Portland Stake Tabernacle

{{Short description|Historic church in Portland, Oregon}}

{{Infobox religious building

| building_name = Portland Stake Tabernacle
{{small|(Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)}}

| native_name =

| religious_affiliation = The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

| image = Portland First Ward 6.jpg

| image_upright = 1.4

| alt =

| caption =

| map_type = Portland

| coordinates = {{coord|45.5087|-122.6354|type:landmark_region:US-OR|display=inline,title}}

| map_size = 250

| map_relief = 1

| map_caption = Location in Portland, Oregon

| location = 2931 SE Harrison Street, Richmond, Portland, Oregon

| geo =

| rite =

| district =

| province =

| country = United States

| consecration_year =

| status = {{ubl|Meetinghouse/Church {{small|(1928{{spaced endash}}2019)}}|Family History Center {{small|(2019{{spaced endash}}2022)}}|Church event space {{small|(from 2022)}}}}

| functional_status =

| leadership =

| website =

| architect = Charles Kaufman

| architecture_type = Church

| architecture_style = {{nowrap|Gothic Revival}}

| founded_by =

| established =

| groundbreaking = August 25, 1928

| year_completed = {{start date and age|1929}}

| construction_cost =

| date_demolished =

| facade_direction = South

| capacity = 2,000

| length =

| width =

| width_nave =

| height_max =

| dome_quantity =

| dome_height_outer =

| dome_height_inner =

| dome_dia_outer =

| dome_dia_inner =

| minaret_quantity =

| minaret_height =

| spire_quantity =

| spire_height =

| materials =

| module = {{Infobox NRHP

| embed = yes

| name = Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

| nrhp_type =

| designated_other1_name = Oregon Historic Site{{citation|author=Oregon State Parks|title=Oregon Historic Sites Database|format=|date=|url=https://heritagedata.prd.state.or.us/historic/index.cfm?do=v.dsp_siteSummary&resultDisplay=52100|access-date=January 22, 2025}}.

| designated_other1_color = lightblue

| designated_other2_name = Portland Significant Resource{{citation|author=Portland Historic Landmarks Commission|title=City of Portland Historic Resource Inventory|format=|date=May 1980|url=https://pdx.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=9b7e5b99790d44608d440f6bce15451f|access-date=January 22, 2025}}.

| designated_other2_color = lightgreen

| added =

| designated_nrhp_type =

| refnum =

| mpsub =

}}

| footnotes =

| specifications = yes

}}

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.[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Gdg0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=j4ADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6411%2C5403129 50 Gatherings in Nine States April 2], Church News (as section of the Deseret News), 26 March 1955, p. 2{{cite news|date=August 27, 1952|title=Genealogical Conventions Set, August 31|work=Deseret News|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IhYkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oU0DAAAAIBAJ&dq=tabernacle&pg=3290%2C5324478|accessdate=2014-06-03}}{{cite news|date=October 3, 1946|title=Well Known Utah Artist Dies in Oregon|work=Deseret News|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vxIOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vXwDAAAAIBAJ&dq=tabernacle&pg=4406%2C3228927|accessdate=2014-06-03}} The building is designated as an Oregon Historic Site{{Cite web |title=Oregon Historic Sites Database |url=https://heritagedata.prd.state.or.us/historic/index.cfm?do=v.dsp_siteSummary&resultDisplay=52100 |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=heritagedata.prd.state.or.us}} and as a Significant Resource by the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission.{{Cite web |title=ArcGIS Web Application |url=https://pdx.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=9b7e5b99790d44608d440f6bce15451f |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=pdx.maps.arcgis.com}}

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

Building

The 26,222 square foot meetinghouse seats over 2,000. The adjoining parking lot combined make the entire property 43,082 square feet.{{Cite web |date=2022-08-29 |title=Readers Respond to Mormons Leaving Oregon for Idaho and Utah |url=https://www.wweek.com/news/2022/08/29/readers-respond-to-mormons-leaving-oregon-for-idaho-and-utah/ |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=Willamette Week |language=en}} As of 2022, the property has a market value of $11.4 million.{{Cite web |date=2022-08-17 |title=A Southeast Portland Church Is Left Behind as Mormons Leave Oregon |url=https://www.wweek.com/news/2022/08/17/a-southeast-portland-church-is-left-behind-as-mormons-leave-oregon/ |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=Willamette Week |language=en}}

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.{{Cite book |last=Jackson |first=Richard W. |url=https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/rsc/id/53165 |title=Places of worship : 150 years of Latter-day Saint architecture |publisher=Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University |year=2003 |isbn=1591563909 |pages=193}}

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.

The building was used as a meetinghouse until 2019 and as a Family History Center, providing Genealogy resources to the public, until 2022.{{Harvnb|Jackson|2003|p=193}}Nibley, Preston. "McKay, David O.", Presidents of the Church, Deseret Book, 1977 (1974). {{ISBN|9780877474142}}{{Cite web|title=Portland Oregon Family History Center|url=https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Portland_Oregon_Family_History_Center|access-date=2020-07-07|website=FamilySearch Wiki|language=en}} The building is currently used only for Church events and occasional tours.

Gallery

File:Portland First Ward 4.jpg|From the Southeast

File:Portland First Ward 2.jpg|East entrance

File:Portland First Ward 7.jpg|The chapel

File:Portland First Ward 5.jpg|From the southwest

See also

References