Granite Ward: Exterior Details

A couple of sculptures by Avard Fairbanks are on the gates of the building.

 

 

Detroit Branch & Fairbanks Panels

One of my favorite parts about running this blog is when local members reach out to me to alert me of some unique architectural feature or art in their local building. I had that happen to me just recently. A member contacted me explaining that, in the 1940s, the Relief Society had a monument erected on Temple Square, between the Tabernacle and the Assembly Hall. It houses the Nauvoo Bell, and panels around the monument were made by Avard T. Fairbanks (the same one whose works are now housed in the Granite Ward Chapel).

A year or two after the monument went up, the local bishop in Detroit offered to purchase the original carvings from Fairbanks. He accepted the offer, and the 3 carvings were hung in the chapel behind the pulpit.

The three panels are meant to symbolize important roles filled by the women in the Church.

After that chapel was vacated in the 1970s, the panels ended up in storage in the basement of the new meetinghouse (which shares a parking lot with the Detroit Michigan Temple). When cleaning the basement one day, local members asked what the panels were and suggested throwing them away. When the history of the panels was revealed, local leaders instead opted to hang them in the lobby:

The panels still hang there today, enjoyed by local members, although they may not all be aware of the history of the panels, and that they are the original carvings that form a monument on Temple Square.

I love stories like these--there are so many unique pieces of art and heritage that can be found in random meetinghouses across the globe. I hope we can document and preserve as many as possible.

Toquerville Ward

Toquerville is a small community northwest of St. George, located on the banks of Ash Creek, which runs down along the rim of the Great Basin to the Virgin River. Near the center of town is one of the oldest standing buildings, an original LDS Chapel built in 1879.

Image Source: Church History Library

I'm not sure of the timing, but as some point the building was sold to the city. It serves as town hall and has some historical items inside. The outside has been preserved pretty well, as were the wood floors inside the building.

 

Salt Lake 15th Ward

Built in 1904, this Gothic chapel has many similar counterparts in other areas of Salt Lake City. It had an addition built in the 1920s.

(Image Source: Church History Library)

While it is still standing, it was sold in the late 1960s. It has passed ownership a few times, and it now used as a recording studio.

There are signs of disrepair throughout the building.

Update: Which Temples, Tabernacles, and Meetinghouses are Safe?

Note: The 'Preservation Predictions' series examines what historic Mormon buildings may be renovated/preserved in the future. For all of the posts in this series, click here.

I originally wrote this post 5 years ago! In that post, I pointed out that in 2010, the Church had indicated that it had a list of 58 buildings that were designed as "safe"--buildings the Church would likely never sell or destroy.

Things change, and I'm not sure if the Church still has that list, or if it still has 58 buildings. Still, with recent preservation news from the past 5 years, and especially with recent concerning news about the likely future demolition of the Winder Ward in Millcreek, the ongoing fight to save the Murray First Ward,  and the upcoming sale of the University Ward Chapel, I wanted to revisit the Church's major buildings that are likely considered protected. I've marked buildings in green that I am fairly if not completely certain have a protected status. Other buildings in orange are good candidates.

Temples

1. St. George Utah (on NRHP, 2019 renovation)
2. Logan Utah (on NRHP, upcoming renovation)
3. Manti Utah (on NRHP, upcoming renovation)
4. Salt Lake Utah (on NRHP, 2019 renovation)
5. Laie Hawaii (2010 renovation)
6. Cardston Alberta (1991 renovation)
7. Mesa Arizona (2018 renovation)
8. Idaho Falls Idaho (2015 renovation) 
9. Los Angeles
10. Washington D.C.
11. Vernal
12. Provo City Center

The original article stated there were 10 protected temples.

Windows on the St. George Temple

Tabernacles

1. Salt Lake (on National Register of Historic Places)
2. Assembly Hall (on NRHP)
3. Bountiful (on NRHP)
4. St. George (on NRHP, renovated in 2018)
5. Logan (on NRHP)
6. Manti (renovated in 2015)
7. Paris, ID (on NRHP)
8. Brigham City (on NRHP)
9. Granite Stake (article confirms this)
10. Randolph (on NRHP)
11. Garland (renovated in 2000)
12. Alpine (renovated in recent years)
13. Hollywood (Los Angeles, CA; renovated in 2003)
14. Montpelier, ID (renovated in 2015)
15. Kaysville
16. Morgan
17. Richfield
18. Star Valley (Afton, WY)
19. Loa (renovated in 1983)
20. Honolulu, HI
21. Ogden (renovated in 2014)
22. Malad City, ID

The original article stated there were 20 protected tabernacles.

Interior of Kaysville Tabernacle

Meetinghouses

This one is particularly hard, because of the sheer number of historic meetinghouses. However, I can guess some of them. The original article said 23 meetinghouses were on this protected list.

1. Spring City Ward
2. Ogden 4th Ward (renovated 2012)
3. Cedar City 1st Ward (renovated 2012)
4. Logan 1st Ward
5. Logan 4th Ward
6. Farmington Ward (Primary Association organized there)
7. Brigham City 3rd Ward
8. Salt Lake Second Ward
9. Salt Lake Eighth Ward
10. Salt Lake Tenth Ward
11. Salt Lake Liberty Ward
12. Bonneville Ward (SLC)
13. Garden Park Ward (SLC; renovated 2008)
14. Manavu Ward (Provo)
15. Wells Ward (SLC)
16. Yale Ward (renovated 2011)
17. Forest Dale Ward (SLC)
18. El Paso Ward (TX, renovated 2015) 
19. Centerville 1st Ward 
20. Idaho Falls 5th Ward
21. Blackfoot 1st Ward
22. Whittier Ward
23. Beaver Ward
24. Tremonton 1st Ward
25. Timpanogos Ward (Orem)
26. Parowan 3rd Ward
27. Salt Lake 27th Ward (renovated 2018)
28. Salt Lake 20th Ward

Again, because of the number of unique meetinghouses, I'm sure there are many more that could be on this list.

Balcony of Spring City Ward

Other Buildings

The original article simply stated that five "other buildings are on the list."

1. Colonia Juarez Stake Academy (Academia Juarez, a high school in Mexico)
2. Maeser Building (BYU Campus; recently renovated)
3. Heber J. Grant Building (BYU Campus)
4. Joseph Smith Memorial Building (formerly the Hotel Utah)
5. Church Administration Building

Academia Juarez, a historic Church high school in Colonia Juarez, Mexico

This one is difficult. I'm not sure if I've left out any other significant structures that don't fall under the category of meetinghouses, tabernacles, or temples.

It's unfortunate to see the recent development of threatened chapels. While the Winder and Murray Wards are not owned by the Church (and were sold many years ago), it's very unfortunate to see the University Ward be sold. Even though it will be preserved, it's one that I wish the Church would have kept.

What do you think? Have I left off any obvious or glaring candidates? Let me know!

Harold B. Lee Recreation Hall

Stand-alone recreation halls were a little more common in the late 1800s and early 1900s for the Church. They were later integrated into the meetinghouse building. This stand-alone recreation hall serves the historic Pioneer Stake on the west side of Salt Lake City.

It was later renamed the Harold B. Lee Recreation Hall because of his role in its history. The Pioneer Stake was one of the hardest hit areas during the Great Depression. Harold B. Lee, the stake president at that time, was involved in my welfare projects to help bring relief. One was to put unemployed members to work building a recreation hall for the stake. Many of the materials for the building were salvaged from other structures.

They have pictures of Harold B. Lee and a small memorial to him in the lobby.

Columbus (OH) Branch

Image Source: Google Maps

This lovely building still stands in downtown Columbus, OH. It was built in 1930, and until the 1950s, it was the only LDS building in the state (besides historic buildings related to the Church located in Kirtland).

At some point, there was a lovely stained glass window of the Angel Moroni in the circular window near the top of the building.

The building was sold around 1960, and now is owned by Orthodox Catholic Church congregation. The window (not being suitable for a new congregation) was saved, and nearly 30 years later, when a meetinghouse was built in nearby Dublin (on the outskirts of town), the window was moved there.

Image Source: Google Maps

The new meetinghouse is not unique at all, but they still installed the original window above one of the entrances.

(Image Source)

It's a lovely little window, and I wish I knew more about the history of the building and when the window was made. Until then, I'm glad it's still enjoyed by members.

Mesa Second Ward

First built in the 1910s, the Mesa Second Ward is just a few blocks west of the Mesa Temple.

In 1934, the current chapel was built on just west of the original chapel. In the 1960s, the original chapel portion was demolished, but the 1930 chapel is still standing.

Laketown Ward: Interior Details

Similar to the Herriman Ward's building, the Laketown Ward's exterior was well-preserved, but the interior is completely redone. The front half of the building on the main floor is the primary room (see below), and the rest of it is divided into small classrooms. I couldn't really find any historical features that were kept.

Meanwhile, I also hopped next door to the 1920s cultural hall to photograph the interior.

This ward (like most other wards around Bear Lake) is so busy in the summer, nearly every room is set up with chairs and video so everyone can participate in sacrament meeting.

The cultural hall even has some classrooms above the main entrance and behind the stage. I really like the feel of this complex of buildings, although I wish some more historical features could have been preserved from the original chapel's interior.

Granite Ward

Located in east Sandy, near the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon, this building is beautiful. Construction began at the turn of the century, around 1900. The exterior was completed by 1905, but the interior wasn't finished until about 10 years later (And paying the building off took much longer). The building is originally red brick, but was painted over in 1950.

In 1964, a new building was built a couple of blocks to the north. The original cornerstone was moved to the new building, and the old building was sold in 1965 to Avard T. Fairbanks, a well-known sculptor who used it for storage. (Among many other things, he carved the baptismal font and friezes in the Laie Hawaii Temple, the Angel Moroni for the Washington D.C. Temple, the Priesthood Restoration Monuments on Temple Square, the Joseph Smith statue in the Joseph Smith Building at BYU, and many other Church works of art.) His son now owns the building and uses it to house his fathers' pieces.
 

Coalville Tabernacle: Stained Glass Detail & Preservation

I have already done posts on the former Coalville Tabernacle and the chapel that replaced it and houses its paintings and stained glass. After my first visit I learned that the window at the front of the chapel has backlighting, and so I made another visit to properly photograph it.

This window is lovely, with cool green colors that contrast with the other windows.

A dove with an olive leaf is at the top of the window.

While there, I checked on the other windows and talked with some local members. The Church is taking good care of these historic artifacts--the paintings of the prophets were removed a couple of years ago for some cleaning and preservation efforts and then replaced. Now, the Church is working on the stained glass windows, taking them down one at a time to do repair and preservation efforts before replacing them. The south window was gone when I visited.

Finally, last time I visited, there were curtains on the sides of the stained glass windows; now, they have a bar at the top and a shade that comes down. The only issue is the bar blocks the top of the windows from being viewed properly, but it's a minor quibble. These stained glass windows are among the oldest in the Church, and I'm very happy to see that the Church is taking good care of them and keeping them in this chapel for local saints to enjoy.

Salt Lake 34th Ward

Built in 1921, this chapel on the west side of Salt Lake City has an impressive entrance. It was later sold and now houses another congregation.

Binghampton Ward (Tucson, AZ) Exterior Details

I was in Tucson recently and finally got a chance to visit this historic building. It is beautiful and fits in perfectly with the architecture of the city. A previous post examining this building can be found here.