St. Paul's Episcopal Church already preparing for centennial celebration next year

SALT LAKE CITY — After nearly 99 years in Salt Lake City, St. Paul's Episcopal Church is already preparing for the centennial celebration of the sanctuary's dedication next November.

Stained glass windows across the church have been re-lined with lead, the roof is under repair, and archivist and historiographer Russ Peck has been poring through hundreds of historical documents and photographs, building the presentations that will fill the church next year.

"It's a giant mess because we're just kind of trying to get things ready," Peck said.

The church has been standing at the corner of 900 East and 300 South since 1918, but the congregation had another home for more than 30 years on the corner of 400 South and Main Street.

The first building began construction in 1878, according to Peck, and the building was consecrated as St. Paul's Chapel in 1881. Three sisters from New York City — Maria, Charlotte and Susan Mount — helped fund the construction of the chapel, and a plaque honoring them was placed in the original church.

The congregation outgrew their original building by the early 1900s and began looking for a new home. A new location was identified and purchased in 1917, and a new building was constructed over the next year.

The last service at St. Paul's Chapel was held on Easter Sunday, March 17, 1918, while Peck said the first services at the new location were held a month later on April 17.

The new building housed a rectory, a parish hall, a cloister and offices for St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Services were held in the parish hall for the next nine years.

A sanctuary was later added to the building and officially dedicated on Nov. 27, 1927. The cornerstone from the original building and the cornerstone of the 1918 building were installed in the exterior wall of the sanctuary.

Interior of St. Paul's Episcopal Church

The sanctuary was built in the form of a cross or cruciform, like many Christian churches. Pews line either side of the nave facing the top of the cross, with a central walkway between them. The Mount sisters' plaque was updated with new dates and moved to the back of the nave.

In front of the nave, two transepts extend, forming the arms of the cross. One of the transepts holds an altar from the original 1881 church and a more modern baptismal font.

Beyond the transepts is the chancel, where the choir sits. Church leaders preach to the congregation from the ambo at the front of the chancel. The rear wall of the sanctuary behind the chancel, also known as the apse, is flat in the Anglo-Saxon style, rather than being curved in the European style.

Originally, the sanctuary had plain wooden bannisters at the front of the church, but Peck said an East High School shop teacher carved decorations into the bannisters in the 1950s. The bishop's chair near the apse is also original to the 1881 church.

Stained glass windows line the walls of the sanctuary, depicting scenes from the life of Jesus Christ. He and other religious figures look down from the windows, casting beams of colored light into the sanctuary throughout the week and during the two Sunday worship services.

Several of the rooms within the church have changed roles over the course of the building's history. Originally, the priests had private quarters in the church where they would live and host guests. The living room and dining room on the first floor were turned into a food pantry.

The priest's sitting room was turned into a library and study room, while the upstairs bedrooms were turned into classrooms for the preschool that the church now hosts.

In the early 1960s, a fire destroyed the interior of the church's rectory and parish hall, forcing the church to rebuild the areas. A north wing was later added to the building in 2002, adding church offices, restrooms and classroom spaces.

Grace Chapel was also dedicated in 2002 — a smaller worship space where groups could gather for evening services. An altar and a tabernacle from the original 1881 church were installed in the chapel.

Preparation for centennial celebration

Peck, who has been doing archival work for St. Paul's Episcopal Church for more than 20 years, has been searching through the church's archives to prepare for the centennial celebration next November.

"I love the history of the church," Peck said. "It's really compelling."

Birth, marriage and death records take up four filing cabinets in a back room, and nearly a dozen boxes of photos and documents loomed before Peck as he searched through them.

"I have boxes and boxes of old photos," Peck said. "I'm trying to figure out ways to identify all these little photos from way back. It's a little bit overwhelming."

However, he has found success in his searching. He reframed the original charter from the 1881 dedication and discovered the 1927 charter in the church's basement. Both documents have been framed to prevent further damage.

Thanks to Peck's hard work and dedication, the church is on track to honor the legacy of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City.

"This man is on a treasure hunt!" said Karen Sharp, the church's treasurer. "It's kind of nice to have Russ here doing this for us."