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.     ..read more

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 ..read more

 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 ..read more

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 y ..read more

 I originally posted exterior photos of this building in 2018; now I got some interior photos.  The carvings and moldings on the building's exterior continue into the chapel's space. Carved geometric shapes line the chapel walls--these are largely where windows used to be. (All of the windows were originally covered in renovations; two have been restored.) Carvings also run along the ceiling. On the stand are two small doors; one led to a closet, and the other led to a bishop's office (now used as a classroom). The cultural hall has some details around the stage as well. In the 1 ..read more

Today I'd like to highlight the La Cañada Ward in Southern California. Built in 1949-50, it was designed by Louis Thomas, a Swiss architect who moved to California in 1921 and designed over 20 other chapels in the area. It's mostly done in the Tudor style, although the steeple doesn't really seem to match the building...even if it's always had one. Fortunately, the building looks much the same. It's got some unique stained glass on the interior as well that I'll highlight next time ..read more

July 2022: I originally posted photos of the Salt Lake Second Ward in 2015, but am now updating this post with more recent pictures.   My guess is that the corner tower used to be open, but now it has a drop ceiling covering it up. It also looks like it has beams that are strengthening the tower, likely for seismic measures.    There are some small windows in the tower:   But the largest one is at the back of the chapel. This is the second reproduction of the First Vision window that is located in the Salt Lake Temple's Holy of Holies. The first was the window in the ..read more

The Church has built many buildings besides chapels throughout its history--relief society halls, schools and seminaries, and even separate cultural halls (see, for example, the Harold B. Lee Hall in Salt Lake). One example of a separate recreation/cultural hall is in the small town of Teasdale. It was originally known as the "dance hall."  It has a very unique design. It was built in 1918. You can see there have been a couple of additions--the one on the left is a small lobby that houses artifacts; the one on the right is a kitchen and restrooms. The rest of the building is a recreation ..read more

The small town of Teasdale (near Capitol Reef National Park) has had its share of beautiful worship buildings. The Church purchased land in 1885 (for $9.99) for the first building, and it was built around 1890. A neighboring school was built in 1912. Here are both side by side: (Image Source: Church History Library) The school was later torn down. A new chapel was built next door, built over the course of a decade, from 1937 to 1947. It was known as the "little white chapel." (Image Source: Church History Library) (Image Source: Church History Library) Unfortunately ..read more

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