Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Preservation Update: Blanding Tabernacle (South Chapel) Reopens

Note: Preservation Updates are a regularly occurring series of posts where I round up recent information on historic LDS buildings and their futures. Depending on the age of the post, there may be newer information available. Click here to see all Preservation Updates.
 
The San Juan Record published an article stating that the Blanding Tabernacle's renovation is complete. They held an open house on March 28, and on March 29 the building was being used again. Click here to see the original post about the renovation.

(Image Source: Church History Library)

The images they posted are rather small, but you can see the changes. Here is the original view of the tabernacle:

 (Image Source: Church History Library)

And here are the post-renovation photos:

(Image Source: San Juan Record)

(Image Source: San Juan Record

(Image Source: San Juan Record

Obviously, there have been some significant changes in terms of the woodwork, but the painting was restored by the original artist and replaced. According to the article, the cry rooms, period light fixtures, and glass above the south entrance were all restored or brought in to retain the historical feel of the building.

  
(Image Source: San Juan Record

I'm very glad this beautiful building continued to be preserved. I'm also excited to see when the Manti Tabernacle, still under renovation, will reopen. I will definitely keep you updated!

1 comment:

  1. My dad is from Blanding. This is the building we'd attend when visiting my grandparents. It's a stunning building that looks even more impressive today (than the picture in this blog) because if tall trees on the grounds. Fascinating floor plan. Several floors, maze-like. The painting in the chapel has a backstory. IIRC, a local girl was killed in a car accident. This was made in her memory. A visiting Seventy told them to take it down - paintings aren't allowed in chapels. The decision was reversed when the meaning of it was explained.

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