Light filters into the old Manti North Ward building (located a few blocks north of where the Manti Tabernacle now stands) through a glass dome above the rostrum:
(Source: Church History Library)
The chapel was every bit as beautiful as the Manti Tabernacle, even though it was built years later (dedicated November 5, 1911). A huge stained glass window with a quatrefoil motif at the top graced the east end.
(Source: Church History Library)
In later years, the glass dome suffered from vandalism, the east stained glass window was boarded up, and the Church decided to build a new chapel instead of keeping the old one. Many people worked tirelessly to try to save the building, and for a number of years it was used to house the preparations for the Manti Pageant. Eventually, though, the building came down in the 1980s.
(Source: Church History Library)
I figured that the stained glass window was saved, because for some time, it was in the hands of the Manti Destiny Committee, who planned to dedicated a heritage center (with gardens) that would feature the beautiful window. That was 15 years ago. The heritage gardens were made and dedicated, but the building was never erected.
I did some poking around to find the location of the window. A helpful blog reader reached out to me and confirmed that the window was in the hands of a local non-profit committee. I reached out to several contacts to try to find the location of the window, and after making some calls around, I spoke with a member from Manti who has been paying a storage fee every month for years for the window. (It's a big window, and takes up a lot of boxes--too much to keep in a garage! This member has literally spent hundreds of dollars on this window!) She graciously sent me pictures of the window, the only color ones I can find:
As you can tell, this window is breathtaking. The member who is paying for its storage, and the non-profit organization, are trying to find a use for it--several possibilities have come in the past, but none of them have materialized. I sincerely hope we can find a way to repair and reassemble this window so that it can be enjoyed in the future by members and non-members alike.
At one time I thought the Heritage Committee or whatever they are called, that put in the new Garden south of the cemetery, had plans to build a visitors/information building there and incorporate the windows. Not sure what became of that project. Anyone know?
ReplyDeleteThe last word I could find on that project was from a newspaper article many, many years ago. I'm guessing those plans were cancelled, for whatever reason.
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