A Vision For Worship & Education
Two of the individuals leading the efforts to build the Cody chapel were Glenn E. Nielson and Lloyd Taggart. Both were well-known businessmen in the community and active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Douglas W. Burton, a California architect who designed a number of LDS chapels during that time period, was asked to design the Cody building.
Local sources say that Nielson and Taggart hoped the chapel would serve not only as a place of worship for local church members, but also provide an opportunity for tourists traveling through Cody and Yellowstone National Park the chance to learn more about the LDS faith. Thus, the building’s architecture was unusual compared to many other LDS chapels of that era.
Specifically, it incorporated a rotunda, a domed foyer 36 feet in diameter and 18 feet high from the base to the peak of the ceiling. When the building was completed in 1949, the stunning rotunda remained unadorned. It would not remain that way for long.
