Memories will live on when Toaster falls
To many students at USU, the word “toaster” means more than a kitchen appliance that toasts bread and bagels. It means Sunday school, LDS family home evenings, sporting events, friends and worship.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints owns the church on 650 N. and 1200 East, commonly known to locals as the “Golden Toaster.” It has served as a meetinghouse for USU students since its opening in 1962.
Containing two large chapels with trapezoidal shapes to them, the church was given the nickname, Golden Toaster, by students and Cache Valley residents, according to the USU Digital Library.
In a recent verbal agreement between USU and the LDS church, the university will buy the Toaster and the land it occupies for a future academic building. In return, the LDS church will be given the trailer park area at 1100 North 1200 East.
Ultimately it’s said the Toaster will be demolished, marking an end to its five decades of service.
“We are very sad to see it go,” said Garrret Steed, a freshman and regular attendee of the church. “I think a lot of people from Utah State have gone to church here (and) have had a lot of memories.”
Steed said his most chilling memory involved an incident when he and friend Jason Maurer, a freshman, were locking up the building for the night.
“We had just barely locked one of the doors and we were walking down the hallway, and all of the sudden we heard one of the doors slam,” Steed said. “It scared the heck out of us. We searched, but we couldn’t find anybody.”
“The door was open all day, so anybody could have done it,” Maurer said.
Mysterious slamming doors are not the only nighttime occurrences in the Toaster. Senior Cher Hunt said students sometimes sneak in after hours to play tag with NERF guns.
“I know that they play hide and seek, too,” she said. “This place is perfect for it. Finding a classroom is like looking for the Room of Requirement from ‘Harry Potter.'”
Hunt is referring to the Toaster’s many hallways that tend to confuse students, such as freshman Christie Bunnell.
“It’s almost like the classrooms are disappearing,” she said. “It takes like three hours to find the one you’re looking for.”
Steed said playing basketball in the Toaster’s cultural center is another common activity for students. Student Erik Hanson said his church league saw an improbable comeback while playing basketball at the Toaster.
“About three years ago, my team and I had a 35-point comeback to win a game,” Hanson said. “It was unheard of at the time.”
Sports at the Toaster are not limited to basketball and tag, however.
“One time we played kickball in here,” said sophomore Abbie Starkley. “I had a blast and met a lot of new friends. It was definitely a highlight of my time here.”
Aside from sports and late night antics, Bunnell said she’ll remember the Toaster for moments such as doors randomly locking behind her.
“The other day I was bringing some creme brulee into the kitchen,” she said. “I dropped off the first batch in the kitchen, but when I went out to grab the second one the doors had locked behind me. I had to kick the door and shout until someone let me back in.”
Bunnell said when her parents went to USU, the Toaster was “their building.”
“They called me and asked if it was still here,” she said. “I’ve got three generations of family in this area that have been to the Toaster.”
USU student Chandice Commeree said she’ll always remember the building, even after it’s demolished.
Commeree said she and her friends once braved a snowstorm just to shoot hoops in the cultural center.
“The Toaster is a safe haven of awesomeness,” she said. “I love hanging out here.”
– ej.jungblut@gmail.com