New life for an old building

FOUNTAIN GREEN — Gene Peckham grew up in Salt Lake City during the 1970s. Some of his happiest memories, however, are of the times he visited his grandmother in Fountain Green. He loved fishing and hunting and roaming in the fields and canyons.

The old amusement hall was no longer in operation when Peckham was born. The part that was a dance hall had been turned into a store and the other half of the building, which once held the theater, was boarded up.

So Peckham doesn't remember any plays or movies or big-band music in Fountain Green. He does remember the store quite vividly. The owner, Ivin Rasmussen, had a big candy jar on the counter and would give each customer a little white mint.

Now that he's an adult, Peckham lives in Fountain Green, the place he loved when he was young. He owns a business in Salt Lake City, so he commutes two hours each way, each day.

That's how much Fountain Green means to him. And the community is important to a lot of folks, Peckham adds.

In 1998, the Fountain Green Heritage Committee suggested restoring the old dance hall/theater. Since then, 300 people, nearly half the population of the area, have volunteered on the project. With grants from foundations, a Community Impact Loan, and donations from dozens of citizens, the old dance hall reopened in May. Work continues on the theater. Peckham recently took over as chairman of the Heritage Committee to see the project through.

Earlier this month, the Utah Heritage Foundation announced the winners of its annual Heritage Awards for preservation and the dance hall in Fountain Green was one of the nine winners. Lisa Thompson of the Heritage Foundation says the story of how the people of Fountain Green came together is "a community spirit thing that touches your heart."

Not long ago, Peckham and Denice Aagard showed the Deseret Morning News around the place. On the dance hall side, chandeliers sparkled in the sunlight and the wood of the maple floor still smelled like new. But it was on the theater side — where the restoration is not complete — that the memories seemed to linger.

The room was dark and musty, void of seats. Peckham pointed out the orchestra pit, where the pianist for the silent movies used to sit. He pointed out the sites along the walls where potbellied stoves once heated the room. He made it easy to visualize a time, generations ago, when people came out on cold winter nights, maybe even arriving on horseback, to laugh with friends and be entertained.