Teasdale LDS church demolition disappoints some residents

Courtesy | Adus Dorsey The LDS Teasdale church, which some locals called "the Little White Chapel," was demolished on Friday after workers removed its bell. The building had not been in use for several years.

Heritage Little White Chapel was built by locals and served the community for years.

As soon as he laid eyes on the Mormon meetinghouse in Teasdale, Bryce "Mike" Rubeck knew he wanted to live in the tiny Wayne County community, and for 26 years, hes made his home there.

But the "Little White Chapel," as some called it, is no longer there. Despite a last-ditch effort to save the building, the church, which had long sat unused, was demolished Friday.

A group of residents had proposed that Wayne County be deeded the church and a nonprofit be formed to raise money to preserve the building as a museum. County commissioners had passed a resolution in support of the plan and the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area had agreed to a request to help with the preservation.

But after reviewing the plan, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints decided to proceed with the demolition.

"Church leaders carefully evaluate all of the circumstances when considering a buildings future," church spokesman Cody Craynor said. "In this instance, some local residents had expressed interest in repurposing the Teasdale chapel, but the building had sat empty for several years and would have required significant and costly repairs."

Instead, the land where the chapel stood will be donated to the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, which occupies a neighboring building on the same parcel, Craynor said.

Rubeck, a non-Mormon, said the church was important to all residents regardless of their faith. He described the chapel as the heart and soul of Teasdale, which he estimates has a population of 125 to 150 people.

"When I first visited here in the late 1980s and saw the church," Rubeck recalled, "it radiated a spirit to me and I said, I have to live here. "

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Teasdale LDS church demolition disappoints some residents