Submitted by Jacobsen Construction

The five-story LDS Church History Library houses and preserves the church’s expansive archives, including records, manuscripts, publications, photographs and audiovisual items.

LDS Church History Library
Photo: Preston Norris/Zone VII Photography
LDS Church History Library
Photo: Preston Norris/Zone VII Photography

Located on the northeast corner of North Temple and Main Streets in Salt Lake City, the facility contains 13 storage vaults spanning three floors. The library also features two public reading rooms, conference rooms, 120 staff offices and a digital image processing center, as well as a conservation lab and an audio/video preservation facility.

Project Team: Salt Lake City

Owner: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Contractor: Jacobsen Construction, Swinerton Construction JV
Design Firm: MHTN Architects, Pfeiffer Partners
Start: April 2006
Finish: March 2009

The CHL needed to provide security and a closely controlled environment for the archives, while also providing light and views for staff and patrons. The team created a wrapper of public and office spaces around the solid core of the collection, expressed architecturally as a solid stone monolith, while the wrapper is more open and welcoming. The two opposite elements are contemporary in spirit, yet respectful of the architectural traditions of the church.