Before the Rock House Is Gone

Preserving a Piece of West Valley City’s Past

There is tremendous excitement about the new University of Utah hospital coming to West Valley City. This major investment will bring expanded medical care, emergency services, jobs, and opportunities directly into our community. It represents an important new chapter in West Valley City’s story.

But as we celebrate what is coming, we should also preserve what came before.

One of the properties being lost to this development is the historic Doxey “Rock House” at 3672 South 5600 West—a remarkable reminder of the rural community that existed here long before West Valley City was incorporated.

Built between approximately 1940 and 1942, the 1½-story home was constructed of cobblestone and mortar. Lawrence W. Doxey reportedly spent nearly ten years gathering the stones that would eventually become his home. The property grew into an entire farmstead, with a garage, woodshed, shop, stable, chicken coop, root cellar, springbox, outdoor stone kitchen/barbecue, and other structures. Many incorporated the same distinctive stonework.

These are more than old buildings and rocks. They tell the story of the people who lived here—people who farmed this land, raised families, worked with their hands, reused what they had, and helped create the community we inherited.

West Valley City has relatively few physical artifacts remaining from its earlier communities and agricultural past. Once a historic property like this is demolished, we cannot recreate its authenticity. What we fail to preserve now may simply be gone forever.

That is why we hope every reasonable effort can be made to document and salvage pieces of the Doxey property before demolition.

Original stones from the house and outbuildings, architectural features, doors, hardware, signs, tools, farm implements, pieces of the outdoor kitchen, photographs, documents, and other artifacts could someday help tell this story in a West Valley City museum or historical display. Even a section of original stonework could become a powerful exhibit when accompanied by photographs and the story of Lawrence Doxey spending years gathering those stones.

Imagine a future child standing in a West Valley City museum, touching one of the stones from this home and learning:

“A man gathered these stones nearly a century ago and built his family a home right here in West Valley.”

That connection cannot be reproduced with a photograph alone.

Progress inevitably changes communities. We are excited to welcome a major hospital that will serve generations of West Valley residents. But progress does not require us to erase every trace of the community that came before it.

The hospital will become part of West Valley City’s history.
The Doxey Rock House already is.

Before it disappears, we have an opportunity—and perhaps one of our last opportunities—to save pieces of this remarkable property so its story can continue to be told.

Buildings may have to come down. Their history does not have to disappear with them.