The Plano Stone Church was constructed in 1868 to serve as the headquarters for the

Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based international church, and is the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. The churc ...

(RLDS Church, now Community of Christ) under the leadership of

Joseph Smith III Joseph Smith III (November 6, 1832 – December 10, 1914) was the eldest surviving son of Joseph Smith (founder of the Latter Day Saint movement) and Emma Hale Smith. Joseph Smith III was the Prophet-President of what became the Reorganized Chu ...

. Smith moved to

Plano, Illinois Plano is a city near Aurora in Kendall County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 11,847 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, being about 55 miles (90 km) from Chicago. The city was home to the Plano Har ...

, in 1866 and in 1867 was appointed head of the Stone Church's building committee. Smith and the committee selected the site, design and builder for the structure. The Plano Stone Church served as the headquarters of the RLDS from its completion in 1868 until Smith, his family, and the church moved to

Lamoni, Iowa Lamoni is a city in Decatur County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,969 at the time of the 2020 Census. Lamoni is the home of Graceland University, affiliated with the Community of Christ, and the city was the church's headquarters fro ...

, in 1881. The building is constructed in the

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...

style with exterior walls of

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

. The interior consists of two rooms, a vestibule and the main room. The structure underwent a series of changes during the 1940s including the enclosure of two alcoves in the vestibule. Plano Stone Church was added to the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1990.

History

became the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

and

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...

of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) in 1860, 16 years after the death of his father

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, ...

. Following the elder Smith's murder in

Carthage, Illinois Carthage is a city and the county seat of Hancock County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,490 as of the 2020 census, Carthage is best known for being the site of the 1844 death of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint mov ...

, many of the faithful in the Midwest accepted Brigham Young's leadership and followed him to the Salt Lake Basin. A group of

Latter Day Saints The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...

did stay behind in the Midwest, believing that the rightful line of succession for church leadership lay with Smith. The younger Smith accepted the leadership role with the newly named "Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" after church leaders attempted several times to persuade him.Knapp, William J.
Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
, ( PDF), National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, 3 August 1990, HAARGIS Database, ''Illinois Historic Preservation Agency'', pp. 1–6. Retrieved 13 September 2007. Plans for Smith's move commenced in 1865, and by January 1866 Smith and his family had relocated from Nauvoo to

.Launius, Roger and McKiernan, F. ''Joseph Smith Jr.'s Red Brick Store'',
Google Books
, Herald Publishing House, p. 38, (). Retrieved 13 September 2007. Smith was persuaded to make the move by church members and leaders in Kendall County; the headquarters of the RLDS moved from Nauvoo to Plano with the Smith family. Once in Plano, Smith became the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the ''Saints Herald'', the official publication the RLDS. In 1867 the congregation in Plano appointed a building committee for the construction of a church building for the congregation, naming Smith as its chairman. Smith and the committee selected the site, design and builders for the project. Work on the building started on March 18, 1868 and by November 15 the completed church was dedicated. The building served as the main house of worship for the Plano RLDS congregation from its completion until 1881, and was the first church building for any congregation of the RLDS. During this period it also served as headquarters for the RLDS church and Smith's base of operations as church leader.Hild, Ted.
Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Illinois Historic Sites Survey Inventory, 1973, HAARGIS Database, ''Illinois Historic Preservation Agency'', pp. 7–10. Retrieved 13 September 2007. Between 1868 and 1881 Smith was active in church leadership and local politics, holding office as village trustee and local justice of the peace. He resigned his position as magistrate in March 1880 after he met with criticism for canceling a court hearing in favor of a church appointment. In 1881 RLDS headquarters, the church's printing house and Joseph Smith III moved from Plano to

, a community established by RLDS members during the 1870s.Miller, Timothy. ''America's Alternative Religions'',
Google Books
, SUNY Press: 1995, p. 50, (). Retrieved 13 September 2007. The church building is still home to a congregation of the RLDS, renamed Community of Christ in 2001. The original church

pew A pew () is a long bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, synagogue or sometimes a courtroom. Overview The first backless stone benches began to appear in English churches in the thirt ...

s, constructed by congregation members from local lumber, are still in use. The facility offers public tours by appointment.Plano Stone Church Tour Information
" ''Community of Christ'', official site. Retrieved 13 September 2007.

Architecture

The building is cast in the

style, and its foundation and walls are constructed from

.Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
" Property Information Report, HAARGIS Database, ''Illinois Historic Preservation Agency''. Retrieved 13 September 2007. The one-story, symmetrical, rectangular building has a front

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

d roof which meets the wall with a slight overhang and wide

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

below; both features are typical of the Greek Revival style. The front (east) facade is built from rock-face sandstone in regular courses, the three remaining walls feature rough-cut stone in irregular courses. Each side wall (north and south) has four windows with round, stone, arched lintels, keystones and stone sills. Each window features a full round arch and a nine over nine sash. Each of the building's four corners is adorned with stone quoins as are all of the windows. The front, double-door has a semi-circular transom window and a stone hood with a keystone above it. The interior of the Plano Stone Church consists of two rooms, a small by vestibule at the entry way, and the main room. The main room has a cove ceiling and a raised

dais A dais or daïs ( or , American English also but sometimes considered nonstandard)dais
in the Random House Dictionary< ...

at its west (front) end. The interior

wainscotting Panelling (or paneling in the U.S.) is a Millwork (building material), millwork wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials. Panelling was deve ...

, doors, and window sashes are all original. The original pews feature

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a wood-like "grain" ...

end pieces and other furnishings include a wooden pulpit. The building has undergone alterations and renovations during its history. The original stone stairs on the exterior were removed and replaced. Most of the structure's alterations occurred during the 1940s and were on its interior. Inside, there were originally two alcoves off the vestibule which contained stoves used for heating. These alcoves have since been enclosed: one serves as the basement stairway access and the other as a

closet A closet (especially in North American usage) is an enclosed space, with a door, used for storage, particularly that of clothes. ''Fitted closets'' are built into the walls of the house so that they take up no apparent space in the room. Closet ...

. Other changes during the 1940s include the addition of a projecting bay behind the pulpit and amber glass panes to the windows.

Significance

The Plano Stone Church is most significant for its years as headquarters for the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, from 1868–1881. The building, the oldest church in Plano, was declared a Kendall County Landmark in 1974.Plano Stone Church
''Community of Christ'', official site. Retrieved 13 September 2007. On November 2, 1990 the structure was added to the U.S.

.National Register Information System
, National Register of Historic Places, ''National Park Service''. Retrieved 13 September 2007. The church was listed on the National Register for its role as the headquarters of the RLDS and its association with the first RLDS president Joseph Smith III.

Notes

External links

{{commons category-inline, Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Plano, Illinois) Churches completed in 1868 19th-century Latter Day Saint church buildings National Register of Historic Places in Kendall County, Illinois Plano, Illinois History of the Latter Day Saint movement Religious buildings and structures of the Community of Christ Latter Day Saint movement in Illinois Buildings and structures in Kendall County, Illinois Tourist attractions in Kendall County, Illinois Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois

History

Architecture

Significance

See also

Notes

External links