Researching Meetinghouses

When beginning research on a meetinghouse, it is important to determine the meetinghouse’s name. Meetinghouses were often known by the names of the original wards which built them or used them, but such names may no longer be used due to the division, discontinuance, or name change of a ward. For example, the building built as the Hollywood Stake Tabernacle was later called the Wilshire Ward Building and is now called the Los Angeles California Stake Center, and records may be found under any of those names.

Local unit records can be especially helpful for identifying ward names, which in turn can help identify building names. Our history specialists have prepared a research guide on local unit records, which can also provide details about the fundraising, building, and dedications of Church buildings.

A special note on tabernacles: Though most people are familiar with the Salt Lake Tabernacle, many people are unaware of the existence of other tabernacles throughout the Church. A tabernacle is a larger meetinghouse capable of holding the population of a stake or even (at the time of its construction) an entire community. Tabernacles were often large and ornate and were built by several stakes, serving as the locale for stake conferences on a rotating basis. The term was not consistently used, and some smaller buildings were also called tabernacles. The term fell out of use for new buildings in the mid-20th century as multi-ward meetinghouses and stake centers were constructed. Deseret News has published an article about the history of Latter-day Saint tabernacles.

It is also important to identify the meetinghouse’s address or location because in many instances different buildings built at different times or places by the same ward might have had the same name. A helpful resource is the Directory of General Authorities and Officers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (see the list of general resources above for a full description).

If a building existed before 1930, there may be an entry for the associated ward or branch in the Encyclopedic History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by Andrew Jenson. These entries usually include general information about the buildings that were constructed in the various wards.

The Historical Department Journal History of the Church and the accompanying Journal History Index can also be used to find information on Church buildings. It chronicles events in the Church daily, mostly using clippings from published sources. Check the index for your building of interest. We have also created a research guide to using the Journal History.

Additionally, there are thousands of records related to individual buildings in our collections that have been cataloged at the item level, such as dedication programs and ward histories. Thus, a simple keyword search in the Church History Catalog using a ward or building name is also an essential step in searching for information on a building.

Lastly, if you are searching for photographs of a particular Church building, the following library collections may help:

Physical Facilities Department photograph collection, circa 1890–1988

Photographs taken by the Church’s Physical Facilities Department to document ongoing maintenance. It contains photos mostly for meetinghouses in the United States from 1890 to 1988. It is organized by the ward or chapel name. The collection is available online.

Church local units photograph collection, 1880s–1960s

Photographs of meetinghouses in the United States as well as of buildings in Australia, Denmark, Japan, New Zealand, Samoa, and Tahiti; the photographs date from 1880 to 1960. This collection is available in person at the Church History Library.

Arnold R. Angle historical buildings photograph collection, 2008–2013

Photographs taken between 2008 and 2013 of historic meetinghouses and other significant Church buildings. This collection can be made available online by request.

A Century of Mormon Activities in California, by Leo J. Muir (two volumes)

Outside of the Intermountain West, the Church grew faster in California than any other region in the world during the first half of the 20th century. Volume one documents the construction and dedication of hundreds of meetinghouses built throughout California and includes many vintage pictures up through the 1950s. (Volume two is devoted to biographical sketches.)

California Intermountain Weekly News / California Intermountain News

This publication, akin to the “Church News” section in the Deseret News, ran from 1935 to 1985 and covered the growth of the Church in California. New chapels and dedications were popular news items and frequently received coverage, often with pictures.

If searches in the catalog and in the preceding resources yield nothing, contact the library through our Ask Us service, and then our staff can discuss further research strategies.