![]() From the city’s perspective, says Tran, “the park strip is public land and not the property of the adjacent landowner.” So the homeowner, David Schutt, had to take a step backwards with his project and submit plans for consideration and approval by city engineers, transportation and public utility. “There was a lot of public comment on this issue,” recalls Salt Lake City principal planner, Tracy Tran. Vegetables-now tended with help from members of the group Artists For Local Agriculture-still spring from the earth, tempting those who walk by. Benches offer friends, neighbors and passers-by a place to rest in the shade. The garden still offers a welcoming place for the community. “We increased access from the street for pedestrians and utilities, access to the gas line, stuff like that,” says Schutt.īut, all in all, the feeling of the garden is little changed. The tallest walls, those that blocked visibility for passing drivers, are also missing. The fire pit, some of the stone patio and platforms and a hanging swing, Schutt points out, are no longer. “We had to take some things down,” says Schutt. A row of tomato plants lines the sidewalk and rock benches snake along the parking curb. Turning the corner onto 300 South, Evan Schutt and I continue our tour of the park strip rock garden. In the end, the city agreed the garden could stay but with limitations. In fact, some of the stone copies the color and species of the home’s foundation. ![]() Schutt argued that the current rock garden-with its vegetable beds and rock benches made from stone such as oolite, green marble and river rock, all quarried in Utah-actually preserved the original character of the home and its agricultural past. The property even held a wine press and a distillery. Originally, the house stood alone on many acres of land that George and his two wives, Eliza and Charlotte, put to agricultural use by growing a fruit orchard and a vineyard. But David Schutt was able to use the Baddley home’s past to his advantage. Making alterations, even something as minor as changing the windows, in homes listed on historic registers, can be an ordeal as preservation committees weigh in on whether the changes will compromise the historic value of the house. The Baddley house, a Salt Like City historic preservation landmark site, was constructed in 1871 for the family of pioneer George Baddley. Timmi’s rock garden, it turns out, didn’t encircle just any old house. “I could tell they didn’t want to just say no to our project,” says Schutt, “but the fact was that construction had started without permission, and especially with this being a historic landmark, that was a huge issue.” Evan Schutt, who, along with his brother and dozens of supportive community members and neighbors, attended a series of city meetings to find an amicable resolution to the issue, says that, even from the beginning, the members of the Historical Commission seemed to understand the value of the garden they had built. Our first stop was at a 15-foot-long stonewall garden bed on the east side of the house filled to the brim with green plants-pepper, eggplant, tomatillo and basil. I recently toured the modified garden with Evan Schutt, the homeowner’s brother. After nearly a year of negotiation between the homeowner, David Schutt, and the city’s Historic Landmark Commission, the garden is here to stay. Last October, CATALYST reported the story of Timmi Cruz (“SLC’s ‘Other’ Community Garden”), at the time a tenant at the house, and his struggle to save the rock and vegetable garden he had constructed without the necessary permits in the park strip around the house. The pioneer house on the southwest corner of 10th East and Third South, known as the George Baddley house after its first occupant, is the site of some encouraging cooperation between city and residents. Landscaped parking strip at historic residence gets to stay. Victoria Fugit, CATALYST co‑founder: 1942-2022.Utah Bioregional Reader #4: Where Does Our Garbage Go?.Utah Bioregional Reader: What is our Land Use History?. ![]() Stress Less, Accomplish More: Emily Fletcher’s meditation technique built for stressed-out, high-performing overachievers.What we have in common: Laying the groundwork for exploring our differences.Plant more vegetables now! Master the wild ride of erratic weather for a perpetual yield in the garden.Spring ahead this fall: Now’s the time to transplant perennials and direct-sow flower and herb seeds.Your brain on gardening: Nature’s way of boosting those feel-good chemicals.A cult, addiction, and the playwriting process.If You Can’t Laugh at Tragedy Then You’re in Trouble.Yoga of presence: Finding your intelligent edge.Mindfulness practice for changing times: How to maintain ballast in times of upheaval. ![]()
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