19th Ward Meetinghouse and Relief Society Hall, Historic meetinghouse and women's organization hall in Salt Lake City, United States.
The 19th Ward Meetinghouse and Relief Society Hall is a two-part building at 168 W. 500 North, Salt Lake City, Utah, erected in 1896 to designs by architect Robert Bowman. Its meetinghouse carries an onion dome described as oriental, Byzantine or German Renaissance-inspired, a style called "totally out of character" for Latter-day Saint architecture of the period.
Built in 1896 during a period of federal pressure on the LDS Church, this building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
The onion dome, described as oriental, Byzantine or German Renaissance-inspired, was a deliberate break from earlier LDS meetinghouse styles. It followed federal enforcement under the Edmunds–Tucker Act of 1877, which outlawed polygamy and pushed the church toward outside values. The building later passed out of church use and now houses Salt Lake Acting Company.
The building stands at 168 W. 500 North in Salt Lake City. It was already no longer a church when it was listed on the National Register in 1976, and it now houses the Salt Lake Acting Company, so visitors come for theatre performances rather than worship.
The onion dome incorporates Byzantine, oriental, and German Renaissance elements, making it architecturally distinct from traditional LDS meetinghouses of the late 19th century.
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