"Soft-Rock"

Pioneers who settled Pleasant Grove found a unique building stone northeast of town: a soft, porous limestone formed when minerals in water accumulated around vegetation. They called it Soft-Rock because while it was still in the ground, it could be easily cut into blocks with a saw or axe. Soft-Rock had excellent insulating qualities that kept structures warm in winter and cool in summer, and geologists call it tufa. Between 1865 and 1900, more than 100 buildings were erected with Soft-Rock, including the first Town Hall and the Ashton/Driggs house. By 2021, only 19 Soft-Rock buildings still had their original rock walls visible, while many others were concealed beneath stucco or siding. A remaining piece from the K.V. and Gwen Adams House, built in 1880 and demolished in 2012, retains a visible axe-cut notch once made to support a window.

Pleasant Grove, Utah · United States