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The SugarHouse area of Salt Lake City has a unique history. For over seventy years it was home to the Utah State Prison. Before the advent of the interstate highways, 2100 South was the major thoroughfare for east-west interstate traffic. And the crossroads created by 2100 South and 1100 East was, for many years, the furniture capital of Utah.
The building now occupied by Rockwood Studios was built in the 1940s, a decade before the closing of the State Prison (now SugarHouse Park). For many years it was the home of Rockwood Furniture. The late nineties saw a demographic transformation in the Salt Lake Valley, and Rockwood Furniture closed in 1999. Once a furniture center for Utah, SugarHouse is quickly becoming an art center. The Rockwood Studio Space and adjacent galleries, along with more art studios, Saltgrass Printmakers and SugarPost Pottery within a block, is making SugarHouse a destination for art lovers.
The transformation of the former furniture store into artist studios has made for some unique twists and turns in the space -- two upstairs floors, a main floor and a basement -- and unique studio spaces. Peek in at the shop of Tanner Frames and you'll see a telegraph pole inside the building. The same pole appears in photographs of SugarHouse years before the Rockwood Space was built. Please note that there are 2 separate doors for Rockwood Studios: 1062 and 1064. Many people never enter 1062 and miss a lot of art. Before entering 1064, which faces north, look to your right. You will see 1062, which faces east and leads upstairs to many studios.
sculpture by Andrew Smith in front of Rockwood
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