American Fork Second Ward: Exterior Details

This chapel could definitely use some work. The main concern is the appearance of the roof, some missing finials, and some problems in the brickwork.

American Fork Second Ward: Stained Glass Details

This building still has some beautiful Victorian stained glass windows. They are both transom windows, and both in the original chapel portion of the building.

Nobody was there when I visited the building, so I couldn't ask for an interior view. I was able to get a view by looking in adjacent windows, so you'll notice it's lower quality.

American Fork Second Ward

The American Fork Second Ward Meetinghouse was built largely in 1903; by the end of January 1904, the ward was able to meet inside the building.

(Image Source: Church History Library)

Fortunately, the building has been very well preserved. The chapel on the right (with the corner steeple, which acted as an entrance) is the original portion of the building; the rest was added on in 1929. Fortunately, the addition matches the architecture of the original portion exactly.

The building has some beautiful details--colorful stained glass, unique finials, and beautiful brick work all add to the building's character. The Church vacated the building in 1979; in 1984, Bigelow and Co., an organ building company, purchased the building. They still own it today.

Twenty-fourth Ward (Salt Lake)

Built around 1907, the 24th Ward chapel has a very nice architectural style that is unique in Mormon culture. The narrow tower over the main entrance, the curved wall on the north side, and the split staircase leading up to the main doors are all very nice features for this building.

(Image Source: Church History Library)

The building is still standing, but it was sold by the Church many years ago. Now it houses a music company.

Rose Park Ward: Interior

The building was built during a time of transition in the Church--the beginning of largely standardized plans, but with some nice little touches that make the chapel memorable. The lobby has a nice bas-relief of the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood (which I forgot to photograph during this visit--sorry). The main doors on the left lead to the chapel.

The chapel is very nice, with windows lining both sides, and some nice woodwork on the rostrum and pews.

It really does have some nice touches, showing that you don't need to go all out in order to make architecture memorable for local members.

Preservation Update: Murray First Ward to be demolished, other news

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.

I used to update this blog three times a week; however, recently I have only updated it once a week due to a lack of time. I hope to continue to work on this blog more often in the future.

Still, I am adding a second post this week because of a long overdue Preservation Update for some recent news items. Let's hop right in!

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The original Murray First Ward is now slated for demolition, along with three other historic buildings in downtown Murray. They were originally protected, but the Murray City Council adopted an ordinance stating that historic buildings could be demolished "if the proposed project would add value to the tax base."

This is extremely disappointing. The building is part of Murray's heritage and history. A local preservation group is trying to build support to save at least the church, if not the other buildings. 

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While local groups try to save the Murray First Ward, the community in northern Salt Lake City is celebrating the preservation of the old Salt Lake 24th Ward. Donations totaling $40,000 from the community and businesses have helped transform it to a center for choral music, as well as a home for local dance groups. Kudos to the community for helping to save this building!

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Down in St. George, work continues on the historic tabernacle. Two recent articles--here and here--give more details into the visible changes being made to the building. This includes painting the window frames and front doors red, and the steeple a light green. These were the original colors when the tabernacle was first completed; recently, they were all white.

The clock faces are also being replaced with smaller ones, according to their original size. There's still no timeline on when the construction will be done, but at it's nice to see this historic gem taken care of!

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A local newspaper has published a detailed article (with nice pictures and video) of the El Paso Ward in Texas. You can check it out here.

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Finally, local rumors are apparently so prevalent that the Church's local public affairs representative for St. George has come out saying that there are no current plans for the St. George Temple to be renovated.

I think it'll be a few years before it happens, but I do think the temple will undergo a complete renovation and restoration in the next decade, once the current round of renovations (including the Mesa Temple, which was renovated around the same time as St. George) is complete.

Rose Park Ward

The Rose Park Ward (in Salt Lake) was built in the 1950s.

(Image Source: Church History Library)

It's pretty common for its era, but it's still a fairly nice building that I wanted to document. Look for pictures of the interior in my next post.