В Раш-Вэлли после реставрации торжественно открыли историческую церковь Кловэр

More than a century after it first opened its doors, a historic Rush Valley landmark is preparing to welcome the community once again. The Clover Church, a 1907 brick meetinghouse in the Clover area of Rush Valley, will celebrate its grand opening at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, after years of work to restore the building and return it to use as a community gathering place. The restoration has been a long-running effort led by the Clover Church Restoration Committee, with support from the Town of Rush Valley and community members, including restoration project manager John Cluff. The building, located at the corner of Shambip Road and Park Street, has had several lives throughout its history. Originally constructed as a meetinghouse for the Clover Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it eventually became vacant after church services moved elsewhere. In 1951, the meetinghouse was repurposed as a fire station. It remained in use as a fire station for decades before a new Rush Valley fire station was completed in 1993, leaving the historic building vacant. It remained unoccupied until local efforts to restore it began taking shape in 2021. The restoration project has sought to return the building to much of its original appearance while preserving its history. Work has included restoring the exterior brickwork, repairing deteriorated mortar, replacing windows with custom-made wood frames modeled after the originals and restoring portions of the building’s original roofline. Inside, the restoration has included removing the ceiling installed during the building’s time as a fire station, restoring the original ceiling height and repairing the historic plaster walls and beadboard wainscoting. The original stage has also been reconstructed using reclaimed tongue-and-groove wood from buildings at Dugway Proving Ground. The restoration has received support at both the local and state levels. In 2021, the Tooele County Tourism Board provided $35,000 toward the project, with additional funding coming through grants and donations. The restoration was also presented to the Utah Legislature’s Business, Economic Development and Labor Appropriations Subcommittee in 2024. The Clover Church Restoration Committee along with Cluff have invited the public to attend and learn more about the building’s history and restoration journey for the grand opening this Friday. The Clover Church, which   served as a place of worship and later as a fire station, is now about to begin another chapter, this time as a place where residents and visitors can gather and learn about Tooele County history and appreciate a piece of Rush Valley’s past. The Clover Church is located at 630 S. West Shambip Road in Rush Valley. [email protected]