Edward Oliver Anderson (May 16, 1891 – August 9, 1977) was an American architect based in
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
. He was a church architect for
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...
(LDS Church).
Early career
Anderson began his education at
Brigham Young High School in 1910, and then the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...
from 1914 to 1915. He left Utah to study architecture at
Carnegie Tech
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...
from 1919 to 1922. While in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
, he worked as a draftsman for architects
Edward B. Lee and
Alden & Harlow
Longfellow, Alden & Harlow (later Alden & Harlow), of Boston, Massachusetts, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,Margaret Henderson Floyd, ''Architecture after Richardson: Regionalism before Modernism--Longfellow, Alden, and Harlow in Boston and Pittsburg ...
. In 1924 he returned to Utah and trained with
Cannon & Fetzer and
Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
&
Burton before starting his own firm.
Anderson & Young
From about 1928 to 1936, Anderson was part of the firm of Anderson and Young with
Lorenzo Snow "Bing" Young. Their first major project was Kingsbury Hall at the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...
followed by the
Granite Stake Tabernacle, both of which are listed on the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
. He contributed to the design of many other civic buildings in Utah, being involved with the renovation of
Salt Lake City Council Hall
:''Not to be mistaken with the Council House, a building of similar purpose and design in Salt Lake City.''
The Salt Lake City Council Hall is currently home to offices of the Utah Office of Tourism and the Utah Film Commission and is located on ...
. Anderson was a member of the
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...
for most of his life and was the president of the Utah Chapter from 1935 to 1936.
LDS Church architect
From 1943 to 1949, Anderson was the general church architect for the LDS Church. During the 1950s, he continued designing for the church, but mainly focused on the design of
temples
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
. In the early 1950s, Anderson was asked by
David O. McKay
David Oman McKay (September 8, 1873 – January 18, 1970) was an American religious leader and educator who served as the ninth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1951 until his death in 1970. Ordain ...
to design a smaller temple that could be used in areas with fewer Latter-day Saints than those where temples then existed. Shortly after Anderson began work on his design, plans were announced to build the
Swiss Temple
The Bern Switzerland Temple (formerly the Swiss Temple) is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), was the church's first temple built in Europe, and the first built outside of North America.Toone, Trent"The Bern ...
. As part of this project, Anderson designed and supervised the construction of a one-twelfth scale model of a room where a film of the temple ordinances could be presented to overcome the fact that there would be patrons at the Swiss Temple speaking at least ten languages. Aside from the Swiss Temple, Anderson designed the
Los Angeles California Temple
The Los Angeles California Temple (formerly the Los Angeles Temple), the tenth operating and the second-largest temple operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), is on Santa Monica Boulevard in the Westwood dist ...
,
London England Temple
The London England Temple (formerly the London Temple) is the 12th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and is located in Newchapel, Surrey, England. Despite its name, it is not located within Londo ...
, and
Hamilton New Zealand Temple
The Hamilton New Zealand Temple (also known as the Hamilton Waikato Temple and formerly as the New Zealand Temple) is the 13th constructed and 11th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Located just out ...
. Of the four temples that Anderson designed, all have a single spire design. He was connected also with the mid-20th century remodelings of the
Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the largest Latter-day Saint temple by floor area. Dedicated in 1893, it is the sixth templ ...
, the
Manti Utah Temple
The Manti Utah Temple (formerly the Manti Temple) is the fifth constructed temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Manti, Utah, it was the third Latter-day Saint temple built west of the Mississippi Riv ...
, and the
St. George Utah Temple.
Personal life
Anderson was born in
Richfield, Utah
Richfield is a city in and the county seat of Sevier County, Utah, United States, and is the largest city in southern-central Utah.
Description
As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,551. It lies in the Mormon Corridor, just off I ...
. While at the University of Utah, Anderson became friends with
Millard F. Malin, who later became the artist that Anderson used for sculpting parts of the temples that he designed, including the
Angel Moroni statues that topped each spire.
Images of works
File:Kingsbury Hall.jpg, Kingsbury Hall
Kingsbury Hall is a center for the performing arts located on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, Utah.
History
Kingsbury Hall was designed by Edward O. Anderson and Lorenzo Snow Young and built in 1930. It was named after Joseph ...
(1928)* NRHP listed as part of University of Utah Circle
The University of Utah Circle, also known as Presidents Circle, is located on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 as a historic district ...
File:Granite Stake Tabernacle 1.jpg, Granite Stake Tabernacle (1930)* NRHP listed
File:LDS Bern Switzerland Temple.jpg, Bern Switzerland Temple
The Bern Switzerland Temple (formerly the Swiss Temple) is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), was the church's first temple built in Europe, and the first built outside of North America.Toone, Trent"The Bern ...
File:TEMPLE DE LONDRES 3.JPG, London England Temple
The London England Temple (formerly the London Temple) is the 12th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and is located in Newchapel, Surrey, England. Despite its name, it is not located within Londo ...
File:Los Angeles Temple 2.jpg, Los Angeles California Temple
The Los Angeles California Temple (formerly the Los Angeles Temple), the tenth operating and the second-largest temple operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), is on Santa Monica Boulevard in the Westwood dist ...
File:LDSTempleHamiltonNewZealand.JPG , Hamilton New Zealand Temple
The Hamilton New Zealand Temple (also known as the Hamilton Waikato Temple and formerly as the New Zealand Temple) is the 13th constructed and 11th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Located just out ...
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Edward O.
1891 births
1977 deaths
20th-century American architects
American ecclesiastical architects
American Latter Day Saint artists
Architects from Salt Lake City
Architects of Latter Day Saint religious buildings and structures
University of Utah alumni
Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni
People from Richfield, Utah
Brigham Young High School alumni