Mount Tabor's first church in Salt Lake City still stands -- just a few blocks north and west of its current location. The beautiful, original structure can be found at First Avenue and E Street, no longer a church.

Planning for the very first Mount Tabor structure began before 1902 when the United Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church raised some funds overseas and sent missionaries to Utah. Harold Jensen, a native of Tvilumgaard, Denmark, came to Salt Lake and in 1907 began seeking old and new Lutherans while starting to build the first church. The state Church of Denmark furnished nearly $15,000 to purchase property and the formal dedication of the First Avenue and E Street Mount Tabor Lutheran Church came in August 1911.

By 1960, when the membership was about 400, an acre of property was purchased at the current location 700 East and 200 South and the "round church" designed by congregation member, Charles D. Peterson, was built. The new structure was dedicated in 1965 by then Pastor Arthur V. Sorenson. Mount Tabor has since added on to its present facility expanding its fellowship and entrance areas, office space, handicap accessibility, and classrooms in 1996 under the leadership of Pastor Grant Aaseng.

Mount Tabor continues to serve the greater Salt Lake Area with members stretching into the far reaches of the valley. Its ministries are as varied as its congregation, with a vibrant music program and social outreach to community wide ministries, including Crossroads Urban Center, Family Promise, St. Vincent de Paul - Weigand Center Dinner at Vinny’s, and the Utah Food Bank.

Check out the Salt Lake Architecture Blog on the History of Mount Tabor