Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Modernist church, erected 1969 with flat-roof, clerestory, projecting entrance canopy and tall spire; Rectangular on plan and consisting of a large, double-height block connected to a lower, single-storey cellular block. Located near the Ormeau Road approx. 3 miles from the city centre, on a tree-lined avenue leading to the Annadale embankment at the river lagan; a mainly residential area consisting of mixed 19th and 20th century housing.

Materials:
Roof: Flat roof with asphalt covering
RWG: Painted metal
Walls: Concrete mushroom-brick – stretcher bond
Windows: Single-glazed painted steel centre-pivot windows in a painted timber sub-frame/ Windows to rear elevation ppc aluminium/frameless glass to clerestories

Front elevation (N)
The front elevation faces N and consists of a large rectangular double-height protruding gable to the right and a single-storey rectangular gable with entrance screen to the left. A large cantilevered porch canopy projects from the entrance screen beyond the line of the buildings. To the left of the porch canopy and connected to it, is a detached tall narrow spire, positioned in line with the main gable.

The spire is square plan in brick construction and is plainly detailed. In the upper third section it has deep slits recessed in the centre of each face. At the top of the spire the recesses separate to form four piers of brickwork connected by a concrete lintel (one at each corner of the square). There is a tall narrow metallic shaft mounted at the centre top acting as a lightning conductor.

The main gable has a low plinth faced in cement and is framed at the sides with concrete mushroom brick piers with a concrete lintel at the top. There is a tall recessed slit window running from ground level to eaves level to the side of each brick pier. The remainder of the gable consists of a large decorative panel faced in grey concrete brickwork laid in regular header courses angled at 45 degrees, to create a ‘saw tooth’ effect. At the top of the gable is a continuous clerestory consisting of frameless glazing. Above this is a deep fascia panel consisting of vertical painted timber slats with a metal box gutter at the top. There is a varnished boarded timber soffit.

The entrance screen is slightly recessed within the single-storey gable and consists of a full-height fully glazed varnished timber screen with deep mid-rails (single-glazing), glazed side lights and overlights; it has centrally located glazed double doors. The soffit of the porch canopy is finished in varnished boarded timber with square recessed light fittings with white translucent plastic shades. There is a plain concrete mushroom-brick gable to the left with clerestory and a fascia detail the same as the main gable. Brickwork is laid in stretcher bond. There is a marble plaque mounted on the wall of the gable with the inscription ‘THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS CENTRE FOR YOUNG ADULTS’.

Rear elevation (S)
The side elevation consists of approx. 4 no. structural bays, with the 3 no. bays to the left-hand side possibly a later addition. It consists of mushroom brick walls with low cement faced plinth, clerestory glazing and deep soffit detail similar to the front elevation. The 3 no. bays to the left have a brick plinth and have no glazed clerestory, but a painted solid board panel. The windows and door are all powder coated aluminium. There is a double exit door located within the original section and there are full height window panels centrally located in the bays of the later section. The door is glazed with a deep mid-rail and painted timber glazed over-light. Panels have deep mid-rail, upper top-hung window and lower painted solid infill panel(brown).

Side elevation (E)
The side elevation (E) consists of approx. 8 no. structural bays, the 2 no. bays to the right-hand side protruding slightly. It consists of mushroom brick walls with low cement faced plinth, clerestory glazing and deep soffit detail similar to the front elevation. There are vertical columns within the clerestory glazing at each bay (possibly steel boxed out in painted timber boarding). There are full height window panels centrally located in most of the bays. Panels have painted timber sub-frame and deep mid-rail, upper painted metal centre-pivot window and lower painted solid infill panel(brown). There is a slim concrete cill in the clerestory. There is a painted timber door with louvered panel in the opening in the central bay (boiler house). The clerestory roof of the large main block is visible above the roof line and there is a tall rectangular mushroom-brick chimney attached to the main block to the E face. It is rectangular and has a plain concrete cap.

Side elevation (W)
The side elevation (W) consists of a double-height block with approx. 6 no. structural bays to the left-hand side and a lower single-storey block of approx. 3 no. bays to the right-hand side, possibly a later addition. The main block consists of mushroom brick walls with low cement faced plinth, clerestory glazing and deep soffit detail similar to the front elevation. There are full height window panels centrally located in all of the bays. Panels generally have painted timber sub-frame, upper half has a painted metal window with top opening light and a half centre-pivot window and lower half is painted solid infill panel. Window panels to hall have no solid panel but are fully glazed with Georgian-wired glass. There are glazed escape doors within one of the panels in each of the main halls. The 3 no. bays to the later section on the right-hand side are detailed in a similar style to the rear elevation with full height window panels centrally located in 2no. of the bays. There is also a glazed escape door in this section.

The church is located on a large site with mature trees bounded by Annadale Avenue to the N and Hampton Manor Drive to S. There is a tarmacadam driveway to the E of the site leading to a carpark. The remainder of the site is lawned. There are painted steel vehicular gates and railings and a smaller pedestrian gate, along the front of the site. They are utilitarian in style with slender square section vertical uprights, pointed at the top.

Historical information

Although missionaries belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints [LDS] are recorded as being active in Ireland as far back as the 1840s, the first purpose-built meeting house was not constructed on the island until 1948. Rises in membership lead to the creation of the Irish Mission in July 1962 and the building of four chapels in Northern Ireland later in that decade. This building, now the church’s ‘Centre for Young Adults’, was one of these four, (the others being on Holywood Road, Old Cavehill Road and Albertbridge Road.) It was built in 1969 to a standard (‘Type M’) design employed by the sect, with the congregants themselves said to have been responsible for the construction.

[Information form BCC building control plans to follow.]

References – Secondary sources
1 Information supplied by church (June 2017)
2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints_in_Ireland (accessed 9 October 2017)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
Z. Rarity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Modernist church, erected 1969 with flat-roofed clerestory, projecting entrance canopy and tall spire; Rectangular on plan and consisting of a large, double-height block connected to a lower, single-storey cellular block. Located on a mature site on a tree-lined avenue leading to the Annadale embankment at the river lagan; the church is virtually unchanged externally and internally. Reportedly erected by parishioners to a generic text book plan type, the building has a striking modernist appearance. Displaying many of the characteristics of the period, including a floating roof, cantilevered canopy, sculptural wall panel and rectilinear tower, it is a rare example of 'self-build' Modernist church architecture.