Grandview Ward Exterior
The original building above was designed in 1937 by Paulson & Parrish Architects. The image below is the same building remodeled, with a new exterior finish and detailing, a new tower and a larger chapel. The design of the remodel occurred in 1975 by Ehlers & Ehlers Architects.
2930 S 2000 E
Salt Lake City, UT
Built 1937
Remodeled 1975
Map Location of Building
LDS ARCHITECTURE 
the remodel isn’t hideous, but it isn’t as cool as the original.
April 5, 2011 at 10:26 am
Yeah, I’m not a fan of the remodel, but absolutely love the original design. The tower and glass block entry were typical of the 12th ward meetinghouse is SLC also.
April 5, 2011 at 8:56 pm
In your expert opinion, could a remodel have worked if they’d left the original tower there?
April 6, 2011 at 7:18 am
There was actually no original tower. The current tower was added at a later date. I’ll post the only sketch I have of the original shortly.
April 6, 2011 at 8:04 pm
There was actually no original tower.
OK, now I’m confused. You wrote above,
The tower and glass block entry were typical of the 12th ward meetinghouse is SLC also.
I was talking about the tall part of the entry in the first photo with the glass block. What is it, if not a tower? And was it added during a remodel?
April 6, 2011 at 8:22 pm
Sorry – I am apparently having troubles with the WordPress comment manager and mistakenly thought your comment was referring to the Mesa building. So completely ignore my last comment. Back to your original question, the tower only works in a remodel if they would have kept the same exterior finishes and detailing. One of the reasons for the remodel was probably not only to expand the building, but also to “warm” the look and feel of it so it didn’t seem so austere or dated and to distance itself from the Modern movement which is where the buildings inspiration came from. This is actually one of the reasons current LDS meetinghouses and temples are the way they are today – an attempt to be unlinked to any real historical ties or current styles and with the ultimate goal of a “timeless” quality.
April 6, 2011 at 11:19 pm
also to “warm” the look and feel of it so it didn’t seem so austere or dated
Yeah, the original does look austere and dated–but it also looks much warmer than the remodel. Light not only looks warm but is warm. Getting rid of all that glass brick and adding a dark metal roof to the entry and porch makes it seem colder and darker, not warmer.
an attempt to be unlinked to any real historical ties or current styles and with the ultimate goal of a “timeless” quality.
so they just look like futuristic post offices of elementary schools instead of places of worship, without any of the traditional means by which people have created elegance and established sacredness.
Not exactly what I’d call inspiration.
April 7, 2011 at 7:09 am