The Humanitarian Room will allow local members to assist with volunteers on church relief projects on-site, instead of having to travel much longer distances elsewhere.

The LDS Church prefers to eventually own its own facilities, so it purchased the land for the new Layton complex in 2000.

Scott Carter, Layton director of Community Development, said a separate new car wash — not affiliated with the church — will be built on the west side of the property.

Centerville and Ogden have the other two nearest Deseret Industries stores to Layton in the area.

Deseret Industries was born during the post-Depression era when the LDS Church sent two officials to Los Angeles in 1938 to study Goodwill Industries and determine how the church could create similar employment opportunities through a thrift-store business.

Today it is one of the largest thrift store chains in the nation, behind Goodwill and Saver's stores, with 46 different stores in seven Western states.

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E-mail: lynn@desnews.com