Demolition begins to pave the way for sterile Hope Lodge healing resort

Demolition crews from A-Core prepare to bring down an old LDS chapel at 400 East and 100 South Monday, March 3, 2014. The building was donated to the American Cancer Society and is scheduled for demolition to make way for Hope Lodge.

Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY Patients battling cancer either far from home or without family will have the option to be housed in the city and nearer to medical facilities sooner rather than later.

The American Cancer Society this week is beginning demolition to prepare for its local Hope Lodge site, hoping to help up to 800 patients each year with a sterile healing environment that intends to be their home away from home.

"Cancer patients shouldn't have to worry about lodging arrangements or burdensome travel costs," said Pam Higginson, vice president and Hope Lodge campaign director for the American Cancer Society's Great West Division. "We are committed to bringing them this remarkable house of healing to let them concentrate on what's most important getting well."

Demolition is another step in making the Salt Lake City Hope Lodge a reality, Higginson said.

It has also helped to bring together other nonprofit organizations throughout Utah. The local Habitat for Humanity group has harvested materials from the old church building on the property to use in building homes for needy families or for the organization's retail store. The donation of materials is the largest Habitat for Humanity has received in Utah.

Five 30-foot pine trees that once towered over the church have been dug up and transported to the Navajo Tribe near Mexican Hat in San Juan County.

Labor and materials used for each effort also were donated, keeping several tons of building material out of Utah landfills. As the final demolition takes place, the remaining materials will be properly separated and sorted for additional reuse and recycling.

The new facility which will stand at the northwest corner of 100 South and 400 East, where the old 13th Ward LDS Church meetinghouse is located will offer 42 private suites, each equipped with two beds, study/office space and a private bathroom. The 43,000-square-foot building will also have several common areas for patients to mingle.

Excerpt from:
Demolition begins to pave the way for sterile Hope Lodge healing resort