A Mid-century Blessing Amid Fort Worth
This February 2023, marks the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the Hurst Stake Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As we explore the past and hear stories from those who were in the Fort Worth area when it was dedicated in 1973—we discover that to them, it’s not just a meeting-house, but also a symbol of the Church’s growth and the dedication, hard work and sacrifice of its members.
The Hurst Texas Stake Center. Image courtesy of Anna Zenk.
Considering the building’s mid-century modern design it should be no surprise that the Hurst Stake Center is celebrating its birthday (construction was completed in the fall of 1972). But then curiosity entreats us to wonder, who designed it? In the 1970s, church meeting houses were paid for, in part, by the local membership. How was the money raised? Who worked on it? What was the catalyst that caused all this to happen in the first place?
The Architect and Design
Emil Fetzer, the Architect
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints often employs the same design for multiple buildings—and the Hurst Stake Center is one of those. The architects for the original structure, Woodward Associates & Company, worked closely with designer Emil Fetzer. He was the head architect of the Church from 1965 until his retirement in 1986. In his obituary Fetzer’s family shared:
“Dad loved to serve his Savior and Heavenly Father in his daily work, which he always felt to be an honor and privilege that humbled him. He was grateful to be a tool in the hands of the Lord.”
Mid-Century Cutie
The Hurst Stake Center has obvious architectural lines of mid-century modern design characterized by clean lines, a lack of ornamentation, low footprint, flat roof, angular details, and an asymmetrical profile. In fact, the building was recently featured on modTexas, a nonprofit organization that celebrates modernism, where photographer Amy Walton exclaimed, “[There are] some pleasing lines on this 1972 cutie!”
Building and detail images courtesy of AmyWalton/modTEXAS.
Note the asymmetrical profile on these elevation plans. Image courtesy of the AEC Division of the Church.
The Chapel
Upon entering the chapel, an observer is greeted with more visual nuggets from the 70s such as floor to ceiling windows, bare brick walls, wooden panels affixed to the ceiling, and unique bolted slats along the face of the stand.
Rows of pews are angled to face the elevated stand where church leadership, choir, a piano and the console for the organ sit. The pipes of the organ make a unique backdrop and are an impressive focal point.
Images courtesy of Anna Zenk.
The Pipe Organ
The purchasing and details for the pipe organ were carefully watched over by Gwen Runyon, who was also the organist for her ward (congregation). Jeff Bell, who was a teenager during construction of the building said, “We (the youth group) painted the organ pit area. There is a deep pit under the pipes. I guess they allowed us to paint because it would be hard to mess that up!”
Hurst Stake Clerk, Kirk Cannon waves from the doorway leading to the spaces behind the organ pipes. Image courtesy of Anna Zenk.
Linda Batchelor recalls being fascinated by the organ and considered herself lucky when she was asked to be the organist for her ward. “I am a piano player but I agreed to give it a shot,” she said. “What a jolt!”
There are rumors that at one point, the pipe organ was under consideration to be replaced with an electronic organ but Runyon wouldn’t allow it. Gratefully the pipes continue to give breath in musical performances, some of which are open to the public, including a Freedom Devotional in the summer and a Sing Noel program in the winter. It also accompanies each congregation during Sunday worship services.
The Hallways and Other Spaces
The main meeting areas, the chapel and gym, are located in the center of the building with a hallway encircling them. This design helps to control the flow of foot traffic, especially when all rooms are in use by more than one congregation. Many church buildings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are laid out like this.
Floor plan provided by the AEC Division of the Church. Notice all those angles!
Remembering its History
Built out of Necessity
In 1920 membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Fort Worth Texas area was just 28 and by 1970 it had grown to 5,283! Members had been meeting in a chapel located on 3515 West 7th Street (now a fitness center), but after splitting the congregation, first in 1962 and then in 1970, dividing those two into four, the chapel was no longer big enough to house all four congregations—even on a rotating schedule.
The original Fort Worth membership, 1920.
Consequently, one of the four congregations, called the Fort Worth 2nd Ward, rented the Handley Seventh Day Adventist Church facilities for its meetings and later rented a vacant church located on 2000 Carson Street and continued to meet there until a new building was completed and named the Fort Worth Stake Center.
7th Day Adventist Church 2022. Image courtesy of Debby Adair.
The front of the completed, then named Fort Worth Stake Center circa 1972.
Currently four wards enjoy meeting on a rotating schedule in the Stake Center which has been renamed the Hurst Stake Center. The Hurst Texas Stake currently comprises eleven wards with members in Hurst, Fort Worth, Watauga, Haltom City, North Richland Hills, Richland Hills, Bedford, and Euless.
Raising Funds
When it was announced the Stake Center would be built and the location identified, the Bell family was excited because it was only two blocks away from their home in Hurst.
According to Jeff Bell, who was a teenager at the time, the cost to build the new Stake Center was $900,000. He said, “We [members] had to raise 10 percent of the cost of the construction of the building, so as a stake we had to raise 90 thousand dollars. They called it the Building Fund. And every [Sunday] meeting they would bring out a thermometer that indicated the progress on the amount of money raised.”
How were the funds raised? Bell answered, “The bishop (pastor) called everyone in to meet with him as a family. He asked our family to donate 500 dollars. I don’t know the amount for every family [but] that was right around Christmas and of course that impacted our Christmas.”
Judy Grubbs had a different experience with fundraising. She said Larry Jepsen, who was the president of an egg company in Keller, offered a solution for her congregation, the Hurst Ward, to raise funds.
Sometimes a single egg in a carton would break, resulting in the return of the carton to the egg company. Members of the ward would go to the facility and replace the broken eggs with fresh ones. She recalls, “It was terrible there. It stunk. There were flies. We took our children and we all worked cleaning the [unbroken] eggs and repackaging them.” They recorded their hours and the ward was compensated monetarily. “We used to tell the children, ‘We are building character.’” This went on for a few years and construction finally began once all the funds were raised.
The groundbreaking ceremony. Images courtesy of Larry Runyon.
Construction Process
Members were also involved in the construction which started in the late 60s. “The construction company provided workers too of course, but we would have assignments and work parties to go over and participate in helping out with certain things,” Bell said. “It was mostly labor. If members were skilled they were invited to help out [with more specific jobs] but it was always under the guidance of the foreman of the project, Mr. Catwick (spelling and first name unknown) who was also a member of the Church from Idaho. Their family lived on the church property in an RV during the construction of the building [and] they would attend church with us.”
Judy Grubbs remembers a detail from the construction, “Ron Tanner received a call while he was at work that he needed to go that evening to finish the curb and gutters on the [east side of the] building. Ron couldn’t go until it was very dark. The ward members came with their cars and turned on their headlights for light so that he could finish the curb and the gutter. The job did get done that night because of all the dedicated members of the ward who came out to do it.”
“Members joked that the Stake Center might not stand for very long because non-professionals (members) did most of the work. But the building has stood the test of time and for those of us that were here then, it remains a symbol of faith, sacrifice and hard work.” –Jeff Bell
The Dedication
The Hurst Stake Center was dedicated to the Lord on Sunday, February 18, 1973. The celebration took place over three days and included a sophisticated music concert, barbecue dinner, dedication ball, Sunday Stake Conference session and lastly, a dedication service where Elder Sterling W. Sill, Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles, presided. View the original dedicatory program here.
Elder Sterling W. Sill
The Fort Worth 2nd Ward Bishopric 1973. Leon Reedy, Bishop; James Cope, First Counselor; Kenneth Zaike, Second Counselor. This was leadership of the ward who had been renting other buildings while they waited for the Stake Center’s completion.
Now, as we celebrate the Hurst Stake Center’s golden jubilee, we also rejoice in the faithful members who participated in its journey from conception to completion so as the gospel of Jesus Christ continued to spread, there would be space enough to house those who would desire to know the Savior. It is with gratitude and remembrance we meet under its roof.
Article by Anna Zenk with special thanks to Debby Adair and Rachel Scott.
Anna Zenk serves as the Stake Website Administrator for the Hurst Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She’s a professional graphic designer specializing in design for print. During her free time she works on personal design projects, blogs and enjoys bookbinding by hand.
If you would like to attend a Sunday worship service in the Hurst Stake Center click here for a schedule.