Star Valley is a beautiful area on the western edge of Wyoming, settled in the 1800s by Mormon Pioneers. Afton, the central city in the valley, was home to the Star Valley Stake, organized in 1892. Built from 1904-1909, the tabernacle (known as the Star Valley Tabernacle or Afton Stake Tabernacle) was dedicated by President Joseph F. Smith.
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| Image Source: Church History Library |
The building is stunning for its remote location. Stone for the construction came from a canyon on the west side of the valley. The chapel itself included a balcony along three sides of the building. (A future post will show interior pictures.)
In 1941, the building was enlarged to include classrooms, offices, and other space. This was mostly placed on the north side of the building. The exterior also underwent some changes, losing much of the decorative spires and changing the windows in the tower itself. The old tower looked much more majestic overall.
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| Image Source: Church History Library |
In 2009, a final renovation was completed which stabilized the building. Unfortunately, in either the 1941 or the 2009 renovations (I believe the former), a new chapel was built in the addition and the original chapel space was repurposed to accommodate classrooms. This is really too bad, as the original chapel space looked lovely. However, I'm glad the building is still preserved.
It is a beautiful building. The tower in particular is fascinating. To my knowledge, the tower once had stairs, and connected to old upstairs classrooms, but is now closed off, and in place of stairs, now has wooden ladders.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, so I guess the rooms in the tower are now vacant?
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