The Las Vegas Latter-day Saint ward house was built during the depression and dealt with serious financial issues from beginning to end. When the ward authorities announced that after much prayer and soul searching, a new chapel would be built at 9th and Clark streets, there was strong dissent. “What: Build the chapel way out there in the mesquites and salt grass?” Some members felt that a delegation should go to Salt Lake City and persuade the leaders of the folly of the location. Others hinted at a movement to remove the local church authorities. But the decision held (Earl). Today the building is just a few blocks from Las Vegas Boulevard and is in the heart of town!

An English rural church design was envisioned from the beginning. A rendering was published in the Las Vegas Evening Review Journal in Dec 1931 ($35,000 L.D.S. church) and the blueprints are dated 1932 (Special collections). The Tudor Revival design includes an asymmetrical façade, exposed framing, and a well-known stained-glass window in the chapel.

The building was originally estimated to cost $35,000 and would be funded by three sources: 1) local contributions; 2) matching funds from Latter-day Saint headquarters; and 3) proceeds from the sale of the current ward house ($35,000 L.D.S. church). As a result of the depression, bidding construction firms were instructed to use available Las Vegas craft labor.

Ten bids were opened in Dec 1931, the lowest being Ashton Improvement Company at $42,000. Ashton Improvement Company was owned by Ray Ashton’s uncle in Salt Lake City. Plans were immediately made to vet the out-of-town construction company and to lower the cost to $40,000 (Utah firm bids).

By Mar 1932, a Las Vegas delegation visited Salt Lake City to work out the funding details and convince church leaders of the need for so large a structure. At that point, the Las Vegas ward still had to raise $14,000. None-the-less, they were authorized to begin construction with a planned dedication in Sep 1932 (L.D.S. church to be started). They must have stayed on track, since in Sep 1932, a letter was sent to Edmund P. Evans (the plumbing contractor and Raymond Evans’ brother): “today we were authorized to finish the building and do it P.D.Q. … Will you please catch the first flier out to this town. If you don’t hurry, we shall soon be real desert rats… There will be no more delays” (Ashton). The building was completed in Oct 1932 and was immediately put into use (Earl).

In Latter-day Saint practice, a building isn’t dedicated until the debt is paid. And in this case, the building was not dedicated until Dec 1935 at a final cost of $46,560 (Nevada chapel).

The construction files of the structure show heart-breaking financial issues at every corner between the completion of the building and the dedication (Ashton). For example, to save money the cement floor was laid directly on the alkali dirt. However, not long after the floor cracked and needed to be broken up with jack hammers. The cement chunks and six inches of dirt floor were then manually thrown out of high basement windows. Then six inches of washed gravel and tar paper was brought in onto which the cement was repoured (Earl).