Phase I (1942) of the Bushnell Hospital consisted of 40 permanent buildings on 235 acres in Brigham City, UT. The Regimental Chapel (Building 57) was located on the northwest corner of the Phase I buildings, immediately to the west of the officers’ barracks. The chapel is one of the only buildings on the Bushnell campus that is still standing and serving its original purpose.

As with many of the war time projects, the government provided standard drawings for most of Bushnell’s buildings: barracks, warehouses, mess halls, infirmaries, theaters, and recreation halls. Religious services were to be held in theaters and recreation halls, therefore plans for chapels were not included. Eleanor Roosevelt felt soldiers would gain a boost in morale if they could attend religious services in a military chapel. Thus in 1941, under pressure from Mrs. Roosevelt, standardized chapel drawings (Series 800-550, Type CH-1) were immediately implemented into the war mobilization construction program (National Park Service). Reports vary, but between 500 and 1100 chapels of this design were built during WWII mobilization efforts (Lincoln Army; Popravak).

The CH-1 design was a 362-seat, Colonial Revival style chapel. A four-sided belfry and steeple extended above the gable ridge on the front of the chapel. At its point were a cross and lightning rod. Some options were available based on local conditions: building material (brick or wood clapboard), foundation material (concrete or pier blocks), and louver style (open or closed) (National Park Service).

In the case of the Bushnell Chapel, that exact set of prints (labeled Mobilization Hospital, Regimental Chapel, Series 800-550 Type CH-1) are found in the AEH archives. Sometime in 1942, Ashton, Evans & Hodgson (AEH) made site-specific changes to the CH-1 drawings and published the construction details (Special collections). In contrast with many other war department construction projects during this time, all Bushnell Phase I buildings were meant to be permanent, with walls of brick or stone (Hospital size). The AEH drawings specify brick walls and a concrete foundation (Special collections). I have no photos of the interior, so don’t know if it differed from the standard plan. The steeple was built but has since been removed.

Bushnell closed in 1946, and when it reopened as the Intermountain Indian School in 1950, the chapel was adapted and used as music rooms for the cultural arts curriculum (Intermountain School) possibly until the school closed in 1984. In the late 1980s Aldersgate United Methodist church purchased and expanded the property to meet the needs of their growing membership (Aldersgate).