Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Cauldron Park

Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Cauldron Park
The cauldron with Rice-Eccles Stadium in the background.
Location	Salt Lake City, Utah
Coordinates	40°45′32″N 111°50′56″W / 40.758871°N 111.848803°W / 40.758871; -111.848803Coordinates: 40°45′32″N 111°50′56″W / 40.758871°N 111.848803°W / 40.758871; -111.848803
Created	2003 (2003)
Operated by	University of Utah
Status	Open Monday–Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Year round
Website	Official website

The Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Cauldron Park is a plaza located at the south end of Rice-Eccles Stadium on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. During the 2002 Winter Olympics, Rice-Eccles Stadium was known as Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium and hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. The plaza contains a 2002 Winter Olympic museum, the Olympic cauldron, and other memorabilia from the 2002 Olympic Games. As the University of Utah moves forward with stadium expansion and limited space, the future of the park is uncertain. The Hoberman Arch was removed in August 2014, while other portions of the park, such as the film, are no longer functional.

Construction on the park began October 2, 2002 with a ground-breaking ceremony attended by Olympians Shannon Bahrke and Bill Schuffenhauer. The first phase of construction, which included moving the cauldron and getting it operational was completed in February 2003, in time for the one-year anniversary celebration. The second phase, which included the visitors center, was completed later that summer, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony was held August 22, 2003. The park cost $12 million to construction, and was paid for with revenue and extra surplus from the 2002 Games. Following the park's opening the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) turned over control and maintenance of the park to the University of Utah, giving them a $1 million endowment. The park is open to the public free of charge, with the exception of the film shown in the Visitor Center. Money from ticket sales for the film, along with the original $1 million endowment pays the park's operating costs.

The park has three main highlights: the cauldron, the Hoberman Arch, and the visitor center. The park is also landscaped with fountains, plants, stones, and concrete walls. 17 panels, one for each day of the Olympics, are attached to a fence on the park's southern edge. The interior side of each panel describes the Olympic highlights and events of its particular day, while the exterior sides bear the same images that were wrapped on buildings in downtown Salt Lake City during the Games.