Washington Chapel, Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, 2810 Sixteenth Street Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia, DC
Summary
Significance: Washington Chapel is a 163-foot monumental steel and brick masonry structure with a unique Utah birdseye marble veneer. Built in the historic Meridian Hill neighborhood among embassies, churches, and well-to-do residences, and dedicated in 1933, this flagship chapel announced the formal arrival of the Mormon faith to the nation's capital. Constructed for the local congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly referred to as Mormons), it was the first large-scale, permanent place of worship, fellowship, and missionary work built by the Church Headquarters in Salt Lake City for its congregants east of the Mississippi in nearly a century. The church was purchased by the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity in 1977. The building's original stained glass windows, an exterior mosaic of Jesus Christ, and much of the original stonework and interior detailing have been preserved. The church stands in need of further repairs on both the exterior and the interior; however, it continues to stand as a monumental symbol of the return of the Mormons to the east while functioning as a meeting place and headquarters for the Unification Church in the present.
Survey number: HABS DC-539
Building/structure dates: 1930-1933 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1977 Subsequent Work
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