Dedicated in 1893, the Salt Lake Temple and its surrounding 10-acre square is Utah’s most visited attraction. There are two visitors centers located directly north and south of the Temple. Both serve as a sort of church history and Salt Lake City history museum, with LDS missionaries serving as tour guides and docents. Visitors to Salt Lake City might not be able to tour the LDS Temple due to its sacred nature to members of the church, but they can enjoy a guided tour of Temple Square at no cost.
Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, organized the female Relief Society in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois. Today it is one of the world's oldest and largest women's organizations. It is an integral part of the Mormon Church. Its headquarters are located in the Relief Society Building on North Temple Street just northeast of the Salt Lake Temple. It was constructed in 1956 using primarily funds donated by the women of the church, and houses two other church sub-organizations in addition to the Relief Society.
This Salt Lake City park was dedicated in 1995 and is located on land that was once part of Brigham Young's small farm which extended from the Beehive House and the present-day Eagle Gate to the south side of the state capitol complex. The farm included numerous outbuildings, including a carpenter and Blacksmith shop. The park includes a walking path with historical markers, bronze sculptures of pioneers, and a waterwheel. The park is home to public events including lectures and free musical performances in the summer.
The Mormon Pioneer Memorial Monument is dedicated to the more than 6,000 pioneers who died making the journey to Utah from Illinois and other parts of the world between 1847 and 1869. It is also contains the gravesite of Brigham Young and other early Mormon leaders. The monument is open to the public daily.
The Eagle Gate monument is a historical monument (more in the form of an arch than a gate) seventy-six feet across, situated at the intersection of State Street at South Temple, adjacent to Temple Square, in Salt Lake City.
Built between 1853-1855, the Beehive House served as the residence for the Church of Latter-Day Saints' second president Brigham Young and his twenty wives. He not only presided over church matters at the house, but served as the first governor of the Utah Territory from 1850-57. During the 1930s and '40s, the Beehive House functioned as a boarding house for girls before being restored as a historic house. Today, guests can tour the house and view how the house appeared when the polygamous Young family resided there.
Brigham Young planned the construction of a mansion that stood at this location until 1921 and was home to several leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Construction began in 1873 and occurred in phases while the home was occupied by Young's widows. The property was completed a decade later and the center of many events in the early history of the LDS Church from important decisions to a federal raid. The name "Gardo" was a reference to a novel that Brigham Young read and followed Joseph Smith's idea to have an official residence that would accommodate travelers who came to speak with church leaders. Church presidents John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff lived in the home. The property was later purchased by Edward Holmes who expanded the structure and hired designers from Marshall Fields to furnish the interior. The home fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1921.
The Lion House was constructed in 1856 for Brigham Young. Young was the second President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was also the first Governor of Utah Territory. Young was the father of 57 biological children. He also adopted and fostered children. The Lion House was built to home Young and his large family. The house adjoins the historic Beehive House on the west, which acted as the official governor’s residence. During the 1920s, Lion House served as the location of the domestic science department of Latter-day Saint’s University. Today, the ground floor houses a functional, cafeteria-style restaurant known as “The Lion House Pantry.”
Originally the Hotel Utah, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building was later named in honor of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter-day Saint Church. It is located on the corner of Main Street and South Temple in Salt Lake City. It is now a social center with three restaurants: The Roof Restaurant, The Garden Restaurant and The Nauvoo Cafe. It is also a venue for events complete with 13 banquet rooms, catering services, event coordinators and a full-service floral department: Flowers Squared. Several levels of the building also serve as administrative offices for LDS Church departments such as FamilySearch. On January 3, 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Hotel Utah.
Brigham Young formed ZCMI (Zions Cooperative Mercantile Association) in 1868. this mercantile grew to 156 stores across 24 Utah counties. This large downtown store was completed in 1876 is considered by many to be the first true department store in America. The ornate building was adorned by a decorative cast-iron facade that was restored in the 1970s. The LDS church sold its interests in the store in 1999 to Macy's. In 2007, the facade was restored once again, this time being removed, restored, and placed on the Macy's storefront in nearly the same location as it stood a century prior.
This small marker at the corner of South and West Temple, just outside the Temple Square area, holds tremendous historical significance to the history of Salt Lake. When Joseph Smith and his followers arrived in the Wasatch Valley, they planned to create a utopian society based on their religious beliefs and their faith in education. The later included support for the idea of a planned city based on a grid system and designating certain areas for public use. That system is (mostly) in existence today. Smith died before making the trek to the American West, but Brigham Young followed the plan with some pragmatic revisions. The "0,0" point (established in 1847) is designated by this marker which became the basis of Salt Lake's streets and addresses. This commitment to urban planning serves as a reminder of the influence of early church leaders both logistically and culturally.
Brigham Young announced the plans to build Assembly Hall, the second permanent structure built in Temple Square after the Tabernacle, at a priesthood meeting on August 11, 1877, eighteen days before he died. The Assembly Hall on Temple Square was then built between 1877 and 1880, though it was not officially opened until 1882. To defer costs, every member of Church of Latter-Day Saints was asked to contribute at least one-days’ work towards the completion of the Hall.
This log cabin is one of only two existing pioneer homes built in 1847; the other is Levi E. Riter’s log house located in This Is the Place Heritage Park. It gives a good idea of the typical small homes built by the pioneers when they first arrived in the Salt Lake Valley.
The Church History Museum is the premier museum operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Gallery tours conducted by volunteer docents are available Monday through Saturday. Tours must be scheduled two weeks in advance. On these tours, visitors get a closer look at both of the museum's permanent galleries as well as its temporary exhibits.
Also known as the Mormon Tabernacle, this structure was used by the LDS church as a location for their biannual General Conferences, musical programs by the famed multi-Grammy winner Mormon Tabernacle Choir and church services. Tours are conducted by missionaries assigned to Temple Square. The 700 pipe organ (expanded so much that it now contains 11,623 pipes), handcrafted in 1867, is a major tourist attraction.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This short walking tour starts at the LDS Temple and includes numerous monuments and historic buildings related to the history of the church and Temple Square. The tour ends at the Tabernacle, home to the most famous choir in the world.
