The following is excerpted from the Daily Herald. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.

After 40 years of slump block classrooms, dank dormitory buildings and faulty heating and air conditioning systems, remnants of the 1978 Provo Missionary Training Center are coming down.

“The church is planning to demolish five buildings in the center of the Provo Missionary Training Center complex and replace them with open spaces and study areas,” said Daniel Woodruff, spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “These buildings are older and have not been in use since the new training buildings were completed in 2017.”

Woodruff said the demolition is expected to begin in the summer.

“This decision is a continuation of the master plan for updating and improving the Provo MTC,” Woodruff said.

The church has not indicated when the project is expected to be completed.

The church dedicated two new buildings in October 2017 after an unprecedented open house for the public to see just what goes on there.

At the opening of the new additions, MTC Administrative Director Kelly Mills said, “Our design was to do everything we could to create a space where we could connect what happens inside the buildings with the outside, to connect missionaries with God’s creations and also to allow as much natural light into the spaces as possible.”

The new grounds had added “ponder spaces” where there’s artwork, soft music playing in the background, where missionaries can just sit, Mills said.

When the older buildings (which are directly behind the main administrative building and cafeteria) are demolished, a new large garden plaza with trees, shrubs, ground cover, and statuary and private study areas will be built.

To read the full article, CLICK HERE.