There were no precedents in place for Jim and Pauline Shaw's new church calling.
In 2013, the Shaws were asked to direct tours of the meetinghouse where they attend church. The call came from Bishop Bryson Garbett in response to worldwide training from leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Local leaders were encouraged to find new ways to open church buildings to the public.
Bishop Garbett presides over the Capitol Hill 1st Ward, which meets in what members call the Old Rock Church, a meetinghouse built in 1928 and 1929.
"(Our chapel is) different than many of the chapels that you find," Bishop Garbett said. "It was built by a lot of sacrifice of all the members of the church that lived in that ward. It has a very tender place in our hearts."
The building stands at 413 W. Capitol Street in Salt Lake City and has a rich legacy, which Pauline Shaw set out to gather immediately. The Shaws moved to Salt Lake City from Logan in 1999 to serve a family history mission.
Although she had attended services at the church building for the 12 years since, Pauline Shaw didn't consider herself an expert on the building's history.
“I hadn't even seen some of the rooms in the building," she said. "We came in the front door, went to our classrooms, went to the chapel and went home. All the sudden this building had such meaning to me that it didn’t have before, and the whole spirit of the building came alive.”
She collected information from the families of those who had been in the Capitol Hill Ward throughout its existence. After talking to descendants and reading journals, she compiled an extensive history of the ward, from its creation to today.
One of her primary sources was Paul Hanks, whose grandfather was the first bishop of the Capitol Hill Ward. Hanks said that the tours allow visitors to take in the chapel's unique story.
"I think it's a very positive thing," he said. "There's a spirit in the building, and you can feel it when you go in. It's a wonderful place to be."
The ward was organized in April 1925 from surrounding wards near Capitol Hill, but it didn’t have a consistent place to meet. George S. Ashton, Hanks' grandfather, was called to be the first bishop of the ward and build a meetinghouse. After he found land, he was the general contractor for construction of the chapel, which was completed in 1929.
The Tudor-style building contains stained-glass windows, vaulted ceilings and a multicolored shingle roof. Original windows, molding and pews — along with the architectural style — have survived the addition of a new wing completed in 1970 and a seismic upgrade and renovation completed in 2002.
The Shaws used their newly compiled history to train docents, and the free tours began in August 2013. Nearly two years later, the Old Rock Church has hosted guests from all over the world. While some planned to come in groups or as families, many others stopped in spontaneously when they saw the sign outside. Others are locals who jumped at the chance to see inside the distinctive building.
“Every single tour day somebody sees the sign and comes in and says, ‘We’ve always wanted to see this building,’” Pauline Shaw said. “Beautiful buildings just draw you.”
Free tours run every Wednesday and Saturday, May through October. Pauline Shaw said that Saturdays are busier than Wednesdays, but that almost every day has at least one visitor. The Shaws, who live in Arizona during the winter, spend much of their summers in the old chapel. They are present every tour day for all three hours to set up and organize tours.
“Some days we’re really, really busy," Jim Shaw said. "But you just have to think, if one person comes, that’s fine.”
Docents emphasize making connections with guests and helping them feel welcome in the building. They continue to be driven by the counsel of church leaders to open their meetinghouse to the public.
“I think it’s great that the church is finding and exploring new ways to meet our neighbors and to be friends with all people … to meet them and love them,” Pauline Shaw said. “This is just one of those tools.”
Tours are offered on a walk-in basis between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Average tour time is 20 minutes and can be adjusted to meet visitors' needs.