GILBERT, Ariz. (AP) — The town of Gilbert will take possession this summer of the first LDS church built in the community and must decide whether to renovate or raze the building.
The building, erected in 1917, is now home to the Gilbert Boys and Girls Club, which is moving to a new facility in August. It was only the second church built in Gilbert, after the Church of Christ.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are now a significant presence in the town of about 100,000.
The town's Redevelopment Commission is researching the cost of preserving the former church, after spending $900,000 to buy it.
"If we were to preserve it as a landmark, and it is, I think that would be great," said Tom Haug, the panel's chairman. "But we need to understand what it would cost to save it."