COLORADO CITY, Ariz. — Construction is under way inside the former meeting hall of the Fundamentalist LDS Church.
The walls have been stripped down to the frames. Giant slabs of marble are stacked in the vast building as it undergoes a metamorphosis.
"This entire roof is coming off, this entire concrete wall is coming out," Jeff Barlow, the executive director of the United Effort Plan Trust, said as he motioned to the building's entrance.
Barlow recently gave FOX 13 News a tour of the property under a multi-million dollar renovation project. The building was previously known as the Leroy S. Johnson Meetinghouse, where FLDS faithful once worshiped. Now, it will become the Short Creek Legacy Center — a community center for all.
Before it was ever used for worship, the meetinghouse was originally a civic center for residents in Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz.
"They would do funerals, they’d do performances, there was dances, there was fairs. It was a lot of things going on this building," Barlow said. "Holding church on Sunday was only one of its purposes and I think over the years, it began to be whittled and whittled until church is all it did. And then it became so exclusive that only certain people in the church could even come in. I don’t think that was fair to the community."
Now, there are plans for a dance studio, space for music lessons, a computer lab to help people with homework and job searches. A commercial kitchen will help prepare foods for large gatherings. There's a big open space for community events.
"On this end, that’s going to have stadium seating down to the fine arts performing stage," Barlow said, pointing to one end of the building. "I envision the high schools holding programs here and community events. There’s a repertory group in this town that puts performances on already and they’re in such a small space."
The building itself has been the site of a lot of pain for ex-members of the FLDS Church in the past.
"Understand, this is the building where a lot of crimes against the people were committed by Warren Jeffs," said Hildale Mayor Donia Jessop. "So it’s been very traumatizing. To even drive by it, some people are like, no!" she said, gasping. "To walk in it can be worse. What we’re doing is we’ve stripped that building down, we're taking it down to bare bones."
The state of Utah took control of the United Effort Plan Trust, the communal property arm of the FLDS Church over allegations church leaders were fleecing members and instituted a series of reforms. Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs is now in prison for child sexual assault related to underage "marriages." Ex-members have spoken out about abuses within the faith and families being split apart under Jeffs' orders. The U.S. Department of Justice sued the town governments, alleging they were discriminating against non-members of the faith and court-ordered reforms have been enacted.
The UEP Trust has an independent board now that has subdivided land into private property ownership. The towns have seen dramatic changes culturally and politically, with new people moving in and voting in more secular governments. Community leaders want to transform the meetinghouse into a place for everyone.
"It's something that will really bring the community together," said Colorado City Mayor Howard Ream. "Just the cultural aspect and being able to bring art into the community and a place for people to gather."
Asked why they don't just tear down the building and start over given the building's history, Barlow said it was a good question.
"At times, you start to wonder would it be financially better to just tear it down," he said. "But part of, I think, in dealing with the past, part of it is taking what you have and restoring it. If you just wipe it clean and build something new? You’re burying the past. What we want to do is accept the past, get our arms around it and change it."
Mayor Jessop said some people have been mixed on the plans for the Legacy Center, but now more are supporting its transformation. She described it as a symbol of the community-wide healing that is taking place.
"It will be a place of rejoicing. Of joy," she said. "And a remembrance of who we are. Because who we are is pretty incredible. We are resilient. We are strong. And we are building from the bones that were left. We are rebuilding."
