The historic LDS Chapel in SLC could become a community center and housing

A Salt Lake City developer wants to restore a Latter-day Saint monument to its former glory.

The historic, 114-year-old Fifth Ward Church building at 740 S. 300 West was partially demolished during the Easter weekend without city permission. Since then, the vacant building has sat amid piles of decades-old bricks and fallen trees, but new owner Skyler Baird has plans to give the old building new life.

On Thursday, the city’s Historic Landmark Commission unanimously approved Baird’s construction plan to restore the site to its original 1910 facade and transform the interior to house a community center with transitional housing for Utah residents coming out of addiction programs.

“It’s really nice to have you here; it’s really nice to see your views,” board member Adrienne White told Baird. “I am grateful that we have a new owner who sees the beauty of this historic building and wants to give it a good life.”

Easter’s wrecking ball claimed a brick addition to the 1937 building, but left almost all of the original structure intact. Baird’s plan includes rebuilding the chapel’s original entrance.

Baird was not involved in the demolition, but when he heard that there were potential buyers who wanted to completely demolish the chapel, he proposed a different vision to the owner.

“Over the last 10 years of owning rental properties, I’ve come into contact with a lot of people in our community who are struggling, people who are addicted to drugs, people who are homeless and the like,” Baird said. “And over the past ten years I have been able to help some of those people get off the streets… and into permanent housing of their own.”

The property owner donated the building to Baird’s affordable housing nonprofit, Salt of the Earth, in an effort to “make amends,” Baird said during an Oct. 3 Ballpark Community Council meeting.

But Baird is still stuck with the fines that followed the illegal demolition. Since taking ownership of the property on July 29, he has been fined about $300 a day due to the condition of the building.

Baird said in October that he had submitted plans to reconstruct the building and stop the fines, but estimated that the necessary approvals and building permits from the city would not come until December, costing him at least $20,000 in fees during that period alone would be left with.

He hopes the fines will be waived or paused at some point during the process and has organized community cleanups to involve residents in the site’s restoration. During these cleaning activities, old stones were recovered that can be used in future reconstruction.

“We try to be as nice as we can to stay on the good side of everyone involved,” Baird said, “because I know they have rules for a reason, but I think almost everyone can see that there is a spirit and a letter is. of the law. And the spirit of the law is not to punish someone who tries to help.”

Nick Norris, the city’s planning director, said Baird will have to discuss the fines with city enforcement officials after construction permits are issued. The permitting process typically takes about three weeks.

The venue was last used as a chapel for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1975 and has since hosted a martial arts school and punk rock performances. It has been empty since 2019.