Address: 185 P Street (current street number)
City: Salt Lake City
County: Salt Lake
State: UT
Building Type: Religious
Style: Tudor Revival
Work Scope: Addition (cultural hall and classrooms)
Original Architect / Date: John G. Robinson, 1903
Awards and Nominations: National Register of Historic Places: Avenues Historic District (Significant Building).
Client: LDS Church
A&E Related Architect: Ashton & Evans
A&E Work Approx Date: 1927, dedicated 1930
Architects Confirmed? Salt Lake City building permit (1927)
Original Cost: $40,000
Site Survival? Y (2022)
Site Condition? Excellent (2022)
Description
The Twenty Seventh Ward was created in January 1902 and the membership immediately began meeting in Taggert Hall over a drug store until their new chapel at 187 P Street was complete. During construction, members would stop by the site on their way to-or-from work to help with the building. The Victorian Gothic-style chapel was dedicated in April 1908 and is still in service over 110 years later.
In 1927 Ashton & Evans designed an addition to the chapel. The addition combines the original’s tripartite pointed arch windows and high-pitched roof with later Tudor Revival half-timber gables (Haglund & Notarianni).
Many architectural reviews give the addition accolades for the manner in which it complements the design of the original chapel (Brimhall; Haglund & Notarianni; Jackson).
Research Notes
I learned of A&E’s design of the Twenty Seventh Ward addition in 1987 when I borrowed my grandfather’s scrapbook from my Aunt Raona. I took several of the photos on this page from that original scrapbook (Evans). But the scrapbook was lost.
Imagine my surprise, when I was paging through the LDS History Library web site and found not just ‘a picture of the Twenty Seventh Ward addition’ but my picture of the Twenty Seventh Ward addition’ with my handwriting on the reverse (PHysical facilities department).
I still have the original. How did the photo find its way from my home in Minneapolis to the LDS History Library in Salt Lake City? We may never know
Sources
- Barlow, J. (2020, Jul 18). 27th Ward chapel. JacobBarlow.com ~ Exploring with Jacob Barlow. - https://jacobbarlow.com//?s=27th+ward
- Brimhall, J. (2000, Spring). Diversity of Gifts: The Eclectic Architecture of Early LDS Churches. Utah Historical Quarterly.
- Evans, R. [Personal Scrapbook]. Photos in possession of Corrinne Fiedler.
- Haglund, K. & Notarianni, P. (1980). The Avenues of Salt Lake City. Utah State Historical Society.
- Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service. (1980). National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Avenues Historic District. - https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s644996z
- Physical facilities department photograph collection, circa 1890-1988. Twenty-seventh and 27th East Wards, Salt Lake Emigration Stake. LDS Church History Library. - https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/16ba824c-01c6-4c4c-95e3-4988ce006d85/0/0
- Salt Lake City Building Permit (1927, 21 Jun). #10.4776.
- Salt Lake Tribune negative collection (MSS C400). Twenty Seventh Ward. Utah State History, hosted by J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah. - https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6738tcm
- Talbot, B. (2016, Jun 19). Salt Lake 27th Ward. Historic Salt Lake Architecture. - http://ldspioneerarchitecture.blogspot.com/search/label/Salt%20Lake%2027th%20Ward