Unfortunately, I found out recently that the beautiful Loa Tabernacle is for sale. Built in 1909, it has undergone several renovations, including as recently as the 1990s. A new LDS stake center was recently built on the south end of town, and it's been unclear exactly what would happen to the tabernacle itself.
Obviously, my feelings are mixed. On the plus side, the tabernacle will not be demolished (hopefully), and the sale will allow the building to continue in another form (if there is an interested buyer). This is in contrast to other chapel sales, where demolition of the building was a requirement to buy.
But I'm disheartened the building couldn't continue to be used. I'm sure the old building caused issues, but there is no indication in the real estate listing of major structural issues that are threatening it. At some level the decision was made that the maintenance on this building wasn't worth it. That is a fair decision for a Church that is supporting millions of members worldwide to make. But it feels like we are consistently losing these architectural treasures.
The church has literally 100s of billions of dollars. The relatively small cost of preserving the Loa Tabernacle is miniscule. These are decisions made by bureaucrats who don't care about history, art or beauty, just the efficiency of the moment. The new stake centre is just another big box store with a steeple. Just think for an instant what memories are enshrined in the Loa building: how many sermons, how many funerals , how many home comings, how great leaders have spoken in that building, so much history. It is a shame.
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