On February 15th, 2014 Fox 13 news reporter Ashton Goodell came out to the site of our biggest building reclamation & salvage project to-date. Material Resourcers is deconstructing (green demolition) the entire roof structure of a former LDS church in downtown Salt Lake City. Using heavy machinery, manpower, and a bit of grit, we are carefully dismantling all elements of the roof including the sub-roof boards, rafters, ceiling joists, and steel trusses. The news story highlights the benefits and values of this work in Utah; a service that has only been available since early 2013.
The building, and the land it sits on, was originally donated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the American Cancer Society of Utah (ACS) so they could build their first Hope Lodge in Utah. Recognizing the historical and practical value of materials inside the church, the ACS invited Habitat for Humanity of Salt Lake Valley to reclaim the building materials inside. During the summer and fall of 2013, over 500 volunteers from local companies and organizations helped remove doors, flooring, cabinets, light fixtures, lumber, and finish elements. These items were then sold at Habitat's Restore and the money generated helped further their mission to provide affordable housing to low-income people.
After the volunteer work was done, the American Cancer Society of Utah generously allowed Material Resourcers to salvage the remaining structure. Our work is just a small part of a much larger reclamation and donation effort from many individuals, community organizations and local businesses. The whole purpose is to "give hope a home", but also benefits the community, environment and a small business in the process. We are proud and fortunate to be part of this very worthy cause.
Deconstructing an LDS church of this size is a first-of-its-kind in Utah, and perhaps nationwide. The steel and wood elements of the nearly 10,000 square foot roof will be used to construct a new warehouse and retail facility for our company in late-2014/ early-2015. The building will be made from nearly 90% reclaimed materials and will feature unique repurposing ideas from many of the items we carry or come across.
We expect to salvage nearly 12,000 board-feet of lumber and over 18,000 pounds of steel from the former ward house. The original 1950 steel structure was made at the now-closed Geneva Steel Mill in Utah County. This project both preserves the story of Utah's industrial past while creating a new story about a sustainable future.
Please check out the video below and look for updated info, pictures and videos of our progress on this project.
Daniel Salmon
Author