diff --git a/torchvision/prototype/datasets/_builtin/sbu.py b/torchvision/prototype/datasets/_builtin/sbu.py
index 63ee3ddf827..5677fdc4975 100644
--- a/torchvision/prototype/datasets/_builtin/sbu.py
+++ b/torchvision/prototype/datasets/_builtin/sbu.py
@@ -1,9 +1,20 @@
+import itertools
 import pathlib
 import warnings
 from typing import List, Any, Dict, Optional, Tuple, BinaryIO
 
 from torch.utils.model_zoo import tqdm
-from torchdata.datapipes.iter import IterDataPipe, Demultiplexer, LineReader, Zipper, Mapper, IterKeyZipper
+from torchdata.datapipes.iter import (
+    IterDataPipe,
+    Demultiplexer,
+    LineReader,
+    Zipper,
+    Mapper,
+    IterKeyZipper,
+    FileLister,
+    FileOpener,
+    IterableWrapper,
+)
 from torchvision.prototype.datasets.utils import Dataset, DatasetInfo, DatasetConfig, OnlineResource, HttpResource
 from torchvision.prototype.datasets.utils._internal import (
     hint_sharding,
@@ -24,8 +35,29 @@ def _make_info(self) -> DatasetInfo:
             homepage="http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~vicente/sbucaptions/",
         )
 
-    def _preprocess(self, path: pathlib.Path) -> pathlib.Path:
-        folder = OnlineResource._extract(path)
+    def resources(self, config: DatasetConfig) -> List[OnlineResource]:
+        return [
+            HttpResource(
+                "http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~vicente/sbucaptions/SBUCaptionedPhotoDataset.tar.gz",
+                sha256="2bf37d5e1c9e1c6eae7d5103030d58a7f2117fc5e8c6aa9620f0df165acebf09",
+            )
+        ]
+
+    def _maybe_download_images(
+        self, resource_dp: IterDataPipe[Tuple[str, BinaryIO]]
+    ) -> IterDataPipe[Tuple[str, BinaryIO]]:
+        resource_dp = iter(resource_dp)
+        data = next(resource_dp)
+        path = pathlib.Path(data[0])
+        try:
+            archive = next(
+                iter(archive for archive in path.parents if archive.name == "SBUCaptionedPhotoDataset.tar.gz")
+            )
+        except StopIteration:
+            # we already loaded the extracted folder
+            return IterableWrapper(itertools.chain([data], resource_dp), deepcopy=False)
+
+        folder = OnlineResource._extract(archive)
         data_folder = folder / "dataset"
         image_folder = data_folder / "images"
         image_folder.mkdir()
@@ -50,16 +82,7 @@ def _preprocess(self, path: pathlib.Path) -> pathlib.Path:
             with open(broken_urls_file, "w") as fh:
                 fh.write("\n".join(broken_urls) + "\n")
 
-        return folder
-
-    def resources(self, config: DatasetConfig) -> List[OnlineResource]:
-        return [
-            HttpResource(
-                "http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~vicente/sbucaptions/SBUCaptionedPhotoDataset.tar.gz",
-                sha256="2bf37d5e1c9e1c6eae7d5103030d58a7f2117fc5e8c6aa9620f0df165acebf09",
-                preprocess=self._preprocess,
-            )
-        ]
+        return FileOpener(FileLister(str(folder), recursive=True), mode="rb")
 
     def _classify_files(self, data: Tuple[str, Any]) -> Optional[int]:
         path = pathlib.Path(data[0])
@@ -78,9 +101,10 @@ def _make_datapipe(
         *,
         config: DatasetConfig,
     ) -> IterDataPipe[Dict[str, Any]]:
+        resource_dp = self._maybe_download_images(resource_dps[0])
 
         images_dp, urls_dp, captions_dp = Demultiplexer(
-            resource_dps[0], 3, self._classify_files, drop_none=True, buffer_size=INFINITE_BUFFER_SIZE
+            resource_dp, 3, self._classify_files, drop_none=True, buffer_size=INFINITE_BUFFER_SIZE
         )
 
         images_dp = hint_shuffling(images_dp)