SALT LAKE CITY — Though notable for its musical, academic, and sports achievements, the physical plant of the Madeleine Choir School is at best dingy and at worst dangerous. The central conglomeration of buildings between 1st and 2nd Avenues and A and B Streets in Salt Lake City is rife with leaking roofs and peeling paint, and the century-old construction would likely be unable to resist the devastating effects of an earthquake. Through the efforts of a capital campaign to update, historically restore, and address seismic concerns of the aging buildings at the school, Madeleine Choir School Director Gregory Glenn is confident work will begin soon to address the problems faced by Erbin Hall, the oldest group of buildings on the campus. "All the infrastructure needs to be completely updated," said Glenn in an interview April 3 with the Intermountain Catholic. "The time is definitely now. It’s not something we can put off for another few years." Pushing the school closer to the $5.5 million goal required for the renovation, a $1 million grant over three years from the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation makes achieving the goal a near-term reality. "The grant was made possible by the efforts of Fr. Rick Lawson, Dean of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Mark in Salt Lake City, who sits on the Board of the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation," said Glenn. "The Emma Eccles Jones Foundation grant serves a s a real rallying point for us to complete this part of the restoration, the urgency of which is keenly felt," said Glenn. Co-chaired by Chris Hemmersmeier and Steve Kern, "the capital campaign is now in full swing," he said. "Fr. Lawson sees the value of a project like the Madeleine Choir School for this community in that it is a unique artistic institution and serves the children of our community as well. His aunt, who was Emma Eccles Jones, had a strong love for art and for education. The Madeleine Choir School is a perfect fit for her particular interest." Previous restorations to the campus were made possible through gifts of the Episcopal Diocese Foundation, the Daniel Murphy Foundation, the McCarthey family, and Robert Steiner, as well as many smaller donations. "Although this is the first gift from the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation to the Madeleine Choir School, we’re very grateful for the ongoing help of the Mariner S. Eccles Foundation which has been especially helpful to our concerts. The R. Harold Burton foundation has been very supportive of our educational and infrastructure needs, providing us with technological equipment. Also, the Wiegand Foundation also has given strong support to our school, providing us a large grant a number of years ago for musical equipment and the Bösendorfer piano which has been a regular feature of our concerts." Work will begin as soon as the school receives pledges for the $5.5 million needed to complete this phase of the restoration. Glenn estimates Erbin Hall will be under construction anywhere from 9 months to a year, disrupting classes in that area of the campus.
Stay Connected With Us