Portland Stake Tabernacle

Portland Stake Tabernacle
Religion
AffiliationThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Location
Location2975 Southeast Harrison St., Portland, Oregon
United States
Geographic coordinates45°30′31.5″N 122°38′7.5″W / 45.508750°N 122.635417°W / 45.508750; -122.635417
Architecture
StyleGothic Revival
GroundbreakingAugust 25, 1928
Completed1929

The Portland Stake Tabernacle, (also known as the Portland First Ward Meetinghouse and the Colonial Heights Building), is a historic church building for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located in the Richmond neighborhood of Portland, Oregon.[1][2][3]

The 26,222 square foot meetinghouse seats over 2,000. The adjoining parking lot combined make the entire property 43,082 square feet.[4] As of 2022, the property has a market value of $11.4 million.[5]

George Wesley Bowers, one of the builders of the Tabernacle, is notable for his nearby house.

History

By 1928, Latter-day Saints in Portland outgrew their 1915 meetinghouse on the corner of SE 25th Avenue and SE Madison Street. The plot for the Portland Stake Tabernacle was purchased and the cornerstone was laid on August 25, 1928. The tabernacle was designed by architect Charles E. Kaufman.[6]

The tabernacle was first used on the same day the old meetinghouse was sold to the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (now the Community of Christ) in early February of 1929. The tabernacle was dedicated on February 18, 1929 with Anthony W. Ivins and Charles W. Nibley of the Church's First Presidency in attendance.[6]

The building was used as a meetinghouse until 2019 and as a Family History Center, providing Genealogy resources to the public, until 2022.[7][8][9] The building is currently used only for Church events and occasional tours.

  • From the Southeast
    From the Southeast
  • From the Southwest
    From the Southwest
  • The Chapel
    The Chapel

See also

References

  1. ^ 50 Gatherings in Nine States April 2, Church News (as section of the Deseret News), 26 March 1955, p. 2
  2. ^ "Genealogical Conventions Set, August 31". Deseret News. August 27, 1952. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
  3. ^ "Well Known Utah Artist Dies in Oregon". Deseret News. October 3, 1946. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
  4. ^ "Readers Respond to Mormons Leaving Oregon for Idaho and Utah". Willamette Week. 2022-08-29. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  5. ^ "A Southeast Portland Church Is Left Behind as Mormons Leave Oregon". Willamette Week. 2022-08-17. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  6. ^ a b Jackson, Richard W. (2003). Places of worship : 150 years of Latter-day Saint architecture. Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University. p. 193. ISBN 1591563909.
  7. ^ Jackson 2003, p. 193
  8. ^ Nibley, Preston. "McKay, David O.", Presidents of the Church, Deseret Book, 1977 (1974). ISBN 9780877474142
  9. ^ "Portland Oregon Family History Center". FamilySearch Wiki. Retrieved 2020-07-07.