The smell of freshly varnished oak pews filled the chapel of Ogden’s historic LDS Fourth Ward. As light streamed through the building’s Italian-made stained-glass windows, workers scrambled to wrap up a two-year remodeling and seismic upgrade at one of northern Utah’s most historic churches in time for an open house Saturday and a rededication Sunday.
The Fourth Ward congregation, planted in the heart of Ogden, traces its roots to 1877. Work on this building on the corner of 21st Street and Jefferson Avenue began with construction of the gymnasium on Aug. 19, 1929. The chapel itself was dedicated Oct. 24, 1937, during the Great Depression.