Twenty-ninth Ward (Salt Lake): Stained Glass Detail

 The front of the 29th Ward had three beautiful stained glass windows: two smaller transom windows over the main entrances, and one large one between the two. These were at the back of the chapel, but since they were on the south side, they provided beautiful colored light to the members of the ward.

(Image Source: Church History Library)

(Image Source: Church History Library)

By the early 1950s, the doors and their transom windows had been removed; instead, one main door was placed between the two.

Of course, now, all of the windows are gone. The large window was removed in a 1960 renovation; several of the pieces of glass were loose, and ward members felt that "repair would be too costly." A large frosted window was put in its place; predictably enough, this allowed too much light to enter and created a glare on the congregation. So it was covered with curtains.

It's disappointing that the stained glass was removed and that steps were not taken to preserve it. The current location of the windows is unknown; they may have been discarded, or someone may have taken possession of them, loose pieces notwithstanding. However, an artist did a painting of the window before it was removed:

It was a beautiful window.