Park City mining landmark wins statewide preservation honor

The fully restored headframe at the Silver King mine. Photo: Courtesy of Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History

PARK CITY, Utah — A major rehabilitation effort at the historic Silver King Coalition Mine Headframe Building above Park City Mountain Resort has earned statewide recognition from Preservation Utah, putting a Park City preservation project among 10 honorees in the organization’s 2026 Community Stewardship Awards.

The Park City project, led by the Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History, a committee of the Park City Museum, received recognition in the rehabilitation and restoration category for a four-year effort to stabilize and restore the 1926 Silver King Coalition Mine Headframe Building in Woodside Gulch. Preservation Utah announced the award recipients on Tuesday, April 7, ahead of an April 28 ceremony in Salt Lake City.

In announcing the awards, Preservation Utah Executive Director Brandy Strand said this year’s recipients reflect “the full breadth of what historic preservation looks like in Utah today,” from affordable housing and legacy businesses to major historic landmarks.

For Park City, the honor shines a spotlight on one of the community’s most visible mining-era structures. The 12,400-square-foot industrial building had been vacant since 1953 and was at risk of structural failure due to a collapsed mine shaft, according to Preservation Utah. The site was also named one of the organization’s 2024 Most Endangered Sites.

The rehabilitation, completed in October 2025, included stabilizing the shaft and rebuilding the snow-damaged roof using the original corrugated metal panels while preserving their historic patina. Preservation Utah said the work secured the building as the centerpiece of the Silver King Coalition Mine National Historic District, which was designated in December 2024.

The restored headframe building is also expected to serve as an anchor for the Park City Historic Mine Route, scheduled to launch in September 2026.

The 2026 Community Stewardship Awards will be presented on Monday, April 28, from 9 a.m. to noon at Memorial House in Salt Lake City. Preservation Utah, founded in 1966, is marking its 60th anniversary this year.