Parish History

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church was organized in Salt Lake City in 1878 by the Right Reverend Daniel S. Tuttle, the first Episcopal Bishop of Utah. The congregation developed out of a Sunday school held earlier in the same year, and it met in a private home until a church building, St. Paul’s Chapel was completed at Fourth South and Main Street in 1880. St. Paul’s began as a “daughter” church of St. Mark’s Cathedral, and it was named after St. Paul’s on Broadway in New York City. Bishop Tuttle had strong connections with St. Paul’s New York; he preached his first sermon after his consecration there. Two parishioners of that parish, Maria Charlotte and Susan Mount, supplemented a bequest of their sister Jane to build the church in Salt Lake City. St. Paul’s became the third parish in the diocese after St. Mark’s Cathedral and Good Shepherd, Ogden. The first Minister-in-charge was Reverend Samuel Unsworth.

The growing congregation became an independent parish and soon outgrew the original building by the early 1900s. In 1917 it was decided that the parish would move further east into a more residential area, the original building was sold, and new property was obtained on the northeast corner of 900 East and 300 South. Two years later the “old St. Paul’s was demolished. In planning the new buildings, the chairman of the building committee, Dr. George Marshall, who was a professor of English at the University of Utah and an enthusiast of ecclesiastical architecture, made three trips to England to gather sketches of churches. In cooperation with the architectural firm of Ware and Treganza, plans were drawn up for a church, rectory, and parish house to follow as closely as possible the early Tudor style of 16th century England, with a three-sided courtyard of lawns and gardens facing 900 East.

Church ground was broken on September 20, 1917, and the east side of the structure (which now contains the parish hall, kitchen, offices, and preschool) was completed first. It was in the parish hall that the first services were celebrated on April 17, 1918, and the parish worshipped here for another nine years. The rectory, which occupies the north side of the complex, was built next. After purchasing additional land required for building the church, it was decided that the original plans for the building were too costly to complete and in 1925 the architectural firm of Pope and Burton submitted newly altered plans for the Sanctuary. Finally, ground was broken on March 13, 1927, and on April 24, 1927 two cornerstones (one from the old church and a new one for this church) were laid into the exterior wall of the west end by the Knights Templar (the Masons). Both these cornerstones contained articles and documents from their appropriate dates. The present church was consecrated on November 27, 1927 by the Right Reverend Arthur Moulton, Fifth Bishop of Utah.

The spire at the west end of the church is 62’ high and houses the bell from the first St. Paul’s. Originally, the only stained glass in the church was in the window over the altar at the east end; it was donated by the women’s guild of the parish. Beginning in the early 1940s the clear glass in the other windows was gradually replaced by stained glass memorials. The most striking of these is the Te Deum window at the west end, which was designed by Charles Connick of Boston, and which was given in honor of the members of the parish who have served in the armed forces. [Listen to the story of a parishioner’s viewing that window for the first time as a child, below] The altar from the old St. Paul’s, which is now in the south transept, was used as the main altar in this building for many years until the present altar and reredos were made by H. C. Whitehouse. Utah craftsman Gordon Newby provided the carvings on these, as well as on the altar rails and credence tables at this time.

Following a dramatic fire in February 1960, the damage to the buildings (confined mostly to a part of the parish hall and the rectory) was repaired and improvements to other parts of the facilities were undertaken. In 1989 the lower floor of the parish hall which had been used as a gymnasium and meeting place for organizations like the Boy Scouts and Girls Friendly Society, was extensively remodeled. That iteration of the structure consisted of two levels, with classrooms, a chapel, and a kitchen. At the same time a parking lot was constructed across Ninth East. 

An extensive addition was subsequently made to the complex in 2002, including the north wing with offices, restrooms and classroom space. Grace Chapel was also completed at that time, and the parish hall was rebuilt at grade level. This complicated history of the buildings associated with St. Paul’s, Salt Lake City, indicates the strong sense of community that underlies all the activities that take place within these walls. Beyond the bricks and mortar, the gifts of enthusiasm and talent that have been and continue to be offered here today by those who love this place and the spiritual foundations that ground us still.

 

Reverend Daniel S. Tuttle

First Bishop of Utah.

 

Sanctuary & Choir, St. Paul’s Chapel

 

Courtyard view St. Paul’s, 900 E.

 
 

Reverend Samuel Unsworth                        

Minister-in-Charge of St. Paul’s

 

Original St. Paul’s Chapel, 400 S.

 

Consecration Program 1927

 

St. Paul’s Stories

Sheila Whitney tells of her experience of discovering for the first time the delights of the Te Deum window (seen here as the backdrop for a photo welcoming Rev. Kurt Wiesner and his wife, Darlene to the parish).

 

Madelyn Yensen recalls the wonderful days she was the fortuneteller at the Renaissance Fair.

 

Pat and Haynes Thomas remember great times at Camp Tuttle with the St. Paul’s family.

 
 

Sheila Whitney describes the early activities of St. Paul’s branch of the Girls’ Friendly Society.

 

Russ and Judy Babcock tell about the north and west expansion of St. Paul’s.

 

Judy Kallinger discusses the sense of community that pervades her recollections of St. Paul’s.