Estimated read time: 8-9 minutes
FARMINGTON — What many are calling one of the most important privately owned pieces of property in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was recently sold to the city of Farmington, with the goal that it will remain preserved for generations to come.
The Old Rock Mill located in the foothills of Farmington was originally completed in 1862 by Franklin D. Richards, who was the nephew of a former member of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Willard Richards, who also built a series of mills in the area.
According to church historical documents, Willard Richards was integral in keeping many records of church founder and prophet Joseph Smith, and was present at the prophet's death. Willard was also appointed second counselor to Brigham Young in the church presidency in 1847, was later appointed secretary of Utah Territory, and was also an editor at the Deseret News.
The mill was created for the purpose of serving the growing community by way of meal and flour. It then went on to serve the community in many ways including providing electricity, a home for growing families, as well as becoming a booming restaurant for many elite members of Utah society in the 1960s.
It was the historical appeal of the mill that caused Tom Owens to purchase the property in the early 1990s, and it is that history and original setting that he has been determined to preserve.
"I've always had an interest in Mormon history and Utah history," Owens said. "When I saw the mill come up for auction in the newspaper, it gave a brief history of the place naming top church leader Willard Richards, who was in the jail cell with Joseph Smith. Willard was also the first historian of the church. When the church was falling apart after Joseph Smith was killed, he kept the church records together."
It has been this spirit of maintaining records and preserving history that was the driving force for Owens to purchase the property, and that has remained the case throughout his 30 years of both owning and living at the Old Rock Mill.
"The mill was already outdated when it was being built and it ran for less than 10 years as a mill," Owens explained. "It was turned into the first electric generation station in the state, generating electricity from the Bamberger Railroad. There are some old power poles that I haven't taken down because they are historic.
"It was used as an ice house where people would cut chunks of ice and store it in the summer," he continued. "Some people lived in it over the years in the early 1900s. But in 1960, two guys from Salt Lake who were members of the Tabernacle Choir came and bought it and turned it into the Heidelberg restaurant. The restaurant was run for many years, and they sold it, and the next owner ran it into the ground. In the late 1980s, Savings and Loans took possession of it and the state took it away."
When Owens purchased the property, it was far more work than just remodeling. Due to the place having been abandoned for many years, it was the target of a lot of vandalism, according to Owens.
Old man Owens at the Old Mill
"The property was completely exposed to the vandals, and it completely devastated the place," Owens said. "Every piece of glass was broken — $80,000 worth of 1880s stained glass windows, including seven Tiffany windows were destroyed."
Owens, who had training in U.S. special forces in his earlier years, said he tapped into that training in order to reclaim his property from the vandals, saying that he had to "physically take this place back," due to a very small police force in the area at the time.
From the day I bought this place, it was foremost in my mind to preserve it — and not just the building, but the setting.
–Tom Owens
"The first thing I did was take it away from the vandals," he said. "I'd come up here in the middle of the night and park and hang out. I started ambushing these kids who were vandalizing. I'd jump out of those dark places. … I had a lot of background training in jungle warfare. I was able to reach back in my past and come up with some stuff. I was in my 40s, and in good shape. I had to physically take this place back.
"I'd pick the darker spots," Owens continued. "The darker spots you can see into the lighter spots, but when you're in the lighter spots, you can't see into the darker spots, so I would lurk around behind trees, and when they'd come by, I'd jump at them and scare them."
Owens told a story about driving up to the mill on the first Halloween he owned it, and turning the radio to a heavy metal station where they were doing a countdown to the scariest places to visit in Halloween on the Wasatch Front, only to hear that his new home ranked No. 1.
"That night there was a steady stream of kids going up there, and it was a long night," Owens recalled.
As difficult as it was in the beginning to reclaim his property from the vandals, Owens also spent decades trying to keep it away from developers, who he said were trying hard to find ways to develop his land.
"From the day I bought this place, it was foremost in my mind to preserve it — and not just the building, but the setting," Owens said. "There is a lot of historical stuff around, but very seldom do you find it in its original setting. Every year since I've owned it, I've had developers come out of the woodwork."
Striking a deal to preserve the Old Mill
As the years have started to grow on him, Owens has decided that it is time to rehome his home. As the years have gone by, he has had two buyers to whom he's been willing to consider selling the property: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the city of Farmington.
"I wanted it to be preserved, and I knew the best chances of that would be with the city or church," he said. "If developers bought it, it would be surrounded by McMansions, and that's really what I was afraid of — spoiling the setting."
Farmington City Manager Brigham Mellor said the circumstances and timing were right for the city to purchase the Old Mill. He also said city officials and Owens share the goal of finding a way to preserve it in a way that will serve the community.
"For a long time, Tom Owens has talked with previous city managers and mayors about the future of the Old Mill," he said. "At one point, a developer came in who had been talking with Tom about his plan to preserve it, and wanted to see what the council's feelings were on developing that particular piece of property. After that meeting, Mayor Anderson came up to my office and he said, 'You know, I think we should look for a way to buy that property because it would be a shame if it were developed.'"
Mellor explained that the city didn't have enough capital to purchase the Old Mill outright, but it did own some property that was of interest to Weber State University to expand its campus. One thing led to another, and Farmington was able to sell its property to the university for $5.7 million and pay $4.75 million for the Old Mill, netting a profit to make improvements on the historic property.
Mellor said that while the verdict is still out on how the city will best preserve the Mill, the city will not develop it, or the land around it.
"It won't be developed," Mellor said. "We'll never go out there and build homes on it. Half of the property was zoned for townhomes decades ago, and we'll never do that.
"We're not in it to make money by any stretch of the imagination," he continued. "We want to make sure that it's a space that makes the most sense for the public and also figure out a way to have it be financially sustainable. We also want to do something with it to keep it maintained, so it just doesn't become dilapidated. That was what Tom was really concerned about. He's been very concerned about making sure that we don't just sit on the property."
Owens said he's very happy with the transaction, and is glad that his efforts to preserve the Old Mill haven't been in vain.
"I think it's great that the city bought it," he said. "I could have gotten a lot more money from developers, but that's not what this was about. The city had a straightforward plan to preserve it. I went with the deal, and it's the best thing I can do for the mill and town."
And while Owens may no longer own the Old Mill, he may very well still have a say in the preservation of it as time goes on.
"I put in the deal that if the city decides to sell it to any development, they need to give me or my heirs first option," Owens said.
For now, though, Owens will be able to remain on the property the remainder of his life, living in a place that very few have been lucky enough to call home.
