Preservation Update: Washington D.C. Chapel to become apartments?

A few days, ago, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that the Washington D.C. Chapel has a proposal from a developer to be converted into luxury apartments. (Kind of sounds like the University Ward chapel's unfortunate outcome.)

Built 1931-33, the building was distinctly Latter-day Saint. The marble is birds-eye marble from Utah. An Angel Moroni (now in the Church History Museum) was on the tower. A mosaic of the Sermon on the Mount is over the front door. Stained glass windows show LDS symbols, including sego lilies, the Hill Cumorah, Rocky Mountains, Church immigrants, and more.

The building was discontinued in 1975 and sold in 1977, eventually ending up in the hands of the Unification Church, which still owns it. 

The developer's plan would add some additions that fit the building. All in all, I think it's a great idea. The building is not in spectacular shape and needs a major renovation. I guess I could always dream about the Church repurchasing the reusing the building, but that seems incredibly unlikely. We'll see if this one goes anywhere.

Riverdale Idaho Ward

 Riverdale is just north of Preston. The chapel there follows the same colonial twins pattern as other chapels in the area--with two wings, a chapel on the right, and a cultural hall on the left.

Unfortunately, this building has been heavily remodeled. The cultural hall is now behind the chapel, and the old cultural hall wing has classrooms and offices. The only part of the building that has kept much of its original feel is the decorations in the lobby.

Mink Creek Ward: Relief Society Room

 This room is now the primary room, but it was the relief society room.

In this room, Harold Helgesen painted 3 pieces. Above the (defunct) fireplace, he painted 2 images: One of a mother, with a popular poem from the time period; the other, a landscape painting of a Norwegian castle. (He had also painted a vase with flowers, but this has since been painted over.)

At the rear of the room is a larger mural of a handcart family entering the Salt Lake Valley. Above his signature, Harold wrote the mural's title: This is the Place!

He apparently also did a mural of a snowy river scene in the Bishop's office. I wasn't able to verify if it's still there. In any case, it's a unique building, and a unique room, with some beautiful paintings.

Mink Creek Ward: Cultural Hall

This cultural hall has some features I've seen from other buildings of this era--the benches along the perimeter, original to the building; a small stage. But Harold Helgesen, who was commissioned to paint the mural in the chapel, also did landscape scenery here, lining both walls. It's very unique!

I'm impressed that there were murals here, and still impressed at how they've been preserved. But this is not all--more murals are to be found in the basement. I'll show those in my next post.

Mink Creek Ward: Chapel Interior

The chapel used to be quite ornate, especially for a small community. Apparently, local Church leaders were scolded for building such an ornate (and expensive) building here.

(Image Source: Church History Library)

The building has been very, very well preserved, but the chapel has been remodeled, and it was flipped. The mural remains on the same wall, but it's now at the back of the chapel, instead of behind the pulpit.

The mural was painted by Harold Helgeson, depicting Temple Square at that time. He did other murals for chapels in the area, including Riverdale, Idaho (the Susquehannah River); Preston (one was painted over; another was taken to Church archives)

The chapel is the same size it was in 1929. The Church has looked into extending the chapel (to increase capacity). If that is ever done, this mural will be moved to another wall. While a lot of the interior details have faded over time, many of them are still present in this beautiful building.

But Harold did many more paintings in this building besides the chapel. We'll look at more of this very unique building in the next few posts.

Mink Creek Ward

Mink Creek is a small farming community northeast of Preston, Idaho. It has a nice chapel that was built in 1928-1929. I originally visited it way back in 2016, but I revisited it recently, and documented the interior.

(Image Source: Church History Library)

 

There are some changes to the building, of course, but the basic floorplan has remained intact.

It's a beautiful chapel in a gorgeous setting. This is the Church's backyard: a small cemetery, and pastures.

Beaver Dam Ward: Window Detail

This ward recently had an open house celebrating the history and architecture of their building. For more images, see the other posts I have on this building.