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Show NPS Form 10-900-a Utah WordPerfect 5.1 Format (Revised Feb. 1993) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section No. 8 Page 2 West Jordan Ward Meetinghouse, West Jordan, Salt Lake County, UT Narrative Statement of Significance The West Jordan Ward Meetinghouse, completed in 1867/ is locally significant as the only remaining historic church and public building in this community. Though built and owned by the West Jordan Branch of the Mormon church, the building also served as a school, community center, and social hall. Multiple use buildings such as this were common in Utah communities during the early decades of the settlement and beyond. The West Jordan Meetinghouse is also architecturally significant as an excellent example of the first-phase meetinghouse building type, as documented in the Multiple Property Submission, "Mormon Church Buildings in Utah, 1847-1936". The architecture of the settlement phase reflected local expediency, and the first meetinghouses and schools were often built of log. Adobe was a common building material, and to a lesser extent, stone, as in the West Jordan Meetinghouse. Whatever the material, a concern for symmetry and balance dominated the designs, reflecting the widespread American acceptance of Renaissance-inspired Classical Revival principles during the nineteenth century. Constructed in various sizes and decorative styles, first phase meetinghouses had rectangular plans, gabled roofs, and symmetrical exteriors. The largest examples had steeples, but smaller buildings like the West Jordan Meetinghouse relied on front-facing, pedimented or partially pedimented facades for their visual effect. HISTORY: The city of West Jordan was established in 1849 when early pioneers settled along the banks of the Jordan River. The town was first called Gardner, after Archibald Gardner, a key player in the settlement of the area. In 1858, the West Jordan Ward was organized with Archibald Gardner as bishop. The log cabin in which they had been meeting was soon to be replaced. Preparations for the new building were made by hauling stone from a quarry near the Oquirrh Range. The granite came from the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon. Elias Morris, a stone mason, who eventually became known for his work on buildings such as the Salt Lake Temple, the Salt Lake Theater, and some work on the Salt Lake City and County Building, was commissioned as architect and builder. 1 On May 15 1861, the cornerstone was laid. Elias Morris wrote of the work in his personal journal: Gardner, Deli la. History of the Jordan Area (West Jordan). "History and Romance of the West Jordan Rock Meeting House", December 19, 193E, v.1, p.35. Compiled by Lonnie and Annette Holt, 1989. X See continuation sheet |
