Old Meetinghouses Give Way to Homes: Ogden’s Former Latter-day Saint Chapels Are Sold for Housing

• Three former Latter-day Saint meetinghouse sites in Ogden, Utah, have been sold for housing.
• A 1949 building on 2.2 acres at 236 Porter Ave. will make way for 16 single-family homes.
• A 2.8-acre site at 551 E. 900 North has become 32 townhomes; a 1920 building on 3.2 acres at 480 Seventh St. is making way for up to 44 homes.
• Each site needed rezoning, approved between 2021 and 2023.

In Ogden, Utah, former Latter-day Saint chapels are being replaced with homes. The Standard-Examiner reported that several meetinghouse sites have been sold for housing.

The meetinghouse at 236 Porter Ave., built in 1949 on 2.2 acres, is to be demolished for 16 single-family homes by 5D Development and Steve Diamond, after the site was rezoned in May 2023. The same developers replaced the meetinghouse at 551 E. 900 North, on 2.8 acres, with 32 townhomes after a December 2021 rezoning. The meetinghouse at 480 Seventh St., built in 1920 on 3.2 acres, is being demolished for up to 44 single-family homes by Mark Koehler, Ken Crockett and Mike Bastian, after a September 2022 rezoning. A fourth building, at 1425 Kingston Drive, remains church-owned but has been vacated, with its members redirected to another meetinghouse.

City planning manager Barton Brierley said: “They were older buildings. They do reach their life expectancy.” Church spokesperson Irene Caso said: “There are times when a property has reached its useful life, and if remodeling or renovation are not a viable option, we determine that selling the building is a suitable solution.”

Former member John Holmes said: “Oh my gosh, so many memories.” He added: “It will always be in my heart.”

Church sites in established neighbourhoods are often large, flat and well located, which makes them valuable for housing when a congregation moves. In Ogden, three sites together are producing up to 92 homes. Jamaican denominations that consolidate congregations could consider the same approach for surplus church lots, subject to planning approval. The rezoning in each Ogden case is a reminder that the value of a church site depends on what the planners will permit.

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