History
This congregation is part of a Presbyterian heritage in Utah which dates back to 1871. The Presbyterian Church played a key role in the founding of our country and can be traced back to the Protestant Reformation in the 1550s.
In July of 1871, Rev. Sheldon Jackson visited Salt Lake City and recommended to the Board of Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church that a church be organized. On October 1, 1871, Rev. Josiah Welch came to Salt Lake City, and on the next Sunday preached in Faust’s Hall, over Mulloy & Paul’s Livery Stable, to twelve people. At this point in Utah history, public spaces were closed to the “Gentiles” (non-LDS) so meeting over a stable was the only place available. On November 12, 1871, the First Presbyterian Church was organized with twelve members.
The Rev. Josiah Welch’s assignment, to organize and establish the new church and to build a new house of worship, was realized on Sunday morning, October 11, 1874, when the new building on the northeast corner of Second South and Second East was dedicated. It was the third anniversary of the first Presbyterian service held in the city. The total cost of the building and lot was $29,500. The facility was built to accommodate over 500 worshippers. *This building no longer exists.
On April 12, 1875, Professor John M. Coyner opened The Collegiate Institute (now Westminster University) in the basement of the new church. The school prospered, as did other mission schools established by the Presbyterians throughout Utah. By 1890, the Presbyterians had 36 mission schools and four academies and had served over 50,000 children. The Collegiate Institute later became Westminster University and moved to its present location at 13th East and 17th South.
Throughout tumultuous times, the church continued to grow in membership. Following statehood in 1896, the congregation began consideration of a new church home on the corner of C Street and South Temple. Mr. Walter Ware, prominent Salt Lake architect, designed the building in the English-Scottish Gothic revival style, modeling it after the Carlisle Cathedral in England. Alexander Carpenter, a member of the church, was the builder. Red sandstone from Red Butte Canyon above Fort Douglas was cut and hauled to the C Street site by wagon. The cost for the building and lot was $175,000. When the cornerstone was laid on June 4, 1903, the membership then exceeded 500 and more than 700 were enrolled in the Sunday School.
On April 16, 1905, hundreds of people marched from the old church to the new church for the first service. With the completion of the sanctuary, the church was formally dedicated on May 12, 1906.
On the 50th anniversary of the church, November 13, 1921, services of rededication were held and the certificate of indebtedness was burned. Leadership of the church up to this time had been provided by a series of Presbyterian pastors: Rev. Welch, Rev. Robert G. McNiece and Rev. Alexander Paden, Rev. George Davies, Dr. Jesse Baird, Rev. Theodore Lilley, Rev. Floyd Barr, and Rev. Malcolm Gwaltney continued this leadership through 1953.
During the ministry of Rev. Alvin Morris in 1957, the church edifice was enlarged with an addition to the north and modernization of the interior space of the original structure. The additional space has supported the Christian Education classes and programs of the church. Rev. Walter Kalvesmaki, Rev. Ernest W. (Bill) Remley, Rev. Thomas Jackson, Rev. James Morre, and Rev. Harry Sweitzer continued leadership.
The 100th anniversary of the founding of the church was celebrated in the fall of 1971 with special services and programs. Since the celebration of its centennial, the church has moved forward in its mission.
Under the pastorate of Rev. Donald H. Baird, a restoration and renovation of the building was planned. Programs were expanded, special services were introduced (such as the Kirkin o’ th’ Tartan, which celebrates Presbyterian Scottish heritage) and new interfaith dialogue with the LDS Church was fostered. These programs were continued under the pastorate of Rev. Bill Alexander with a renewed vision for the restoration of the building. A major building restoration was completed under the pastorate of Rev. Michael J. Imperiale.
Rev. Jamie White became the 18th Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in the summer of 2022, marking the historic 150th Anniversary of the church as our first female senior minister. This landmark 150th anniversary was celebrated in November of 2022 with a special dinner and worship service with a number of former clergy and staff in attendance.
Important as a historical site, the building is also actively used and enjoyed by the community. The sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church is noted for its stunning stained glass windows, fine acoustics, and is used extensively for all sorts of concerts and recitals.
Pastoral History
On April 29, 1869, a group of ministers in Iowa climbed a high bluff, looking out over the prairies stretching westward. Saddened by the fact that there were no churches of their denomination for almost 2,000 miles westward, they were determined to go out and do mission work. They designated Rev. Sheldon Jackson to lead a group of Presbyterians out west. They reached Corrine, Utah on June 11, 1869. They did service and mission work throughout the northern to southern Utah boundaries, discovering that very few of the railroad workers were LDS. On July 1, 1871, Sheldon Jackson arrived in Salt Lake City. Upon seeing that Salt Lake City seemed heavily inhabited by the LDS Church, he believed it an essential city for Presbyterian church development. Jackson appealed to the Board of Missions in New York, who replied by sending Rev. Josiah Welch to visit Salt Lake City, on his way to his original appointment in Montana.
Rev. Josiah Welch arrived on October 1, 1871 and he organized First Presbyterian Church of Salt Lake City just over a month later, on November 12, 1871, with 12 founding members. Within two weeks, the congregation had grown to 25. They had no church building, so they met in private homes, public halls, a skating rink, and a room above a livery stable. In 1873, the congregation set out to raise $18,500 to fund a church building after having paid $11,000 for the plot of land. The church was dedicated October 11, 1874 on the northeast corner of 200 South and 200 East. Traditionally, Presbyterians often started schools wherever they started churches, so Rev. Welch persuaded Dr. John Conyer to open the Salt Lake Collegiate Institute in the basement of the new church. The school started April 12, 1875, which later moved and became Westminster University. Rev. Welch died at the early age of 26 in March, 1877.
Rev. R. G. McNiece then served as pastor for 20 years. He worked diligently to develop several schools and academies, the highlight of which was the Sheldon Jackson College—named after the first Presbyterian pastor to arrive in Utah. Sheldon Jackson College, in partnership with Salt Lake Collegiate Institute, was the great joy of Rev. McNiece and his wife was a valued teacher there during his tenure at First Presbyterian Church.
Rev. William Paden came from Philadelphia in 1897. Our present church location and cathedral were founded during his pastorate. The land on C Street and South Temple—called the Newhouse Lot—was purchased in 1901. Interestingly, although the cornerstone inscription says 1902, it was not actually laid until June 4, 1903. The sanctuary first opened on May 13, 1906 when the congregation of several hundred people walked from their previous church building to the new location for the start of worship. Tragically, just a few months later, on October 20, 1906, a considerable storm blew out the east windows and damaging the newly installed stained glass depiction of the Resurrection of Christ. This made the sanctuary unusable for several months while repairs were made. The church reopened on March 20, 1907. Membership increased, an assistant pastor was called, and membership reached 700 with regular attendance of 500. An organ was installed in 1911 and a mission outpost was opened in the southwest section of the city. After 15 years, Rev. Paden resigned his pastorate to be serve as Superintendent in the Presbyterian Synod of Utah. While serving in this role of the denomination, he continued to serve in several interim capacities at First Presbyterian Church; preaching, pastoral care, and even donated his large, valuable library to Westminster University.
Between 1912 and 1914, First Presbyterian Church was without a pastor, but Rev. Stevenson served as moderator of the Session, performing pastoral duties in the interim before Reverend Davies was called and served a pastorate of 13 years. In early 1928, before Rev. Jesse Baird could relocate to be the new pastor, Rev. Henry Shawhan served as an interim pastor, providing pulpit supply until Rev. Baird arrived for his tenure, which would last only three years. After these initial founding years, the following Reverends served various pastoral tenures at First Presbyterian: Theodore Lilley, Floyd Barr, W. M. Gwaltney, Alvin Morris, Walter Kalvesmaki, E. W. Remley, Thomas Jackson, James Moore, Thomas Sweitzer, Donald Baird, Bill Alexander, and Michael Imperiale.
In recent years, Rev. Steve Aeschbacher served as the Interim Senior Pastor from 2019-2022, offering exceptional leadership and pastoral care as the church navigated the global Covid pandemic. Our current minister, Rev. Jamie White, became the 18th Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in 2022, marking the historic 150th Anniversary of the church as our first female Senior Pastor.