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Begin your virtual tour of Temple Square by clicking on any of the above entry points,
and follow roads or trails through a network of linked images.
Temple Square is the world headquarters of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,
commonly known as the Mormons. After being forced
to leave Nauvoo, Illinois, members of the Church arrived in Salt Lake
Valley in 1847. Brigham Young selected the grounds for the temple promptly
on his arrival. From this center, the Church has grown to over 11,000,000
people.
With the growth of the church, has come also the growth of Temple Square
and its facilities. One of the first structures used was called the
bowery where church meetings were held. Soon a tabernacle was built
later known as the Old Tabernacle. In 1867 the
Mormon Tabernacle
was built, home to the famed Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Tabernacle Organ.
The Salt Lake Temple
was finished in 1880 and then the
Assembly Hall,
a 2,000 seat hall was built where the Old Tabernacle used to be.
In 1917 the Church opened the
Administration Building
on the block east of Temple Square. This block is also where Brigham Young
built his house, known as the
Beehive House.
In 1972 the 26 story Church Office Building
was built and in 1995 the former
Hotel Utah
was remodeled into additional office space for the Church, now known as the
Joseph Smith Memorial Building.
This was the last part of the block east of Temple Square to become part
of the campus. In 2000 the church bought one block of Main Street separating
it from Temple Square and replaced it with underground parking and the new
West Church Plaza
on the surface.
The block north of temple square used to hold a missionary training center,
which was later relocated to Provo, Utah. The church also built a
gymnasium, known as Deseret Gym. In 2001, the Church completed a new 21,000 seat
Conference Center
occupying this entire block. (Note that these blocks are one-tenth of a mile square!)
Part of the block west of Temple Square is also part of the campus, holding
a Church History Museum and a Geneology Library.
Temple Square is visited by 5,000,000 people annually, more than the
Grand Canyon or Yellowstone National Park. The grounds and the facilities were built and are maintained to the highest standards, and surrounded by beautiful gardens, representing the paradise promised to us in the hereafter.
Two times annually the Church holds its worldwide conference where some 100,000
members attend the 5 sessions held in the Conference Center, while many others,
due to inadequate seating, view by television in the tabernacle and other buildings.
Streets and other things you can see.
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