New Multi-Use Church Center in Washington, D.C.

The Church has taken an innovative approach to meeting the needs of both Latter-day Saint students and the Church organization in the Washington, D.C., area by developing a facility that includes a chapel and meeting rooms, offices, and living quarters all within one building.

The facility, a remodeled four-story building, will be named the Milton A. Barlow Building. It has been developed as a joint effort of local priesthood leaders, Brigham Young University, the Church’s Public Affairs Department, and the institutes of religion of the Church Educational System. The two top floors will provide living quarters for BYU students participating in Washington internship programs. The second floor will house office space and meeting rooms for Public Affairs. The first floor will have a chapel, meeting rooms, and offices of the institute program. This variety of uses means that the building will be in use all day, every day.

“We’re excited to have a convenient place for our college students and young single adults to gather and worship,” says Michael Seay, president of the District of Columbia District. “We have five major universities here with about 200 LDS students.”

“We’ve been searching for a place like this for over 15 years,” says Scott Dunaway, director of BYU’s program. “This facility will enable BYU to take better advantage of the many governmental, diplomatic, research, and scholarly resources in Washington, D.C.”

T. LaMar Sleight, director of International and Government Affairs for the Public Affairs Department, says, “It is important for the Church to have a presence in Washington, D.C. This facility gives us that presence and provides for convenient access to the diplomatic community as well as many other agencies.”

Jon Stephenson, former director of the D.C. institute of religion, adds, “It has been wonderful to see how the various departments of the Church have come together to make this happen.”