Preservation Update: Logan Tabernacle Rededicated

 On Sunday, August 26, the Logan Tabernacle was rededicated. It has been closed mostly since 2020, first with the pandemic, and then a renovation that started in 2021. The tabernacle was completed in 1891, and the pipe organ was installed in 1908.

Here's a view of the interior before and after:

Overall, it preserved the tabernacle incredibly well. This renovation removed the baptismal font in the basement; the basement is now all meeting rooms. Restrooms were enlarged and modernized. The organ and piano now face out toward the audience. Benches are more spread out and now padded. A lot of the HVAC and electrical systems were updated.

As part of the seismic upgrade, the tower was changed on the inside, and the balcony seating directly underneath the tower was replaced with a wall and structural items. Everett Thorpe's paining of Cache Valley pioneers, which hung in the lobby, was moved to this new area on the balcony. Before:

After:

I think the painting gets much better visibility here than it did before in the small lobby: 

It's much easier to appreciate now.

They also found another painting of Thorpe's in the tabernacle, restored it, and have it on display downstairs.

Logan Tabernacle: Interior Details

Logan Tabernacle: Mural and Stained Glass Details

Upon entering, members see this large mural of the pioneers. It was hard to get a good angle of it, especially with the afternoon sun.

On the west staircases (used to access the balcony) are tall stained glass windows. These are lovely.

Logan Tabernacle: Interior

This tabernacle has intricate details in the woodwork and on the ceiling. The pipe organ dominates the front of the chapel, although it wasn't added until the beginning of the twentieth century. It is one of the largest pipe organs in the state, after the ones in the Conference Center, the Salt Lake Tabernacle, and the new one in the Ogden Tabernacle.

During a renovation in the 1950s, the detailed ceiling was covered with a drop ceiling, and the tabernacle's floor was covered with tiles. A more sensitive renovation in the 1980s reversed those changes and sought to make the tabernacle look more like it originally did.

Logan Tabernacle

The Logan Tabernacle, constructed between 1864 and 1891 (with various delays in those years), is one of the oldest and most well-preserved tabernacles of the LDS Church.

As you can see in this photo, the tabernacle originally had grand staircases at the entrance, and members entered into the chapel.

(Image Source: Church History Library)

In later years, these stairs were removed. Members now enter on the ground floor and immediately proceed up some stairs to get to the main level. Stained glass was also added on this west side.

(Image Source: Church History Library)

I will be posting pictures of the interior in upcoming posts.

Preservation Update: Logan Tabernacle Basement Renovation, Murals Restored in Manti and D.C.

Note: Preservation Updates are a regularly occurring series of posts where I round up recent information on historic LDS buildings and their futures. Depending on the age of the post, there may be newer information available. Click here to see all Preservation Updates.
 
The Herald Journal is reporting that the Family History Center in the basement of the Logan Tabernacle is being renovated. The renovation includes "new artwork, carpet and paint colors...the entryway will be redesigned, [and] a sitting area and study area will be added, as well as a family room."

 

(Image Source)

For those unfamiliar with the Logan Tabernacle, the main and second floors contain the assembly hall, and are generally well-preserved.

 (Image Source)

The basement contains the family history center and a baptismal font. When I visited this tabernacle, the basement looked fairly modernized and little, if any, historical elements remaining. The Logan Tabernacle was dedicated in 1891.

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Scott Haskins runs a Facebook page covering his restoration of art, which sometimes includes LDS art. Recently, he's reported that he's restored this mural in the Manti Temple (it looks to me like it's in the baptistry, but I can't be certain):

  (Image Source)

 And last month, they worked on the mural "The Final Judgment," which is recognized among most LDS communities. The original is located in the Washington D.C. Temple (and, even though most copies don't show it, the mural shows that temple on the left side).

   (Image Source)

He also posted back in February that he was working on the murals in the St. George Temple and that "more extensive work is scheduled for 5 years." If his sources are correct and plans don't change, then we'd know that the Idaho Falls Temple will be renovated from 2015-16, and the St. George Temple will be renovated beginning in 2019 or so. I hope these renovations keep (and restore) original elements.

UPDATE: This news article has a Church representative saying that nothing has been announced about a remodel of the Idaho Falls Temple (apparently speculation is rampant). However, he doesn't deny it either--he just reiterates that nothing has been announced, and that if it were to happen, it would come from the First Presidency. We'll have to see what happens.

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This last point isn't related to historic architecture or preservation at all, but I thought it was cool--the Church held some sort of conference regarding the temple under construction in Rome, and in the background you can see what I assume are the designs of the temple interior--which apparently includes a really cool, open-centered spiral staircase.

(Image Source)

It will be exciting to see how the Rome Temple turns out when it is completed.