The Full Story
History
The Alexandria Ward began with a modest Primary and Sunday School in 1946 as a "pioneer organization" under the Washington, D.C. Stake Mission. Primary was held in a member's home and then later in the Beverley Hills Community Church. Early Relief Society meetings were held in the Gadsby's Tavern. On January 5, 1947, the Alexandria Branch was created.
Early church services for Alexandria were held in members homes, in the Carpenters Labor Hall on Prince and Royal Streets, and the Stonewall Jackson School, the Douglas MacArthur School, the Washington Street School, and the Jefferson School.
"Our meeting place was a humble old school building, but when Ester Leah Baker led the song practice, we sounded like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir." - Sister Kitty Clayton
Picture of Branch Membership in 1947
Previous Meeting Places in Alexandria for church members
01.
Carpenters Labor Hall
02.
Stonewall Jackson School
03.
Douglas MacArthur School
04.
Washington Street School
05.
Jefferson School
Community
Horace Crowther was a member of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce and a foreman at the Torpedo Factory. He helped to change Alexandria City statute that prohibited Gypsies and Mormons from staying overnight in Alexandria by advocating in front of Judge Albert V. Bryan. From a small seed, Horace Crowther was able to make way for the growth of the church in Alexandria.
Milestones
On July 17, 1949, the Alexandria Ward was organized. It was 125 square miles extending as far south as Fredericksburg, Virginia. In the summer of 1950, Horace Crowther, serving as the Bishop, negotiated with the same Judge, Judge Albert V. Bryan, to buy 2.03 acres of his beautiful Alexandria estate in the 2800 block of King Street. Joseph L. Wirthlin, a member of the presiding Bishopric of the Church, visited the Bryan estate in September of 1950 and gained approval from the First Presidency to purchase the land that would be the future home of the church in Alexandria. The sale was completed in December.
On Sunday, June 29, 1951, the site was dedicated to the Lord for the Alexandria Ward chapel by J. Alden Bowers of the Washington Stake High Council.
Architect Rendering of the Alexandria Chapel, 1951
Site Dedication and Sacrament Service on the newly purchased land on King Street. June 1951.
Members began fundraising for the Building in numerous ways: Dinners, fashion shows, Bake sales, Christmas tree sales, rummage sales.
Wendell E Thorne, who worked for the Federal Reserve Bank ordered 2,000 pounds of pecans which church members divided into small bags to sell door to door. Train loads of Idaho potatoes were also sold by members to neighbors. The Relief Society members made quilts and dish towels to sell and embroidered fancy rolled roses on baby clothing, gowns, shirts, and dresses to sell at Esther Shoppes.
Every active member was expected to pay a monthly assessment toward the building costs (which could be offset by providing manual labor at the church). Some took out personal loans to contribute to the building costs.
After much work and sacrifice, Wendell Thorne, who was then serving as Bishop, went to President J. Willard Marriott, President of the Washington Stake and founder of the Marriott Hotel, and indicated that the ward had raised all it could. President Marriott said, "I will match dollar for dollar any funds the saints can raise."
With the sacrifice and burden of raising the money complete, the Church Architects Office developed the plans and groundbreaking ceremonies were held on December 12, 1953. Many were in attendance to celebrate their accomplishments despite the cold downpour.
Groundbreaking Ceremony 1953: Bishop Wendell E. Thorne, Former Bishop Horace Crowther, and Stake President J. Willard Marriot.
Building of the Church
1954 - 1955
Construction
On January 30th, excavation of the basement and trenches for the footings began. The men of the ward were asked to work on the church each Saturday. The Relief Society sisters served hot lunch, usually fried chicken to make sure the men stayed through the afternoon.
All work on the chapel, except the bricklaying, plastering, and installation of the heating and air conditioning systems, was done by ward members.
Construction Timeline
January 30, 1954
February 15, 1954
March 1954
April 1954
September 1954
March 15, 1955
Excavation of the basement and trenches for the footings began.
First bricks laid
Plumbing Installed
Concrete floors finished on the ground floor
Roof installed, interior work began
Steeple was raised
Many members of the Ward contributed generously of their time and means to the building of the chapel. They worked long and late at considerable sacrifice to their personal affairs.
Sister Kitty Clayton said: "I think of the many members who came here to live for a while, worked hard on the building, gave their money toward it and moved on. These wonderful members remind me of the Pioneers who planted seeds for other pioneers to harvest and partake of."
Dr. Robert Syme claimed it a miracle when 40 men lifted the extremely heavy steel I-beam in place which would support the movable door that divides the chapel from the gym. They did it without the help of a crane or any other device.
Curtis M. Clayton did all the plumbing and William Grogan supervised the installation of the sound system. The chapel will stand through the years as a monument to the faith, love, and devotion of those people who built it.
The building was finally dedicated on June 19, 1955 by Ezra Taft Benson, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and also serving as the Secretary of Agriculture under President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Dedication of the New Building
Dedication Service
Part of the Dedication Program included this message from the Alexandria Ward Bishopric serving at the time:
"This day has been our goal, our dream, since the Alexandria Branch was organized in January 1947. As we have grown, in numbers, in activity and in spirituality, ... we have moved successively from one temporary meeting place to another. Today we move into our own chapel.
"Yet in a larger sense it is not our chapel. Today we are dedicating this wonderful building to the Lord. We are presenting it to Him free of debt, beautiful and clean. In making this presentation we are giving Him the many hours of pick and shovel work digging the trenches for the footings that the building may be constructed on a firm foundation. We are giving Him the many, many hours of plumbing, wiring, nailing, painting, scraping, lifting, climbing, polishing and praying that have gone into the building of this lovely House of Worship.
"Our hope now is that this token of our love and devotion will be found acceptable and that as stewards we may maintain this beautiful edifice as the sacred spiritual home it was intended to be. In this building may our actions, our words and our thoughts be worthy of this sacred intent. May it ever inspire greater devotion and better understanding of the Gospel. May this creation of our hands ever continue to serve the Lord in bringing to pass his purposes: "the immortality and eternal life of man."
