Built by Mr. and Mrs. Ross Beason Sr. in the late 1940s, the Meditation Chapel in Salt Lake City serves as a solemn tribute to their son and other Utah World War II veterans.
Ross Beason Jr., a 22-year-old Salt Lake City native and US Army Air Corps lieutenant, fell during a bombing mission over Italy during the Second World War. His body was never recovered.
The chapel, commissioned and paid for by the Beasons, stands at the north end of Memory Grove Park in City Creek Canyon. For decades, residents and guests have visited the chapel to reflect on the loss of Beason Jr. and other Utahns missing or killed in action.
Inside the chapel
Memory Grove Park is a popular place in the summer months. From sun-up to sundown, an energetic parade of joggers, cyclists, family picnickers and dog owners take ample advantage of the green space and revel in the quiet bubbling of City Creek, which runs through the park’s center.
Just east of the creek, a set of stone stairs winds up to Meditation Chapel. The historic abbey overlooks the rest of the park from its perch, nestled amongst trees and shrubbery.
The Beason family spared no expense when they selected the materials that would be used in the chapel’s construction. The chapel consists of a Georgian marble exterior, with Botticelli marble comprising the interior, a green copper roof, ceramic tile floors and carved bronze doors.
Inside, light filters through four stained glass windows, each representing one of the four main military branches: the US Army Air Corps, Navy, Marines and the Army. Two flags also hang on the chapel walls – the American flag and the flag of the Gold Star Mothers.
According to PBS Utah, over 70,000 Utahns fought in World War II, and more than 3,600 never returned. Inside Meditation Chapel, a bench allows visitors to sit and reflect on the service of those that lost their lives for the world’s freedom.
Additionally, dedication stones surround the chapel, bearing the names of men who, like Beason Jr., were lost during their service in the war and never found.
Visiting the chapel
Meditation Chapel was open to the public year-round until 1998, when concerns over damage to the chapel’s windows and flooring led to repairs and cleaning. The chapel has been under the care of the organization Preservation Utah since then.
Linda Flanders, who has been a Preservation Utah volunteer for almost 10 years, said she used to admire Meditation Chapel on her walks through City Creek Canyon in the 1960s, not knowing what the chapel would mean to her in the future.
“I love this building,” Flanders said. “I volunteer for this building the most.”
Meditation Chapel now has slightly more restricted access. From April through October, Preservation Utah volunteers give tours on the second Friday and fourth Saturday of each month between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Flanders said the chapel can get up to 75 visitors during its two-hour openings. The tours are free of charge and no prior registration is required.
Memory Grove Park is in City Creek Canyon, at 300 North Canyon Rd. in Salt Lake City.
