Salt Lake 11th Ward: Interior

A well-known member of the Salt Lake 11th Ward was Lewis Ramsey. He was an artist who was commissioned by the Church to paint Joseph Smith receiving the gold plates in 1923. It was a very popular piece of art--it was printed in the large-print edition of the Book of Mormon--and he painted several copies, including one for the Draper Ward (which now hangs in the Draper Temple) and the Union Stake Tabernacle in Oregon (which now hangs in the Portland Temple). The copy that was painted for his home ward (the Salt Lake 11th Ward) was saved when the building was demolished in 1960, because David O. McKay felt strongly about it. It had been painted on the wall, so the entire wall had been removed and stored.

At some point the painting was lost for 20 years. Richard G. Oman, curator of the Arts Division of the Church Historical Department, tracked it down in an industrial area, finding it in rough shape. Rats had built nests on the painting and it was flaking badly. Over the course of three years, they removed the painting from the wall, reattached the flakes (one by one), and finally, 1982, the painting was restored to the front of the new chapel. It was done very well--I had the impression the chapel was originally built with the mural here.

 

The painting is at the front (behind the rostrum), and the pulpit is off-center so it doesn't impede a view of it. The painting is set back, with electric lights illuminating it from below, and small windows on either side so it's well-lit.

 

 

Modern stained glass is in the chapel as well, and some neat geometric patterns are there and on the pulpit.

 

Salt Lake 11th Ward

In 1849 the Church created 19 wards in Salt Lake City. Many of those still remain (which is why there are so many "Salt Lake # Ward" posts on this blog). I visited the Salt Lake 11th Ward, which used to have a much more unique building, constructed around 1911:

 

Unfortunately it was replaced, likely in the 1970s or 1980s. The exterior is OK, but the interior is unique and I'll highlight that in my next post.

 

 

Bicknell Relief Society Hall

Relief Society Halls were built throughout the Church from about 1870 until as late as the 1920s. These were special halls just for the Relief Society Organization to meet, conduct business, and hold events. Relief Society Halls still stand from Richmond (Cache Valley) in the north, down to Santa Clara in the south. One example is in Bicknell, Utah:

It's currently owned by the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers (DUP) organization.

It was built in 1889, so I'm nearly certain the stained glass was a later addition.

Salt Lake 31st Ward

 This chapel is just a few blocks east of Liberty Park. It's a really nice Queen Anne style, which you don't see often in the LDS Church. It was built in 1902, but had later additions and changes to its exterior.

Unfortunately it was sold in the late 1980s. It housed a private school and now another Christian church. The building is still in fairly good condition, it appears.

Idaho Falls Third Ward

Construction began on the Idaho Falls 3rd Ward building in 1927, and it was dedicated a decade later in 1937 by Heber J. Grant. It is very inspiring from the outside, and reminds me of a very ornate version of the classic Colonel Twins plan that was used during this time period throughout the Church.

The exterior was apparently done in a very ornate style, and then the depression hit, so the interior was decidedly less so. The Church sold the building in 1981 to a nonprofit community center, and it served in that capacity until about 2004. It was then used as another Church for a couple of years and then was vacant for a decade.

The building was purchased in 2016 and restored to serve as a "healing center" that focuses on holistic medicine. The building's restoration preserved most of the exterior architectural elements, and it looks fantastic.

Sunset Ward (CA)

Today I'd like to highlight a beautiful building in San Francisco which houses the Sunset Ward.

Originally built in 1945, the building had some really wonderful artwork and features that made it unique. It has since been remodeled and lost many of these features, but it still stands today.

Above the main entrance to the chapel was a relief sculpture by Anna Stevenson. It showed Joseph Smith next to the scripture "If any of ye lack wisdom, let him ask of God."

(Image Source: Church History Library)

 She also designed a small sculpture at the front of the building that shows a beehive and seagull.

(Image Source: Church History Library)

The sculpture over the door was removed in a subsequent renovation, and is now in the collection of the Church History Museum. The smaller sculpture remains, but it is no longer painted, and isn't as noticeable.

(Image Source: Google Maps)

(Image Source: Church History Library)

The chapel itself was also unique. It had theatre seats for the congregation instead of benches, a unique pulpit that had inset boxes for scriptures, and a large charcoal drawing of Christ, done by Ernest Semereau as his contribution.

(Image Source: Church History Library)

The remodel of this chapel changed the look significantly, adding dark wood, removing the chairs and putting in pews, and changing the color scheme. The picture of Christ was removed at some point until it was hung again in the lobby in 1978.

(Image Source: LDS Architecture)

The choice of art and architecture was entirely done by local members. For example, the room with the baptismal font had a stained glass window donated by Sister Quealey, a member of the McCune family from Salt Lake City, which originally hung in the McCune home. It had very little religious significance in and of itself, but the beauty of the window was apparently enough for its selection by the Bishop and its placement in the baptistry. It shows a nymph standing tall. The baptismal font was removed in a later renovation, and the window is presumably in the Church's art collection.

(Image Source: Church History Library)

Due to cultural and fiscal trends, membership of the Church in the Bay Area has declined significantly in recent years, but the building continues to serve a ward and a branch. While it has been changed significantly, a lot of its charm remains, and the renovation overall did a good job of preserving the building's character.

Eighth Ward (Salt Lake): Artwork Detail

At the front of the chapel is the painting titled The Straight and Narrow Way, designed and donated by John M. Chamberlain, a choir director from the Eighth Ward who wrote the hymn, "We Are Marching on to Glory."

The painting itself was done by Otto Weiss in 1904, so it predates the building (built around 1920). I'm still trying to find out more information about Otto. The painting shows Christ leading the way on the straight and narrow path (which symbolically leads to Temple Square, as you can see below). Also pictured are those falling from the path, humble disciples who follow Christ, and some wandering off to a dark landscape in the back.

On the side of the chapel is a large painting of Daniel in the Lion's Den, done by W.C. Morris in 1886. William Morris was a well-known artist who participated in many projects, including doing the murals that used to grace the ceiling of the Assembly Hall on Temple Square.