After failed attempts by previous owners, yet a third investor is interested in restoring the old Lehi Hospital on 206 E. State St. to some of its original beauty.

Warren Lloyd of Lloyd Architects appeared May 8 before the Lehi Planning Commission requesting a recommendation to the City Council for site plan approval and got it. Construction on the building could start in 10-12 weeks.

Bill Veach, who has lived next to the crumbling, abandoned building for several years and attended the commission meeting was excited to hear construction might begin soon.

"I'm glad," Veach said. "I'm very pleased."

Lehi Historical Preservation Commissioners, also in attendance, were hopeful that the third try "is a charm."

The building on 206 E. State St. was built in 1891 for the Lehi Commercial and Savings Bank after the establishment of the sugar beet industry and Lehi Sugar Factory which paid its workers in cash instead of script as was previously done for goods and services purchased by the People's Co-op in the town.

The Deseret Telegraph Company office managed by Mosiah Evans moved its office to the building.

After the bank began to fail, the building was sold to N. O. Malan in 1923. He operated a funeral parlor and automotive repair service on the main floor until 1925 when Dr. Frederick Worlton purchased the building and moved his Lehi Hospital onto the second floor. The following year, the ground floor was also renovated to become part of the hospital.

The large building has also housed the Utah Sugar Company offices, a notary public, an attorney, a photo studio, a school, a ballroom. In 1989, the building was vacated and since then there have been a few attempts to either condemn the building and raze it or to renovate it. A full history of the building up to 1990 can be found in "Lehi: Portraits of a Utah Town" by Richard Van Wagoner.

In the process of closing on the property, Ryan and Jamie Danforth of Saratoga Springs propose to renovate the building into 6,000 square feet of office space on two levels and retain the basement for storage.

"We've done historical research of the use of the building," Lloyd said. "It has the potential of being one of the most significant historical structures that Lehi has ... it is a tribute of this part of town."

He said there would be a challenge with the building's south wall because it is structurally seismically unsound.

"The south wall must be replaced in its entirety," Lloyd said. "The building brick material is different from the material on the other walls. It's a common, lower fired brick material."

He said a new foundation on the south would be built and a new wall. The owners are proposing a change of use for the site, the previous one was a proposed photo studio, flower shop, bed and breakfast, and the building codes will require seismic upgrades.

The renovation project qualifies the owners for a tax credit through the National Parks Service.

"It's one of the key elements I think financially for them to carry out the renovations," Lloyd said, adding they were interested in preserving the historic nature of the building. The project will not be a full restoration since items such as the original cupola are no longer part of the building.

That fact didn't deter the Lehi Historical Commissioners present at the city meeting from showing their excitement about the proposed project.

"It's going to be a diamond on State Street," historical commission chairwoman Connie Nielsen said.

Carl Mellor, another member of the commission said the building was the site where early pioneers wrote up the Utah State constitution, it was also a central office for the first telegraph system in Utah.

"Many people don't realize the historical significance of that building," Mellor said.

NEWS BRIEFS

Memorial Day event --The Lehi American Legion Post 19 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4918 will sponsor a Memorial Day service to honor those who have served to preserve the freedoms of their countrymen on May 26 at 9 a.m.

The program will be held at the Lehi Cemetery at approximately 300 East and 1000 North. If there is inclement weather, the ceremony will be held at the Legacy Center North Gym, 123 N. Center St, Lehi.

Correction -- The article "Lifeguards receive raise, slide gets upgraded" published on May 8 should have read the outdoor pool will open on May 24 and that there have been incidents of cryptosporidium at the Lehi City's water facilities.