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48-413: The 1,400,000-square-foot (130,000 m) Conference Center seats 21,200 people in its main auditorium . This includes the rostrum behind the pulpit facing the audience, which provides seating at general conference for general authorities and general officers of the church and the 360-voice Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square . The auditorium is large enough to hold a Boeing 747 in the space between

96-455: A learning space . The term is taken from Latin (from audītōrium , from audītōrius ("pertaining to hearing")); the concept is taken from the Greek auditorium, which had a series of semi-circular seating shelves in the theatre , divided by broad 'belts', called diazomata , with eleven rows of seats between each. The audience in a modern theatre are usually separated from the performers by

144-524: A hundred years earlier to build the adjacent Salt Lake Temple . Therefore, the church requested a permit to quarry granite from Little Cottonwood Canyon southeast of Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake County Commission granted a two-year permit on condition that extraction not interfere with the ski season. Critics of the extraction argued that the quarry harmed the environment and burdened residents while endangering drivers through Little Cottonwood Canyon below. Quarrying began May 28, 1998. The quarry location

192-479: A joint bid in order to compete with national firms. The companies jointly operated under the name "Legacy Constructors" after winning the contract in late 1996. Demolition of existing LDS Church properties on the site began May 1997. Deseret Gym—a YMCA -like gymnasium —and the Mormon Handicraft store had to be razed for the project. Ground was broken July 24, 1997. This date coincided with

240-488: A loss of "priceless cultural artifacts". In December 2021, the church updated estimations for the renovation completion for 2025, and in March 2023, estimates for the completion were again extended to 2026. If the latest estimations prove accurate, the total reconstruction period will have lasted between six and seven years. The Salt Lake Temple incorporates many symbolic adornments including Masonic symbols . Symbolism

288-667: A magnitude 7.3 earthquake, the strongest expected magnitude in the Salt Lake Valley; work was expected to take about four years. Other facilities on Temple Square (and certain parts of the main temple) were to be demolished, reconstructed, and modernized in line with seismic code . Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems will be replaced, Initially the interior and its historical artifacts were planned to be preserved (although plans were later changed and many historic elements were removed ) and plazas and landscaping modified. Visitor access and tourism would remain during

336-525: Is a parking garage that can hold 1,400 cars. A modernist, three-story chandelier hangs in a skylight in the interior of the building. A waterfall descends from the spire. City Creek flows in a rough-hewn riverbed, complementing the Conference Center. On the third floor of the Conference Center there are busts of current and past church presidents and photographs of church leaders; photographs of female church leaders were added in 2014. Because

384-695: Is an important subject to members of the LDS Church. These symbols include the following: Two bombing incidents have damaged the temple. On April 10, 1910, a bomb at the nearby Hotel Utah (now the Joseph Smith Memorial Building ) damaged the trumpet of the Moroni statue atop the temple. On November 14, 1962, the southeast door of the Salt Lake Temple was bombed. FBI agents state that the explosive had been wrapped around

432-509: Is built 100 feet north of the temple. The construction of the annex started in 1892, and it was opened in 1893, at the same time as the temple itself. This building included a large entrance area and an assembly hall. In August of 1962, the main temple was closed. A new annex was opened at the north end of the temple square in March of 1966, which largely expanded the temple's capacity with a 400 seat chapel, underground dressing rooms, 4,000 lockers and large waiting rooms for marriage ceremonies. Both

480-500: Is in downtown Salt Lake City, with several mountain peaks close by. Nearby, a shallow stream, City Creek , splits and flows both to the west and to the south, flowing into the Jordan River . There is a wall around the 10-acre (4.0 ha) temple site. The surrounding wall became the first permanent structure on what has become known as Temple Square. The wall is a uniform 15 feet (4.6 m) high but varies in appearance because of

528-644: Is limited to royal families or other distinguished personalities. In other countries, sports venues have luxury boxes , where access is open to anyone who can afford tickets. Additionally, some sports venues were themselves called auditoriums, such as the former Buffalo Memorial Auditorium . Salt Lake Temple The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City , Utah , United States. At 253,015 square feet (23,505.9 m ), it

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576-587: Is meant to echo the mountains and meadows of Utah. Attached to the main building on the northwest corner is the 900-seat Conference Center Theater that can be used as a dedicated theater or as an overflow room. Plans "for construction at some indefinite date of a 30,000-seat auditorium of the block north of Temple Square" were first announced at the October 1951 General Conference by church president David O. McKay as part of his worldwide building effort. The designs were solicited by church architect Leland A. Gray in

624-537: Is one of only a few organs in the world that has registers of pipes extending down into the 64' series, the 64' Contra Trombone and 64' Contra Gamba, which both extend 4 pipes down to GGGGG#, 13 semitones below the lowest note on a standard piano. The tallest pipe used to produce this note is approximately 40 feet (5 stories) tall. This organ also has many other unique features, including full-compass manual 32' reed and flute registers, double expression, and many heroic voices on high pressure. High pressures are used throughout

672-573: Is oriented towards Jerusalem and the large basin used as a baptismal font is mounted on the backs of twelve oxen, as was the Molten Sea in Solomon's Temple (see 2 Chronicles 4:2–4). (However, the literal interpretation of the Biblical verses has been disputed.) At the east end of the building, the height of the center pinnacle to the base of the angel Moroni is 210 feet (64 m). The temple

720-469: Is said" that Oliver Cowdery 's divining rod was used to locate the temple site. The temple site was dedicated on February 14, 1853, by Heber C. Kimball . The groundbreaking ceremony was presided over by Young, who laid the cornerstone on April 6, 1853, the twenty-third anniversary of the church being organized. The architect was Truman O. Angell , and the temple features both Gothic and Romanesque elements. An annex, designed by Joseph Don Carlos Young,

768-539: Is the largest Latter-day Saint temple by floor area. Dedicated in 1893, it is the sixth temple completed by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois , in 1846. The temple was closed in December 2019 for a general remodelling and seismic renovations , which were initially estimated to take approximately four years. Subsequent updates extended

816-522: The proscenium arch , although other types of stage are common. The price charged for seats in each part of the auditorium (known in the industry as the house ) usually varies according to the quality of the view of the stage. The seating areas can include some or all of the following: Sports venues such as stadiums and racetracks also have royal boxes or enclosures, for example at the All England Club and Ascot Racecourse , where access

864-569: The second anointing ordinance for live and deceased persons, and meeting rooms for church leaders. The temple's location was first marked by Brigham Young , the church's second president , on July 28, 1847, just four days after he arrived in the Salt Lake Valley . He marked a location between two forks of City Creek saying "Here will be the Temple of our God". In 1901, church apostle Anthon H. Lund recorded in his journal that "it

912-465: The 150th anniversary of Mormon pioneers entering the Salt Lake Valley , an event celebrated in Utah as Pioneer Day . Although the Conference Center is a modern steel truss and rebar -based design without need for masonry support, the LDS Church sought slabs of quartz monzonite , a form of granite, to clad all exterior walls. Specifically, the church wanted granite to match rock quarried more than

960-560: The annex and the addition were built using the same granite from the original quarry and designed to match the temple's architecture. Sandstone was originally used for the foundation. During the Utah War , the foundation was buried and the lot made to look like a plowed field to prevent unwanted attention from federal troops. With the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, the troops were called away by December. In

1008-541: The building sits near the base of Salt Lake City's Capitol Hill , the roof is landscaped for attractiveness, an extension of the Gardens at Temple Square . About 3 acres (12,000  m ) of grass and hundreds of trees have been planted on the roof. Twenty-one native grasses were employed to conserve water and showcase local foliage. The rooftop garden includes a central garden of rectangular planters of aspen and conifers with long runnels and basins of water. The landscaping

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1056-446: The center's inaugural general conference. He also related that a black walnut tree that he had planted decades earlier in his backyard provided wood for the pulpit of the new center. The Conference Center was completed later in the year and formally dedicated on October 8, during the 170th semiannual general conference. As part of the event, the dedicatory prayer was followed by a " hosanna shout "—a show of gratitude that dates to

1104-405: The church announced significant changes to the renovation plan that affected many elements in the temple's historic interior. The progressive room-to-room live endowment ceremony would be removed and the layout of the temple would change, with the baptistry being moved to the annex and new instruction rooms constructed in its place. Other rooms and walls would be reconfigured, requiring the removal of

1152-472: The door handles on the temple's southeast entrance. The large wooden entrance doors were damaged by flying fragments of metal and glass. Damage to interior walls occurred 25 feet inside the temple, but damage to the interior was minor. Eleven exterior windows were shattered. The temple suffered damage in 1999 when a tornado rated F2 on the Fujita Scale struck Salt Lake City. A wedding taking place at

1200-518: The early 1990s, in conjunction with Gordon B. Hinckley who then became church president in 1995. The LDS Church originally sought a 26,000-seat building no more than 75 feet (23 m) high in accord with zoning regulations for the church-owned 10 acres (40,000 m) block immediately north of Temple Square . Hinckley publicly announced the project in the April 1996 general conference. The final plans, completed in late 1996, featured 21,200 seats in

1248-527: The early days of the Latter Day Saint movement . The shout involves participants waving white handkerchiefs while repeating "Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna, to God and the Lamb" three times. Though it had been used in public before, such as during the capstone ceremony for the Salt Lake Temple and at the church centennial celebration in 1930, before this public broadcast of the hosanna shout, some assumed it

1296-485: The entire renovation process, but in regulated and coordinated fashion. Prior to 2019, the building had never been decommissioned for renovation and only minor updating of finishes and systems had occurred within the temple proper (although multiple "annex" additions had been added and removed in the past). This meant the temple's core historic architecture, layout, and workmanship had been preserved for 126 years. Before reconstruction started, church leaders indicated that

1344-530: The estimated completion to 2026, for a total renovation timeline lasting an anticipated six or seven years. The Salt Lake Temple is the centerpiece of the 10-acre (4.0 ha) Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. Like other Latter-day Saint temples, the church and its members consider it sacred and a temple recommend is required to enter, so there are no public tours inside the temple as there are for other adjacent buildings on Temple Square. In 1912,

1392-455: The first public photographs of the interior were published in the book The House of the Lord , by James E. Talmage . Since then, various photographs have been published, including by Life magazine in 1938. The temple grounds are open to the public and are a popular tourist attraction. Due to its location at church headquarters and its historical significance, Latter-day Saints from around

1440-409: The main hall, with 905 in the side theater. The design of the Conference Center was accomplished by Portland, Oregon-based Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership . Auerbach & Associates of San Francisco was responsible for theater design and architectural lighting. Contracting for the building was done by Jacobsen, Layton, and Okland—three Salt Lake City construction firms. The three companies submitted

1488-460: The morning of March 18, 2020, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck just outside Salt Lake City. Though most of the damage was outside the city, minor damage was inflicted on the temple. The trumpet of the Angel Moroni on top of the temple's tallest spire was dislodged from the statue, and some stones from the smaller spires were displaced. No other damage to the temple was reported. The temple

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1536-579: The organ due to the monumental amount of sound needed to project out into an auditorium of this size. 40°46′21″N 111°53′33″W  /  40.77250°N 111.89250°W  / 40.77250; -111.89250 Auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres , the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens . Auditoriums can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and theaters, and may be used for rehearsal, presentation, performing arts productions, or as

1584-399: The seats and the rear of the stage. All seats in the audience have an unobstructed view of the pulpit because the roof is held up by radial trusses . The balcony is supported by a series of 34 cantilevers. This construction method allows the balcony to sink 5 ⁄ 8 inch (16 mm) under full capacity. Behind the podium is a 7,708-pipe and 130-rank Schoenstein pipe organ . Underground

1632-405: The sick or pregnant and were administered by women and men. The temple also serves as a place for marriage sealing ceremonies for live and deceased persons. Additional uses include functioning as a location for baptisms for the dead , baptisms for health (until being discontinued in 1921), and, briefly, for re-baptism for the renewal of covenants. Other rituals performed in the temple include

1680-457: The site's southwest slope. The temple is considered the house of God and is reserved for special ceremonies for practicing Latter-Day Saints. The main ordinance rooms are used during the endowment ceremony —namely the creation, garden, telestial, terrestrial, and celestial rooms in that order of use. A washing and anointing ceremony is also administered, and until 1921, the rooms were also used for healing rituals of washing and anointing for

1728-438: The spring, when the foundation was uncovered to continue work, it was discovered that many of the foundation stones had cracked, making them unsuitable to hold the weight of the massive temple. Although not all of the sandstone was replaced, the inadequate sandstone was replaced. The walls are quartz monzonite (which has the appearance of granite ) from Little Cottonwood Canyon , twenty miles (thirty-two kilometres) southeast of

1776-503: The statue of the Angel Moroni —was laid on April 6, 1892, by means of an electric motor and switch operated by Wilford Woodruff , the church's fourth president, thus completing work on the temple's exterior. The Angel Moroni statue, standing 12.5 feet (3.8 m) tall, was placed on top of the capstone later the same day. At the capstone ceremony, Woodruff proposed the building's interior be finished within one year, which would allow

1824-680: The temple site. Oxen transported the quarried rock initially, but as the Transcontinental Railroad neared completion in 1869 the remaining stones were carried by rail at a much faster rate. During the construction, the temple grounds were seized by the US Marshal as a result of the Edmunds–Tucker Act of 1886. It was later returned to the Latter-day Saints. The capstone —the granite sphere that holds

1872-447: The temple to be dedicated forty years, to the day, after its commencement. John R. Winder was instrumental in overseeing the interior's completion on schedule; he would serve as a member of the temple presidency until his death in 1910. Woodruff dedicated the temple on April 6, 1893, exactly forty years after the cornerstone was laid. At the end of 2019, the temple was closed for a seismic retrofitting designed to allow it to withstand

1920-447: The temple's murals. The murals and many other historic features of the building were photographed and otherwise documented before being permanently removed or destroyed. These changes will allow for greater patron capacity, but the removal of many historic elements was met with criticism, especially the destruction of the temple's murals. One prominent historian described the changes as a "huge and unnecessary loss" and another noted them as

1968-422: The temple's unique historicity would be preserved. Church employees stated that special efforts would be made to highlight and honor the pioneer craftsmanship and indicated the interiors would essentially remain the same. Various renderings were released showing the instruction rooms used for the endowment ceremony would remain intact, with the original layout, woodwork and murals being preserved. In March 2021,

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2016-452: The time allowed a photographer to record video of the tornado as it passed near the temple, forcing the wedding party to shelter against the temple doors and pillars for protection from the wind and debris. They were not able to take shelter inside as the temple doors were locked. After being pelted with rain and hail, members of the wedding party surveyed the damage to the trees and surrounding buildings before resuming family photographs. On

2064-516: The work site, and four injuries to crew were reported. Construction was complete enough for the building to be used for the 170th annual general conference on April 1 and 2, 2000. The pipe organ was not yet operational, so the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was accompanied by an electric organ amplified through the center's speaker system. Hinckley remarked in his opening address that over 370,000 people had inquired about tickets for

2112-637: The world patronize the temple. The Salt Lake Temple is also the location of the weekly meetings of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles . As such, there are special meeting rooms in the building for these purposes, including the Holy of Holies , which are not part of other temples. The temple includes some elements thought to evoke Solomon's Temple at Jerusalem . It

2160-475: Was early in its renovation process at the time, and the rest of the statue was removed the following May. Renovation procedures included an installation of a new statue on April 2, 2024. Below are several photographs from the interior of the temple. In response to a member obtaining unauthorized images of the interior of the temple, church leaders decided to release the book The House of the Lord in 1912, which contained authorized black-and-white photographs of

2208-415: Was exclusively related to temple dedications, which are not accessible to non-Latter-day Saints. The Conference Center dedication demonstrated that the hosanna shout, although considered sacred by the Latter-day Saints, is not necessarily used exclusively in temple-related settings. This organ is internationally significant, both because of its role in accompanying choirs in conferences, and also in that it

2256-405: Was further up the canyon from where stone was extracted for the Salt Lake Temple. Although court filings challenged the legality of extracting the granite (specifically attacking Salt Lake County's authority to issue permit), the project was interrupted only by winter weather. The church finished quarrying by November 1999. Over 300,000 square feet (28,000 m) of granite was extracted. The granite

2304-519: Was quarried by Idaho Travertine (now Yellowstone Rock) and subsequently cut into slabs at their Idaho Falls Facility for use as the facade of the building. There was not enough granite extracted from the Little Cottonwood Canyon quarry for the entire project, so extra granite was brought in from the mid-west and used for the flooring. The Salt Lake City Tornado hindered construction on August 11, 1999. Construction cranes toppled at

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