January hearing was covered by Deseret News, KSL, Fox 13, ABC4, and KUTV.
Links to more information and articles.
National Register nomination: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/72001523
Change.org petition — "Save the Historic Cottonwood Paper Mill from Demolition": https://www.change.org/p/save-the-old-mill-big-cottonwood-creek-canyon
Cottonwood Heights planning commission agendas and packets: https://www.ch.utah.gov/planningcommission
Deseret News, January 25, 2026 — "Debate over future of Cottonwood Paper Mill intensifies at planning meeting": https://www.deseret.com/utah/2026/01/25/debate-over-future-of-cottonwood-paper-mill-intensifies-at-planning-meeting/
KSL, January 22, 2026 — planning commission hearing coverage: https://www.ksl.com/article/51437259/debate-over-future-of-cottonwood-paper-mill-intensifies-at-planning-commission
ABC4, January 22, 2026 — "Future of historic Cottonwood Paper Mill uncertain as demolition debate continues": https://www.abc4.com/news/local-news/cottonwood-heights-historic-mill/
KUTV, January 22, 2026 — "City leaders weigh public safety concerns against historic preservation of Old Paper Mill": https://kutv.com/news/local/city-leaders-weigh-public-safety-concerns-against-historic-preservation-of-old-paper-mill
Fox 13, January 22, 2026 — "Locals speak out at public hearing for proposed demolition": https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/northern-utah/locals-speak-out-at-public-hearing-for-proposed-demolition-of-historic-cottonwood-paper-mill
ABC4, January 15, 2026 — "Preservation Utah encourages residents to voice thoughts on preserving Cottonwood Paper Mill": https://www.abc4.com/news/local-news/cottonwood-heights-historic-mill/
Cottonwood Heights Journal, February 27, 2026 — "Request to demolish the Old Mill heard by Cottonwood Heights Planning Commission": https://www.cottonwoodheightsjournal.com/2026/02/27/565101/request-to-demolish-the-old-mill-heard-by-cottonwood-heights-planning-commission
Building Salt Lake, January 20, 2026: https://buildingsaltlake.com/old-cottonwood-heights-paper-mill-faces-possible-demolition/
Fox 13, original coverage (2024): https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/historic-cottonwood-paper-mill-may-be-torn-down-for-condos-developers-propose
ABC4, original coverage (2024): https://www.abc4.com/news/wasatch-front/proposed-plans-look-to-demolish-utahs-iconic-old-mill/