Research Guide
Church Meetinghouses
Overview
A meetinghouse in Bountiful, Utah, USA
Over the past two centuries, Latter-day Saints have constructed places of worship, from the humble to the ornate. Those researchers who are writing a local history, interested in Church architecture, or researching their family history may have interest in the meetinghouses where the Saints worship. This guide will help you locate resources on your meetinghouse(s) of interest.
Please note that, for security purposes, the Church History Library does not provide architectural plans for buildings currently owned and operated by the Church. In situations where a building no longer exists, has been substantially modified from a previous design, or is no longer owned by the Church, the library may be able to share blueprints on a case-by-case basis.
General Resources
Birmingham Chapel and Missionary Lodge (PH 3396 )
The following are general resources for information about Latter-day Saint buildings:
Selected Books and Articles
This book, written by a former Church architect, details the development of form, function, and style of Latter-day Saint architecture from the 19th century through the late 20th century. Jackson identifies the major trends as well as information on individual buildings. The book is especially helpful for buildings constructed after 1950.
This book features an introduction on city planning in the pioneer era, then dedicates several chapters to the architecture of temples, tabernacles, meetinghouses, and other buildings.
This book uses the settlements of Sanpete County, Utah, as a case study to describe pioneer-era city planning and architecture. It is a revised edition of the author’s earlier work,
This report, compiled with the assistance of Cornerstone: Mormon Architectural Heritage, the Utah Division of State History, and the Church History Department, is a significant survey of a variety of buildings built by the Church in Utah from 1847 to 1930.
Paul L. Anderson,
This article discusses the Church adopting 20th-century architectural trends in meetinghouse construction.
Janell Brimhall,
This article focuses on the variety of architectural styles of early meetinghouses.
W. Ray Luce, “Joseph F. Smith and the Great Mormon Building Boom,” Joseph F. Smith: Reflections on the Man and His Times, ed. Craig K. Manscill, Brian D. Reeves, Guy L. Dorius, and J. B. Haws (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013), 320–41.
Luce discusses the “building boom” that occurred during the presidency of Joseph F. Smith, resulting in a large number of Church meetinghouses, tabernacles, and other buildings being constructed. He also describes the development of the design principles used for meetinghouses, such as the need for “amusement halls,” the forerunner of the contemporary “cultural hall.”
Trent Toone, “
This online article gives a brief history of tabernacles built by the Church and includes an extensive slideshow of interior and exterior photographs.
Church Newsletters
During the Church’s construction boom of the mid-20th century, several newsletters were created to give updates. These were often published by the area building offices around the Church. The following resources provide substantial information on the construction of Church buildings throughout the world:Published from July 1963 to 1965; covered building projects in Australia. (Available electronically.)
Published from 1963 to 1970; covered building projects in the British Isles. (Available electronically.)
Published in West Germany in 1963; covered building projects in German-speaking countries.
Published briefly in 1965; covered building projects in Utah.
Published from 1963 to 1966; covered building projects in Japan. (Available electronically.)
Published by the Church Building Committee from 1960 to 1963; covered general construction news throughout the Church.
Newsletter for labor missionaries working on the Church College of Hawaii (BYU-Hawaii); published from 1960 to 1961.
Periodicals
Over the years, the following publications have consistently published articles on various Church-related structures. It is worth checking the index of each title for articles. All these publications are available electronically as well as in hardcopy at the Church History Library.The longest-running academic journal covering Church-related topics, this BYU publication, which began in 1959, regularly features articles on architecture and buildings.
Dialogue is the second-longest-running academic journal about the Church, having its origins in 1966; it regularly carries articles on Church architecture.
This magazine, an official Church publication of the Mutual Improvement Association, ran from 1897 to 1970. New meetinghouses, temples, visitors’ centers, and other Church buildings received coverage.
The academic journal of the Mormon History Association has been in print since 1974 and carries articles on Church architecture.
The journal of the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation, this publication focuses solely on Church historic sites and buildings.
The official publication of the Sons of the Utah Pioneers started in 1928 and has consistently featured articles and pictures dedicated to historic Church buildings.
This was the monthly magazine for the women of the Church from 1914 to 1970. Though not a regular feature, articles on Church buildings (especially in Salt Lake City) can be found here.
This is the publication of the Utah State Historical Society and has been published since 1928. It regularly features Church architectural history.
Directory of General Authorities and Officers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Researching Meetinghouses
Bear Lake Stake Tabernacle
When beginning research on a meetinghouse, it is important to determine the meetinghouse’s name. Meetinghouses were often known by the names of the original wards which built them or used them, but such names may no longer be used due to the division, discontinuance, or name change of a ward. For example, the building built as the Hollywood Stake Tabernacle was later called the Wilshire Ward Building and is now called the Los Angeles California Stake Center, and records may be found under any of those names.
Local unit records can be especially helpful for identifying ward names, which in turn can help identify building names. Our history specialists have prepared a
A special note on tabernacles: Though most people are familiar with the Salt Lake Tabernacle, many people are unaware of the existence of other tabernacles throughout the Church. A tabernacle is a larger meetinghouse capable of holding the population of a stake or even (at the time of its construction) an entire community. Tabernacles were often large and ornate and were built by several stakes, serving as the locale for stake conferences on a rotating basis. The term was not consistently used, and some smaller buildings were also called tabernacles. The term fell out of use for new buildings in the mid-20th century as multi-ward meetinghouses and stake centers were constructed. Deseret News has published
It is also important to identify the meetinghouse’s address or location because in many instances different buildings built at different times or places by the same ward might have had the same name. A helpful resource is the
If a building existed before 1930, there may be an entry for the associated ward or branch in the
The
Additionally, there are thousands of records related to individual buildings in our collections that have been cataloged at the item level, such as dedication programs and ward histories. Thus, a simple keyword search in the Church History Catalog using a ward or building name is also an essential step in searching for information on a building.
Lastly, if you are searching for photographs of a particular Church building, the following library collections may help:
Photographs taken by the Church’s Physical Facilities Department to document ongoing maintenance. It contains photos mostly for meetinghouses in the United States from 1890 to 1988. It is organized by the ward or chapel name. The collection is available online.
Photographs of meetinghouses in the United States as well as of buildings in Australia, Denmark, Japan, New Zealand, Samoa, and Tahiti; the photographs date from 1880 to 1960. This collection is available in person at the Church History Library.
Photographs taken between 2008 and 2013 of historic meetinghouses and other significant Church buildings. This collection can be made available online by request.
Outside of the Intermountain West, the Church grew faster in California than any other region in the world during the first half of the 20th century. Volume one documents the construction and dedication of hundreds of meetinghouses built throughout California and includes many vintage pictures up through the 1950s. (Volume two is devoted to biographical sketches.)
This publication, akin to the “Church News” section in the Deseret News, ran from 1935 to 1985 and covered the growth of the Church in California. New chapels and dedications were popular news items and frequently received coverage, often with pictures.
If searches in the catalog and in the preceding resources yield nothing, contact the library through our
Dedicatory Prayers
Alberta Stake Building dedication—Church News, May 16, 1953
Many dedicatory prayers for meetinghouses and other buildings were given by a visiting General Authority, and they represent a special moment in the history of a Church building. Before about 1983, clerks usually recorded the dedicatory prayers in a local unit’s general minutes; after 1983, the dedicatory prayers may be found in a unit’s annual historical reports. Note that, traditionally, the Church would not dedicate a meetinghouse until it was completely paid for, so a dedication may not have taken place until several years after a building was in use. You will want to check the following records:
- Ward or branch general minutes and historical reports
- Stake or mission general minutes and historical reports
- Published histories of local units
- Programs of significant anniversaries (25th, 50th, 75th, and so forth)
- “Church News” section of the Deseret News or other local newspapers
Other Sources
Kanesville Log Tabernacle blueprints (MS 14755 )
You may find additional information about Church buildings in resources not held at the Church History Library. Consider checking the following: