B'nai Israel Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah

This is the former B'nai Israel Temple in Salt Lake City. I don't know the date of the construction of this synagogue, but it's history is explained in the bottom photograph. Interestingly, it's located only one block away from the current St. Peter and St. Paul Orthodox Church, which was also built originally as a synagogue. Like Temple Emmanuel in Denver, this synagogue is no longer used as a synagogue. Unlike the Denver structure, however, this former synagogue is no longer a public building, but houses the offices of an architectural firm.

Perhaps displaying my ignorance on synagogue architecture, this is the third former synagogue I've photographed where I had no idea that I was photographing a building that had originally been a synagogue. These buildings all have the appearance of Orthodox churches to me.

Of some note, this particular synagogue was modeled after Berlin's Fasanenstraße Synagogue which was destroyed during the infamous Kristallnacht by Nazi thugs. For that reason, while it is nice to see that it is so well preserved, it is a bit sad to realize that it no longer serves its original purpose.

First Methodist (First Methodist Episcopal), Salt Lake City, Utah

This the First Methodist Church in Salt Lake City. Like Holy Trinity Methodist Church in Denver Colorado, it was originally a Methodist Episcopal Church. The church was built in 1906.

St. Mark's Episocopal Cathedral, Salt Lake City Utah

This is St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Salt Lake City, Utah. This photograph happened to be taken on Tuesday of Holy Week, around noon, and obviously something was occurring at the Cathedral at the time.

Construction for this Cathedral started in 1870, and was completed in 1874. It sustained damage in a fire in 1935 but is in fine shape today.

An interesting item to note here is that dedicating Episcopal churches to St. Mark is apparently very common in this region. In addition to this Cathedral, Casper Wyoming has a substantial Episcopal Church by that name, and Cheyenne has a church that is a contemporary to this Cathedral also by that name.

Corpus Christi, Newcastle Wyoming

This is Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church in Newcastle Wyoming. The church was built in 1951, but I otherwise do not know anything about this particular church. The architecture of this attractive Roman Catholic church is somewhat surprising.

The website for the churches served by this parish is here.

St. Matthews Church, Gillette Wyoming

This is St. Matthews Roman Catholic Church in Gillette Wyoming. It's unusual contemporary design, unlike most of the churches featured here. It's quite hard to photograph, due to the large trees at the front of the church.

Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Lander Wyoming

These photographs depict Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Lander Wyoming. The same grounds are the temporary grounds for the Wyoming Catholic College.

I am unsure when this church was built. A preserved 1928 corner stone for the original Holy Rosary church is preserved as a memorial, but obviously, this church was not built in 1928.

This church is a bit unique in that, while it is a Roman Catholic Church, it does feature an Eastern Rite Mass (Byzantine Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom) such as is used in Ukrainian Catholic Churches. This is done in order to accommodate Eastern Rite Catholics attending the College.

St. Stephens Mission, St. Stephens Wyoming, Wind River Indian Reservation

This photograph depicts the Roman Catholic Mission church at St. Stephens, Wyoming. The Mission itself, established by the Jesuits, dates to May 1884. The original church was destroyed by a fire in 1928, and I presume the current one was built shortly thereafter.

I'm not sure what this building was originally constructed as, or what its complete function is today, although it does house the post office at St. Stephens. It's next to the church.

St. Louis Roman Catholic Church, Glenrock Wyoming

This tiny Roman Catholic Church is located in the small town of Glenrock Wyoming. The Parish Priest for this church is a Jesuit, which probably indicates that the parish is regarded as a mission parish in Wyoming.

The parish was founded in 1920. I am not sure if this particular church was the original church building, but it likely is.

Christ Episcopal Church, Glenrock Wyoming

This Episcopal Church is a log structure. Log churches are fairly common in rural Wyoming settings.

Community Baptist Church, Glenrock Wyoming

I don't know anything about this particular church, other than that it has a fairly typical appearance and is located in Glenrock, Wyoming

Seton Building, Denver Colorado

This building is named for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the Catholic saint strongly associated with charity. But I don't actually know what the building is. It clearly had a religious purpose, and may have been a convent for the Sisters of Charity. I suspect that this is the case, but I do not know for sure.

It no longer serves this purpose, however, and a plaque on the building indicates that it is now an art studio.

It's a pretty structure. The back of the building borders a parking lot, and from the back, when I first saw it, I mistook it for a Greek Orthodox Church.

A note on the photography

All the photographs here are in the nature of subjects of opportunity. I wanted to note that, as a lot of them are taken in poor light conditions, and are less than ideal in terms of their quality.

As in many instances the churches photographed here are ones that I rarely will encounter again, if ever, I take the photos when they present themselves. In terms of artwork, therefore, they aren't always so great.

Also, as those who have examined any photograph taken prior to the current date will note, many of these photographs were taken in the long regional winter of 2010-2011, so the weather they were taken in was dreary.

First Christian Scientist, Denver Colorado

This impressive structure is located in the Capitol Hill district of Denver Colorado. It has a Greek Revival style. I otherwise know nothing about it, including when it was built.

In this photograph, you can see the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the background, which is about one block away.

Holy Ghost Roman Catholic Church, Denver Colorado

This impressive church has an unusually long construction history. The church was started in 1924, but it was not fully finished until 1940.

The impressive church is an extremely active one, and is located in downtown Denver. Of all the Denver churches, it may be the one that is located the furthest downtown, although Holy Trinity Methodist might also make that claim.

As with Holy Trinity Methodist, it is hard to photograph as various tall buildings have been built near it. Indeed, Holy Trinity actually finds that a neighboring building was built around it.

A history of Holy Ghost can be found here.

Update

I recently was at a Sunday Mass at Holy Ghost, and took this photograph:

Holy Ghost certain is a very beautiful church.

Holy Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, Denver Colorado

This is a very old Denver Church, being located right downtown, and having been built in 1887. It is a substantial structure.

It's also difficult to photograph, as it's nearly always in perpetual shade as very tall buildings have been built up around it. This is, unfortunately, compounded here as these photographs were taken on a very dreary day.

One item of note, the church declares that it is the Holy Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, but in modern terms it's usually called the Holy Trinity Methodist Church or the Holy Trinity United Methodist Church. This obviously indicates some change in how the Methodist church is conceived of during the past century, but I don't know what that is. Here the church is listed under its original name.

Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Denver Colorado

This church in North Denver is just off of Washington Street and just north of I70. I didn't realize it at the time I took the photograph, but St. Joseph Polish Catholic Church and Holy Transfiguration Russian Orthodox Church are within a three block distance of this one. Had I known that, I would have added them to the photographs as well.

This church was originally in a southern Slavic neighborhood of Denver and was built for the South Slav population there (explaining, I suspect, why there would be a Polish Catholic church just a block away). I am sure that this is no longer the population base of the church, but it is interesting to note that. The church was built in 1918, just after World war One.

A nice history of this parish can be found here.

St. Francis Mission, Midwest Wyoming

This is the Roman Catholic Mission Church on Navy Row in Midwest Wyoming. The church is a Mission Church, and served by the the Priests at St. Anthony's church in Casper.

Church of the Resurrection, Casper Wyoming

This church is of a very unusual style for this area, with the only church comparable to it, that I am aware of, being a Methodist church in Wheatland Wyoming.

I do not know the history of this building, but based upon its location, the church must have been built sometime between World War One and 1950. My guess is that it was built in the 1920s, but I do not know for sure.

Currently, this building is occupied by an Anglican Mission church, but it has not always been. Up until relatively recently the church was, I think, a Christian Scientist church. Christian Scientist structures seem to favor this Greek Revival style, as evidenced by the large First Christian Scientist church in Denver.

Grace Bible Baptist Church, Casper Wyoming

This church, Grace Baptist Bible Church, is located just off of Second Street in Casper Wyoming. It is styled in the manner of many churches built in Casper after World War Two, but I don't know when it was built. Some time prior to 1960 in any event.

I actually was not aware that this church was here, being located on a neighborhood street I would not have had the occasion to normally travel down, but I ran across it doubling back to take the photograph of the church located in the post immediately above this one. This church is located one block away from that church.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Denver Colorado

This is the Roman Catholic Cathedral for the Archdiocese of Denver. This impressive church is difficult to photograph, due to it's downtown location and towering heights. It was built in 1911-1912.

Mother of God Catholic Church, Denver Colorado

This small Roman Catholic Church is just off downtown Denver. A remarkable thing about this church is it's fairly close proximity, in modern terms, with other Catholic Churches in downtown Denver, however, this one is on the border between the business and residential districts.

This church was built as a Protestant church in about 1900 and saw use by various denominations until the 1940s, when the Archdiocese of Denver purchased it.

A nice history of the Parish can be found here.

St. John in the Wilderness Cathedral, Denver Colorado

This is the Episcopal Cathedral for the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado. Located in Central Denver, construction on the church was started in 1909 and completed in 1911.

These photographs do not do it justice. The cathedral and associated buildings take up an entire city block.