It’s one of the newest buildings on campus and takes in thousands of students each day, but most students don’t even know what it is.
Completed in September 2007 at a cost of $20 million, the Tempe Institute of Religion at ASU regularly provides services, classes and parking to thousands of Mormon students each week. However, most students not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have never seen the inside of the building.
“Everybody walks by and just looks like they are wondering, ‘What is this place?’” says Terry Calton, director of the institute.
Located on the corner of McAllister Avenue and Terrace Road, the building is near the heart of campus and regularly sees more than 1,000 Mormon students during the week and about 800 for Sunday services. (However, Calton says, the location welcomes all ASU students.)
The institute is the only denominational church within the bounds of ASU. Why? Technically, it's on private property.
Mormons have found a home at ASU for decades. The first formal LDS classes for ASU students were held in Tempe homes in the 1930s, according to “A History of the LDS Church and Tempe Institute of Religion at Arizona State University 1886 - 2007.”
According to the article, the first LDS Institute was built in the 1950s on the site where the Palo Verde residential halls currently sit. A second LDS Institute was built at 947 McAllister Ave. in 1964 after the previous building was sold to ASU in 1961.
The current site came about as an agreement between the University and the church. The multi-million dollar facility is considered private property and unaffiliated with the university, although both have a working relationship with each other and ASU President Michael Crow gave the institute's commencement speeches in 2007.
The grounds include hardwood basketball courts, classrooms, a baptism chamber, two chapels and recreation rooms.
Many students use the facility to take classes offered by nine full-time teachers, four part time instructors and eight church service missionaries. While taking a class doesn’t count for any ASU credits, other perks are thrown in the mix.
Students at the Tempe Institute of Religion get the exclusive option to use the 600-plus space parking lot located directly north of the building.
“It’s $10 for life parking if they don’t lose their card and attend 75 percent of classes,” Calton says. Another caveat is that the students participate in Sunday services. And any ASU student can take advantage of the parking as long as they have a class at the institute that same day.
Some students, like economics major Jeffrey Maxwell, 19, don’t take advantage of the lot but still use the building as a central point on campus to leave their books and bikes.
“It’s a good place to go nap. Upstairs has the nice chairs, and people fall asleep in there all the time,” Maxwell says. “[It also has] the cheapest vending machines on campus, but there’s nothing that has caffeine in there.”
Reach the reporter at sbauge@asu.edu.
