Building 1962 is the original Hill Air Force Base chapel. It was completed in 1943 at the cost of $32K. The chapel originally stood on the southwest corner of E Avenue and 3rd Street on base.
The chapel was renovated in 1945 following a major fire and remodeled in 1948.
During World War II, the chapel accommodated religious ceremonies for Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish community members.
The chapel also hosted non-religious community events. Air Force chapels serve as all-faith centers of worship.
Chaplains, a specific role in the military, support the spiritual well-being of Airmen and their families through religious services, counseling and personal guidance. Chaplains also advocate for Airmen and consult Air Force leadership on moral, ethical and quality-of-life issues.
Building 1962 was replaced by a new, larger base chapel in 1964 to accommodate Hill’s growing population. The old base chapel continued to hold religious services and also served as an education building and additional office space until it was declared excess and scheduled for demolition in 1984.
Funds for the new chapel were allocated by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara’s 1962 budget which also included funds updating several facilities for Ogden Air Material Area.
P. E. Valgardson and Sons, Inc., relocated Building 1962 from the base to the museum’s Heritage Park on a flatbed truck in 1986.
The Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Utah funded the relocation of the Chapel, while restoring the structure to closely resemble its World War II configuration and appearance; it was rededicated in 1989.
The 384th Bomb Group memorial stained-glass window is an exact replica of a memorial stained-glass window in the Parish Church of St. James the Apostle in the English village of Grafton Underwood.
The original stained-glass window was donated to the English church by the 384th during their stay in Europe. Grafton Underwood is near United States Army Air Forces Station 106 which operated as home base for the 384th while they served in the European theatre during World War II.
Retired Colonel Nate Mazer, a 384th Bomb Group veteran and early Chairman of the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Utah, encouraged the bomb group to contribute to the newly refurbished chapel.
The 384th trained at Wendover Field in B-17s to prepare for war in the European theatre. Hill also overhauled B-17s, the same airframe that the 384th flew during their time in Europe.
The Chapel contains an inscribed bronze bell, an exact duplicate of a bell that hangs in the parish Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Kettering, England. Both bells were donated by the 384th Bomb Group’s association.
In 2011, the Chapel was renamed the Col. Nathan H. Mazer Memorial Chapel in honor of Mazer’s service in World War II and to the Hill Aerospace Museum.
In 2022, a major exterior renovation began, leading to the Chapel being reopened today.
Prior to moving in 1986, workers removed the front porch canopy, concrete front porch and steps, the steeple, and demolished the rear wing and brick chimney.
The pyramid portion of the steeple is original; only the base, which incorporated three louvered vents, is of recent construction. The wing was constructed from new materials after the building was relocated.