Cool Features in LDS Meetinghouses

[statman]

The nursery room in my home ward in Salt Lake was setup like this with the windows and sound piped in.

The meetinghouse in Columbia SC right near Ft. Jackson has this kind of setup as well. I spent 4 years of sundays in that room...

[statman]

When I was a wee lad, about 7 or so in 1965, we moved to Lawton, OK and the local ward was building a chapel. The Church called someone to be the the construction supervisor, but the members had to do the actual construction. I vividly remember "helping" my dad put the shingles on the chapel and lay cinder block.

We returned to Lawton several times after that during the course of my Dad's career and it was always special when went to church in that chapel. I always felt that it was mine somehow. I've never felt that way about any other chapel I've attended.

The chapel my dad helped build back in the early 60's - Schenectady Ward building in Glenville, NY - was burned down about a decade ago while it was being renovated. A disgruntled worker... The biestard!

[SoonerCoug]

Flashing pulpit lights to remind speakers when it's time to shut up and sit down.

[creekster]

Flashing pulpit lights to remind speakers when it's time to shut up and sit down.

My wardhouse growing up also had one at the sacrament table that could be activated by the bishop to let the priests know when they had messed up sufficiently that they needed ot repeat the prayer.

[chrisrenrut]

The building I grew up attending had locker rooms with showers next to the gym.

When I about 12, classroom space was limited so our sunday school class met in the mens locker room. This was during the floods of 1983, and during sunday school the city came and asked everyone to leave church and help fill sandbags. The leadership went from class to class spreading the word, but forgot that the locker room was being used. i remember the spooky feeling coming out of class to a completely empty building, not knowing what was going on. It felt like the twilight zone.

The building was remodeled a short time later and they remade the locker rooms into bathrooms.

[Moliere]

A cool feature would be a Priesthood room, you know like the Relief Society room. Instead of comfy chairs, tables with doilies, chandeliers and pictures of Emma Smith and random women from the scriptures the PH room could have a flat screen tv, popcorn machine, mini-fridge and couches. YOu might also need a big cabinet to hide all that stuff and sound proof walls.

[clackamascoug]

The Beaverton Stake center has an interesting story. It's built on a hillside, and the contractor figured he could redo the original plan and put a daylight basement in the building for an additional $5,000. The Stake President was out of town, and the 1st counselor gave the OK to go ahead, as it seemed to make sense. The contractor proceeded, and doubled the size of the building. In the end, the Church got mad about the unauthorized addition and expense, the Stake President got a lecture, and the church members have one of the biggest stake centers in the church, in which all of the space is used every week. All major events are held at the stake center, and dances are up stairs in the gym, and refreshments are served below in the huge basement. It's easily ( by 2 times) the biggest church I've ever been in. In my mind I counted 18 classrooms.

Back in the old days Sunday School opening exercises were held in the basement, and the Sacrament was passed during Sunday School. Kinda Weird that they served the Sacrament during Sunday School.

[myboynoah]

The Kaysville Tabernacle.



Cool stained glass.





Ornate wood througout and two second/third floor, glassed cryrooms at the upper back of the chapel accessable only via staircases in the foyer. There was also a narrow balcony that ran the width of the upper back of the chapel just in front of the cryrooms. Here is a view:



What a great building to grow up in. We used the cryrooms for Deacon's Quorum and would often sit up there as early teens during Sacrament Meeting so we could talk.

[Eddie]

The Kaysville Tabernacle.



Cool stained glass.





Ornate wood througout and two second/third floor, glassed cryrooms at the upper back of the chapel accessable only via staircases in the foyer. There was also a narrow balcony that ran the width of the upper back of the chapel just in front of the cryrooms. Here is a view:



What a great building to grow up in. We used the cryrooms for Deacon's Quorum and would often sit up there as early teens during Sacrament Meeting so we could talk.

My great grandma and great aunt lived in a house across the street from the Kaysville tabernacle. Sometimes we would attend church there with her - I used to go play ball in the gym there a couple of times a week, but that's been a few years.

The rest of the story - as the building got older church headquarters determined that it was unsafe. They came up with a plan to knock it down and build a new building on the spot. Members in the area freaked out, and in the end the church ended up renovating/restoring the building instead of tearing it down. It cost much more than it would've to just knock it down, but they wanted to keep the people happy.

This story comes from my Father in law who was in on some of the discussions.

[myboynoah]

My great grandma and great aunt lived in a house across the street from the Kaysville tabernacle. Sometimes we would attend church there with her - I used to go play ball in the gym there a couple of times a week, but that's been a few years.

The rest of the story - as the building got older church headquarters determined that it was unsafe. They came up with a plan to knock it down and build a new building on the spot. Members in the area freaked out, and in the end the church ended up renovating/restoring the building instead of tearing it down. It cost much more than it would've to just knock it down, but they wanted to keep the people happy.

This story comes from my Father in law who was in on some of the discussions.

Cool story Eddie. It definitely looks renovated from the time I attended there.

But they couldn't save the old Scout Cabin.

Old Boy Scout cabin demolished in Kaysville

Very sad. That old cabin was our scout meetingplace, with real fireplace and all.



Another relic of a bygone church era gone.

[Eddie]

Here's my current building - the Bountiful Tabernacle.

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM26NN

Wish I had some interior photos.

Similar story here - I heard the story a couple of years ago as read from the journal of the man who was the stake president at the time the story occured - many years ago. I may have some of the details a little scrambled.

The Bountiful tabernacle was getting old and was in need of some serious renovation or demolition. The plan was proposed to demolish the building and build a new one on the same spot. I don't remember who the prophet was, but Gordon B. Hinkley worked in facilities and was the person recommending that it be knocked down and a new building built.

The Stake President at the time asked that the church reconsider, and was again told that it would be too costly, less efficient, and that a new building would be more useful to the members. He again asked that they reconsider, and received an audience with the prophet (I forget who it was at the time).

The Prophet asked Gordon B. Hinckley to join them for the discussion. He arrived with all of his books and figures, etc. The Stake President explained that the tabernacle was representative of the hard work of the pioneers, it was a central gathering spot in the community, it was a historic landmark, etc. and proposed that it be restored and renovated. At the end of the Stake President's presentation the Prophet turned to Gordon B. Hinckley and asked what he thought. Gordon B. Hinckley shut his book and responded "I think we ought to let them do what they want to do". and that was the end of it - the building wasn't demolished.

There is a portrait of Joseph Smith currently in the Church History Museum that was originally in the Bountiful Tabernacle as well.

I'm really going to have to look into how to post photos here - I feel like I'm missing out!