'Temple Square' is a ten acre (40,000 m²) complex located in
Salt Lake City,
Utah, owned by
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon or LDS Church). Contained within Temple Square are the
Salt Lake Temple,
Salt Lake Tabernacle,
Salt Lake Assembly Hall, the
Seagull Monument and two visitors' centers.
History
In
1847, when
Mormon pioneers arrived in the
Salt Lake Valley, Church president
Brigham Young selected a plot of the
desert ground and proclaimed, "Here we will build a temple to our God."
[1] When the city was surveyed, the block enclosing that location was designated for the
temple, and became known as Temple Square.
[2] Temple Square is surrounded by a high, granite wall that was built shortly after the block was designated for the building of the temple.
The square also became the headquarters of the LDS Church. Other buildings were built on the plot, including a
tabernacle (prior to the one occupying Temple Square today) and
Endowment House, both of which were later torn down. The Salt Lake Tabernacle, home of the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir, was built in
1867 to accommodate the
General Conferences of the Church, with a
seating capacity of 6,000. Another church building called the Assembly Hall was later built with a seating capacity of 2,000.
As the Church has grown, its headquarters has expanded into the surrounding area. In
1917, an administration building was built on the block east of the temple, to be followed in
1972 by the twenty-eight story
LDS Church Office Building, which was, for many years, the tallest building in the state of Utah. The Hotel Utah, another building on this block, was remodeled in
1995 as additional office space and a large film theater and renamed the
Joseph Smith Memorial Building. In
2000, the Church purchased the block of Main Street between this block and Temple Square and connected the two blocks with a plaza called the
West Church Plaza. In 2000, the Church completed a new, 21,000 seat
Conference Center on the block north of Temple Square.
The
Family History Library and the
Museum of Church History and Art are located on the block west of Temple Square.
Modern usage
Tourism
Attracting 3 million to 5 million visitors a year, Temple Square is the most popular tourist attraction in Utah. By comparison, Utah's five
National Parks —
Zion,
Bryce Canyon,
Capitol Reef,
Canyonlands, and
Arches— had a combined total of 5.3 million visitors in 2005.
[3]
Temple Square (and the surrounding blocks) has become a popular tourist destination, with five million visitors annually, more than the
Grand Canyon or
Yellowstone National Park.
General Conference
Lighting
The grounds, which feature a number of gardens, often host concerts and other events; during the
Christmas holiday season, hundreds of thousands of lights sparkle from trees and shrubs around Temple Square. The lighting of Temple Square time is a popular event, attended by tens of thousands .
Other uses
The gates outside Temple Square are popular places for those critical of the Church where critics, mainly excommunicated former members and activist evangelical ministers, often
picket and hand out
tracts and literature critical of the LDS Church. They are also well-known locations for street musicians to perform, especially during the holiday season.
Sites
Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest (of more than 120) and best-known LDS temple. It is the sixth temple built by the church overall, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois.
North and South Visitors Centers
Today, Temple Square features two visitors' centers, called the North Visitor's Center and the South Visitor's Center. The North Visitor's Center was built first and features a replica of ''The Christus'', a statue of
Jesus Christ by Danish artist
Bertel Thorvaldsen. The Christus is located in a domed room with large windows, painted with clouds, stars, planets, and other heavenly bodies. The visitors' centers and grounds are staffed by Sister Missionaries
[4] and Senior Missionary couples exclusively; no single male missionaries are called to serve on Temple Square. The Sister Missionaries serving on Temple Square are called from North America as well as around the world, speaking enough languages to cater to the majority of visitors from around the world.
The Assembly Hall at Temple Square at Christmas time.
Sister missionaries come from many different countries, and provide tours and information in their home languages as well as English. Beginning with the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Sisters have been wearing tags with their national flags along with their missionary name tags.
Conference and assembly buildings
There are three large assembly buildings housed on Temple Square.
The smallest of the three is the Salt Lake Assembly Hall, which seats approximately 2,000 and is located on the southwest corner of Temple Square. The Assembly Hall is a Victorian Gothic congregation hall, with a cruciform layout of the interior that is complemented by Stars of David circumscribed high above each entrance. These symbolize the gathering of the Twelve Tribes of Israel (
LDS perspective). Construction of the hall began on
August 11,
1877 and was completed
1882.
[5] It is located just south of the Salt Lake Tabernacle and across from the South Visitor Center near the South Gate. Upon entering Temple Square from the South, the Assembly Hall can be seen to the left (west). The Assembly Hall hosts occasional free weekend music concerts and is filled as overflow for the Church's twice-a-year
General Conferences.
The second meeting house is the Salt Lake Tabernacle, home of the world-famous
Mormon Tabernacle Choir and
Orchestra at Temple Square. The Tabernacle was built between 1864 and 1867 and has an overall seating capacity of is 8,000, which includes the choir area and gallery. In March, 2007 the Tabernacle was rededicated after its extensive renovations and restorations were completed. It was rededicated at the Saturday Afternoon Session of the 177th Annual General Conference, in which the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve and other General Authorites and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, broadcast the session from within the Tabernacle rather than in the Conference Center. In addition to housing the choir, the tabernacle is also used for other religious and cultural events.
The largest and most recently built assembly building is the
LDS Conference Center. With a capacity of over 21,000, it is used primarily for the LDS Church's
General Conference as well as for concerts and other cultural events. The Conference Center was completed in 2000. Attached on the northwest corner of the Conference Center is the
Conference Center Theater, a comparatively smaller 850-seat theater for dramatic presentations, such as
Savior of the World, as well as concerts and other events.
[6]
Museums and libraries
Family History Library
Located on the block west of Temple Square.
Museum of Church History and Art
Located on the block west of Temple Square adjacent to the LDS
Family History Library, this edifice houses collections of Latter-day Saint art and artifacts. The Museum houses permanent exhibits as well as playing host to many temporary exhibits throughout the year.
Past exhibits have included displays and themes from individuals such as artist
Arnold Friberg, sculptures and work by
Boyd K. Packer, as well as themed historical displays depicting church events.
Social Hall Heritage Museum
Historical Houses
Deuel Pioneer Log Home
Beehive House
Lion House
Administrative buildings
Relief Society Building
Church Office Building
Joseph Smith Memorial Building
Church Administration Building
Parks & Monuments
Brigham Young Historic Park
Mormon Pioneer Memorial Monument
Seagull Monument
Main articles: Seagull Monument
Main Street plaza
See also
★
Salt Lake Temple
★
Salt Lake Tabernacle
★
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
★
Music and the Spoken Word
★
Temple (Latter Day Saints)
★
List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Notes and references
External links
★
Official website - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
★
Official Site - Temple Square at lds.org
★
Temple Square World - A Unique Mission
★
Utah History Encyclopedia - Temple Square
★
KSL News: LDS Main Street Plaza Controversy
★
Placeopedia map - Temple Square
★
On-line tour
★
Virtual tour
★
VisitTempleSquare.com
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