The preservation behind the SLC White Memorial Chapel

The preservation behind the SLC White Memorial Chapel

(Digital Image (c) 2007 Utah State Historical Society. All Rights Reserved.)


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SALT LAKE CITY — The White Memorial Chapel, situated opposite the Utah State Capitol, has a long and unusual history.

According to the Utah State Capitol website, the chapel was designed by Obed Taylor in the early 1880s. Taylor was also the architect for the Salt Lake Assembly Hall and several other buildings in Utah, most of which have been demolished, according to Utah Center for Architecture.

As seen elsewhere throughout not only Utah but the western world at this point, architecture was experiencing a Gothic revival, and this is evident in the design of the White Memorial Chapel, which includes stained glass gothic windows and buttresses.

Originally, as stated by the Utah State Capitol, it stood on what was then A Street and 2nd Avenue. It is now located at 128 E. 300 North. It was originally named the Eighteenth Ward Chapel and was the location of the launching of the LDS Sunday School program.

According to BYU virtual tours, it was the first in the valley to have a steeple and was dedicated in 1883. It is further distinguished by being the location of the organization of the first Boy Scout troop in Utah.

In the early 1900s, the chapel was expanded, the details of which can be read in the Deseret News from 1902. In 1973, the chapel was dismantled, and in 1976 it was rebuilt on State land, according to the history given by Utah State Capitol.

(Photo: Mairi McCloud)
(Photo: Mairi McCloud)

Ann Gregson, events and scheduling manager for the building, said objects such as the pulpit and the light fixtures, if not original, were pieces from the period when the chapel was first built. According to the plaque outside the building, some of the parts salvaged and used for the replica are the steeple, the cornerstone, window frames, doors, benches and the pulpit.

A portion of a stained glass window has also been preserved, built into an alcove above the pulpit. Gregson said that since re-opening in the 1970s, it has been used for events only. With very few exceptions, these events are all weddings, and the White Memorial Chapel hosts between 15 and 20 weddings a year.

The event coordinators are very willing to give tours. The building is beautiful and unique with many lovely features, including: stained glass windows, spiral staircases and especially the working bell tower.


Mairi McCloud is a graduate of the University of Glasgow and is now living in Utah.

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