Historic Manila Church

The story of the Historic Manila Church begins with the pioneer settlement of the northern Pleasant Grove area. In September 1850, Brigham Young called settlers to establish themselves near Grove Creek. By September 13, seven families had arrived, and John Holman and Lewis Harvey established some of the area's first farms. As the scattered agricultural community grew, residents needed permanent places for worship and community gatherings. By the early 1890s, local Latter-day Saints began the lengthy process of constructing what became the Manila Church. Bishop Knud Swensen helped lead the building effort. Millen Atwood donated land overlooking the valley for the church, while stone was quarried from nearby property belonging to William Wadley. Much of the labor and resources required for construction came directly from local residents. Construction continued for several years. The roof was in place by 1896, and the first meetings were held in the building that November. The early chapel was simple by later standards. A pot-bellied stove provided heat, with a long stovepipe extending through the room near the ceiling. The completed building represented a substantial sacrifice for a small farming community. Historical accounts record a cash cost of approximately $2,462.50 in addition to donated labor. Stake President Edward Partridge dedicated the church in December 1898. Around this same period, his counselor Reed Smoot suggested the name "Manila Ward." The name reflected contemporary events surrounding the Battle of Manila and the Spanish-American War, and "Manila" eventually became the enduring name of this northern Pleasant Grove neighborhood. The original building could not remain unchanged for long. Population growth between the late 1920s and the 1930s required a major expansion. An old brick schoolhouse across the street was purchased and dismantled so its materials could be reused in constructing a cultural hall and classrooms. The project coincided with the Great Depression, creating serious financial difficulties for the congregation. Despite limited money and outstanding debt, local residents continued working and contributing until the expanded building was completed. On April 18, 1937, Church President Heber J. Grant rededicated the enlarged Manila Church. Growth resumed dramatically after World War II. During the 1950s, attendance again exceeded the capacity of the old chapel. Architect Alvin G. Younger developed plans that incorporated the historic building into a substantially expanded modern meetinghouse. Construction and remodeling continued from the late 1950s into the 1960s. The church was again dedicated in 1964, this time by Joseph Fielding Smith, then a senior Church leader who later became President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Manila area continued to expand. The original ward was divided in 1970, and further growth eventually led to creation of the Manila Stake in 1980. Additional modifications were made to the building, yet inspections found that the foundation of the original pioneer chapel remained solid. After more than a century of use, maintaining and modernizing the aging structure became increasingly difficult. Concerns included earthquake standards as well as the cost of heating, cooling, repairing, and maintaining the large complex. In 2007, local congregations moved to a new meetinghouse. Residents held a farewell open house that September to honor the generations of people who had worshipped, worked, celebrated, and served in the old Manila Church. The building's future was uncertain, and demolition was a possibility. Instead, Randy and Vickie Bott purchased the property in 2010 and undertook an extensive renovation, transforming the complex into the Stone Gate reception center. Restoration work revealed pieces of the original building that had been hidden by later remodeling. A distinctive high-domed chapel ceiling was uncovered above a false dropped ceiling. Workers also discovered a time capsule placed in the building during the 1964 remodeling. The Bott family, followed by daughter Jennie and her husband Matt Johnson, preserved the historic chapel while adapting the larger complex for a new purpose. DUP Historical Marker #582 now commemorates the Historic Manila Church. The building remains a physical link to more than a century of religious and community life in northern Pleasant Grove and to the pioneer families whose donated land, stone, money, and labor made its construction possible.

Pleasant Grove was settled by Latter-day Saint pioneers in 1850. Agricultural settlement spread beyond the original town center, including northward toward Grove Creek. The Manila area developed from these scattered farms. John Holman and Lewis Harvey were among the earliest farmers associated with the 1850 settlement, and additional families gradually established farms and homes nearby. By the late nineteenth century, the population was large enough to support a substantial permanent meetinghouse. Construction of the Manila Church during the 1890s reflected the transition from scattered pioneer farms to an established community with enduring religious and social institutions. Latter-day Saint meetinghouses during this period often served broader purposes than worship alone. They functioned as gathering places for meetings, recreation, education, charitable activities, celebrations, and other community events. The Manila Church's repeated expansions document Pleasant Grove's twentieth-century growth. Additions during the 1920s and 1930s accommodated an increasing population, while another major expansion during the 1950s and 1960s reflected postwar suburban growth. By 1980, growth had progressed to the point that the Manila Stake was organized. The historic chapel had therefore witnessed the transformation of its surroundings from a sparsely populated agricultural district into a rapidly growing part of Utah County. Its conversion to Stone Gate after 2010 represents a modern form of adaptive reuse: preserving an important historic building while giving it a new function capable of supporting its continued maintenance.