The Ninth Service Command was dissolved in 1946, and in 1947 the army announced that the fort was surplus and some land was turned over to the University of Utah and other agencies. However, the Korean War delayed dismantlement of the fort, which served as an induction center and administrative headquarters for the Utah Military District. The university received land in 1962 for a medical center and again in 1967 for a research park.

Closure of the post was announced in 1964; the flag was lowered on 25 June 1967 and Fort Douglas became a subpost of Fort Carson, Colorado. The army retained only the parade ground and many of the historic buildings, and also reserved water rights in Red Butte Canyon. The fort continued to serve as headquarters for the 96th Army Reserve Command. The fort was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975. In 1989 Congress finally approved closure of Fort Douglas as a military facility. Transfer of the fort to the University of Utah began in 1991 and was completed in late 1993.

See: Leonard J. Arrington and Thomas G. Alexander, "The U.S. Army Overlooks Salt Lake Valley: Fort Douglas, 1862-1965," Utah Historical Quarterly 33 (Fall 1965).

Charles G. Hibbard