La Verkin (some say this is a Native American term for "Beautiful Valley," others say it is likely a corrupted form of La Virgen for the nearby Virgin River) is a small community located off of I-15 northwest of St. George. Tucked away against the cliffs bordering the east side of town is a fascinating chapel. The most distinctive part of the building was started in 1925. It originally had the chapel and cultural hall upstairs in the one-room building, with a relief society room and classrooms in the basement.
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| Source: Church History Library |
The building wasn't paid off and dedicated until 1955, over 30 years later. In 1962, a new chapel was built on the building's north side, and the original structure served as the cultural hall. There were new additions in the 1970s as well.
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| Source: La Verkin City |
Unfortunately, in the 1980s, the Church found that the building was slumping, probably due to flood irrigation water. After some discussion, the building was sold to the city in 1993. There are some structural concerns with the building, but it still houses the police department and a few other city offices.
The structure has a modern style which is impressive considering the time in which it was built.
This would have been awesome to see when it was new!
ReplyDeleteI agree! I'm hoping the city will be able to give it a nice remodel, but it must be expensive.
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