The Springdale Town Jail, built in 1935, is locally significant as a link between the town of Springdale, Zion National Park, and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camps working in the area during the depression years. This link is significant under Criterion A in the area of Politics/Government. As the town’s only historic correctional facility, the property contributes to the history of Springdale in the area of Politics/Government in two aspects. First, prior to the town’s incorporation in 1959, the town jail was one of three buildings located near the curve of Springdale’s Main Street (later Zion Park Boulevard), which together created a de facto civic center. Second, the Springdale Town Jail is the only known civilian correctional facility built by the CCC NP-2 Camp in Utah during the depression years. Because the building’s intent was to be a deterrent for rowdier elements from the nearby CCC Camp who attended dances and other town events, the period of significance spans the original construction in 1935 to the end of the CCC program in 1942. After that date, the building was privately owned and used for storage during most of its history.
The Springdale Town Jail is also locally significant under Criterion C in the area of Architecture for its association with the materials and craftsmanship of depression-era CCC Camps in Zion National Park. Red sandstone was and continues to be commonly used for buildings in Zion National Park. The most architecturally significant construction period occurred during the CCC Camp period from 1933 to 1942, when the CCC masons built an unusually homogeneous series of stone buildings for a national park. The Springdale Town Jail was built by the same enrollees of CCC Camp NP-2 who built many of the National Register of Historic Places-listed buildings and structures within the park. The Town Jail shares details of composition, scale, and materials. However, it is a distinctly utilitarian example of the National Park Rustic Style, primarily due to the flat concrete roof and the necessary iron jail features. The Springdale Town Jail contributes to the history of Springdale’s historic civic center and the town’s relationship to Zion National Park.