The oldest church meetinghouse in Utah today isn't the Salt Lake LDS Tabernacle. The Bountiful LDS Tabernacle, 51 S. Main, is more than three years older, having been dedicated more than 140 years ago, on May 14, 1863.
This historic building did undergo an extensive remodeling and expansion in 1976-77, but the Bountiful LDS Stake continues to have offices there and the Bountiful First and Third wards are also housed in the building.
The oldest non-LDS church is the Cathedral Church of St. Mark, 231 E. 100 South, having been used for more than 132 years, since May 1871. It is also the third-oldest Episcopal Cathedral in the United States.
In contrast, the First Presbyterian Church, "C" Street and South Temple, was dedicated on May 12, 1906. The Roman Catholic Church's Cathedral of the Madeleine, 331 E. South Temple, its oldest Utah building, was dedicated on Aug. 15, 1909.
Another historic LDS Church building, still in use today, is the Pine Valley Chapel, built in 1868 (and featured in a June 7 Deseret News story). One other key historic religious building is the St. George LDS Temple, 250 E. 400 South. It was completed in 1877 and underwent a substantial remodel in 1975. In contrast, the Logan LDS Temple opened in 1884, the Manti Temple in 1888. Salt Lake LDS Temple was dedicated in 1893.
Roger Roper, historical preservation coordinator for the Utah State Historical Society, said it makes for a more meaningful religious experience when a preserved church building is still used for regular meetings.
"It's valuable that they continue to use them. People need to appreciate the history," he said.
Roper said even though the Bountiful Tabernacle is still in use, it has been remodeled extensively.
In contrast, he said, the Brigham City LDS Tabernacle, the Pine Valley LDS church and the Salt Lake 10th Ward meetinghouse still have most of their original flavor.
He said today's trends mean old churches are less likely to be torn down than in the past.
"They're often the landmarks of a community," he said.
He believes Utah is about average nationally in its preservation of old church buildings.
Heber C. Kimball, counselor to LDS Church President Brigham Young, dedicated the Bountiful Tabernacle in 1863. President Young had described the building as "the finest meetinghouse in the territory of Utah."
Elder Hugh B. Brown, an apostle, said when he rededicated the Bountiful Tabernacle in 1963 that it was ready "for another 100 years."
It was an adobe brick building, expanded in the 1970s to include a full-size cultural hall, bishop's office and new classrooms. A new church building was basically constructed around the original church. The Bountiful Tabernacle had been recommended for demolition in the mid-1970s. A modern LDS Stake Center was proposed for the same site. However, some people urged its preservation, and they won out.
The first Episcopal presence in Utah was Rev. Daniel Tuttle, who arrived in Utah on July 4, 1867. Ground-breaking for the St. Mark's Cathedral was in 1870, and the cornerstone was laid on July 30, 1870. The cathedral was first used in May 1871.
Cornerstone of the Cathedral of the Madeleine was set on July 22, 1900, but it took just over nine years — until Aug. 15, 1909, before the building was completed at a cost of $300,000. A $10.2 million restoration project was conducted in 1992-94.
First Presbyterian Church had its first sermon preached in Faust's Hall on October 1871. The first building opened at the corner of 200 South and 200 East in 1874. However, a larger building, designed in English-Scottish Gothic revival style, was made of red sandstone from Red Butte Canyon for $175,000. The cornerstone was laid on June 4, 1903, and the building was dedicated on May 12, 1906.
The church was enlarged in 1957 and is currently in the first of three phases of a major restoration project. The first phase will consist of remodeling the main and upper floors, seismically upgrading the north wing of the building, upgrading electrical and mechanical systems and restoring the sanctuary's stained-glass windows. The $3.8 million Phase 1 will be completed in October.
E-mail: lynn@desnews.com