Salt Lake City's 'cat park' reopens with more features and nods to its past

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Steenblik Park, known also known as the as "cat park" for some, reopened after improvements.
• The park features updated playground equipment, seating and preserved iconic cat sculptures.
• Residents and city leaders celebrated the reopening, honoring Joseph Steenblik's legacy in Rose Park.

SALT LAKE CITY — The children of Rose Park didn't waste any time testing out their new playground, racing to try Steenblik Park's large play structure slide and other features moments after helping cut a red ribbon wrapped around it.

Some took to a nearby swing set, while others checked out the iconic cat sculptures, which play into the park's affectionate nickname as the "cat park."

Salt Lake City's "cat park" has now reopened after a long-awaited renovation aided by a citywide bond. City leaders, family of the park's namesake and residents gathered on Monday to celebrate the reopening after months of waiting.

"It has been no small sacrifice for the neighborhood to allow this to be closed down for the last year while we did this," said Salt Lake City Councilwoman Victoria Petro, whose district includes the neighborhood. "I'm super excited it's now open."

The park, located at 1050 W. 800 North, first opened in 1984, but it was renamed Joseph F. Steenblik Park four years later, following a contest that the city held to name the park.

Steenblik lived nearly his whole life in Rose Park. He was a Utah legislator for over two decades, and also played a vital role in the construction of a church, library and gymnasium in the Salt Lake City west side neighborhood before he died in 1991.

"He was a good example of a Good Samaritan, kind to the less fortunate, good to his employees and exemplified the values of dependability and hard work," a historical marker reads.

It's become one of the more recognizable of the city's smaller neighborhood parks over time. That's largely because of the "Dairy Cats," a series of bronze statues toward the north end of the park, which were added in 2008.

These also tie back to its namesake. The cats are a callback to Steenblik Dairy, a small farm that the family owned in the area before it closed down in the 1970s. They represent the cats that would roam the area catching mice and vermin on the farm.

But as beloved as the park has been, it's gone through wear and tear over the years. Residents also wanted more friendly playground equipment for younger children, along with seating opportunities, said Kira Johnson, a planner for Salt Lake City's public lands department.

The city ultimately targeted it for improvements after residents approved an $85 million bond for park enhancements in 2022. The City Council allocated $750,000 toward the project through a provision that one pocket park in every council district receive an upgrade.

Petro picked the park within her district because of its role in the neighborhood. It's a big draw for families and a key green space in a part of the city that struggles the most with the lack of it.

Residents were thrilled, with one condition.

"The biggest, No. 1 thing we heard was, 'Don't do anything to the cats,'" Johnson told KSL. "We didn't do anything to the cats, but we tried to add nods to them."

She got to work leading the design, which called for updated playground equipment that's more suitable for younger children and additional seating options. A new shade structure was included along with trees to help people cool down in the summer, along with improved landscaping.

Parts of the old equipment were incorporated into the design, while some turf was removed for water-wise landscaping. A new concrete pad was added near the seating that includes paw prints that add to the cat theme.

Monday's opening provided enough feedback that it is kid-approved, which gave Johnson joy as the first park that she designed to open.

Steenblik's family also supports the updated park.

LeGrande Steenblik, Joseph Steenblik's youngest son, said his father and uncle were visionaries who cared deeply for Rose Park, building it into the neighborhood that it is today.

The park needed a touch-up, but it's the type of renovation he believes his father would be proud of because it allows for a safe place for families to gather together and play.

"He'd be pleased with the restoration of it and the way it's been revitalized," LeGrande Steenblik said. "He wouldn't take a lot of credit for it, wouldn't say too much about it, but he would be pleased."

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The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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Carter Williams

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Carter Williams is a reporter for KSL. He covers Salt Lake City, statewide transportation issues, outdoors, the environment and weather. He is a graduate of Southern Utah University.