Old Catholic church in Layton torn down
The old St. Rose of Lima Church at the corner of Main and Church streets in Layton. The building was torn down recently.
The old St. Rose of Lima Church at the corner of Main and Church streets in Layton. The building was torn down recently.
LAYTON — A historic part of Layton City faded away recently when parishioners of the St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church saw their old building on the corner of Church Street and Main Street torn down to make way for townhomes.
The parish sold the building 20 years ago when it built a larger church on Chapel Street in Layton, but still, Father Clarence Sandoval says the memories remain. “Since that area was dedicated as a Catholic church, we see that area as very sacred with all kinds of attachments to that place. Many received their baptism there, communions, weddings, and funerals,” Sandoval said. “There are still memories and stories attached to that church, so in that respect, it is difficult for many of our people to see it come down.”
However, when the parish moved to its new location, it was because the parish was growing and the old space no longer fit its needs.
Before the old building was torn down, Brighton Homes, builder of the new townhomes, allowed parishioners to come and take pieces of the brick walls. They also returned the cornerstone of the building to Sandoval, who said it came with a time capsule containing stories and paperwork from the dedication of the church building in April 1948 and articles pertaining to the history of the building.
“I was surprised to find those things in there, and the papers were in pretty good shape for being nearly 70 years old,” Sandoval said.
St. Rose of Lima Church
The old St. Rose of Lima Church at the corner of Main and Church streets in Layton. The building was torn down recently.
According to the director and curator of the Heritage Museum of Layton, Bill Sanders, the former church was built during World War II when many Catholics were stationed at Hill Air Force Base. “A captain at Hill AFB felt badly when he brought his family here and there was no church, so he arranged with the Catholic Diocese of Ogden to have a traveling priest come out,” Sanders said.
The traveling priest first came out in a trailer in 1942 and provided services for the Catholics until the building on Church Street was begun in 1947 and for the next year. When the building was completed and dedicated, a permanent priest was assigned.
St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church is one of only a few Catholic parishes in Top of Utah. Other locations are in Bountiful, West Haven, Ogden, South Ogden, Huntsville and Brigham City. Sandoval says St. Rose serves 1,700 to 1,800 families.
“We are continuing to grow and meet the needs of the people at St. Rose, including spiritual life, psychological, emotional, and other needs,” Sandoval said. “At the same time, we want to help our youth and assist them in the direction they want to go.”
In the lot where the former St. Rose building was taken down, Brighton Homes plans to put in 56 townhome units ranging from 1,300 to just over 2,000 square feet.
