But each new attempt has fallen flat since its original mission of grinding out flour ended. Salt Lake City, the Daughters of Utah Pioneers and the Parks Department all have taken cracks at reusing the 150-plus-year-old industrial structure.

Tracy Aviary hopes it has the right recipe to put the aging mill back to work for a long time.

The former grist mill last week started a new life as an education center to help the bird park run more year-round activities. The aviary hopes its more than $1.3-million effort to restore the building in an environmentally sound manner will enhance the bird park's conservation message, said Tim Brown, executive director.

"Salt Lake City lacks a venue for conservation groups to come together," he said. "That's a niche we hope to satisfy."

The basement of the mill - which apparently has flooded several times in its history - will serve as an area where teachers can conduct lab exercises using material found outdoors. Brown said he hopes educators will attempt experiments they would otherwise be reluctant to try in their regular classrooms because of the cleanup.

"This will be a great place to get dirty," Brown said recently as he gazed around the space that features old support timbers marked with old floodwater lines.

An upper floor will hold a library and a meeting space. The main floor will include exhibits and offer conservation-oriented information.

Fires and some past renovation efforts have taken away many of the structure's original architectural elements, but some of the older wood supports seem to have survived.

"These old timbers are just amazing," Brown said.

The mill traces its roots to about 1850, when construction began. Isaac Chase, who came to Salt Lake City from upstate New York with a stop in Nauvoo, Ill., finished the mill between 1852 and 1854, said Nelson Knight, senior preservation specialist with the Utah Division of State History.

The grist mill is believed to be the oldest such surviving structure in the city.

"Around this time period, that was the industry," Knight explained of mill work.

Initially, Brigham Young, one of Chase's partners, wanted to experiment with a horizontal wheel to power the mill, as opposed to the traditional vertical water wheel. Young brought architect Frederick Kesler aboard after construction began, and he managed to persuade Young to switch to the more proven vertical wheel, Knight said.

The mill is one of the oldest surviving architect-designed buildings in the city. A row of windows built into the sloped roof is a signature of Kesler's mill designs.

By 1860, Young took control of the mill. More efficient mills in the area led to the closure of Chase Mill in 1879.

Other owners included Salt Lake City, which bought the mill, and its associated farm, in 1882.

The mill served to winter animals and once was used as a tool house, but later was abandoned.

A member of the Chase family in 1898 persuaded the city not to tear it down.

From the late 1920s to the 1950s, the Daughters of Utah Pioneers raised money for several renovation efforts and put pioneer artifacts on display.

The assorted collection of users over the years have left their marks on the old mill, including an ill-advised English Tudor makeover in the 1920s.

"Some of the preservation work did more damage than good," Knight said.

In 2002, Tracy Aviary stepped in and spent $850,000 to stabilize the building, which had been abandoned for decades, and perform seismic upgrades before running out of money for the project.

The aviary spent $500,000 to finish the project this year.

"The latest work done has reversed some of the earlier damage," Knight said.

Julie Brown, spokeswoman for the aviary, said a concrete amphitheater built next to the mill will feature educational programs.

"It's not great for bird flight shows," she said, but staff can show certain birds during programs.

Aviary officials also hope the Chase Mill renovation project will help the park regain national accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The association rejected the aviary's application in September, citing aging exhibits.

The aviary is considering an appeal of that decision.

glavine@sltrib.com