Joseph Smith Memorial Building
Encyclopedia
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
. It is located on the corner of Main Street and South Temple in Salt Lake City. Previously the Hotel Utah, it is now an administrative building. On January 3, 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as the Hotel Utah.
History
The corner of Main Street and South Temple has long been important in Utah history. Prior to construction of the Hotel Utah in 1909-11, the general tithingTithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a bishop's storehouse
Bishop's storehouse
A bishop's storehouse in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints usually refers to a commodity resource center that is used by bishops of the church to provide goods to needy individuals...
, and the Deseret News printing plant all were located on the site.
Work on the Second Renaissance Revival style hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
, designed by the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
architectural firm of Parkinson and Bergstrom, began in June 1909. Two years later, on June 9, 1911, the Hotel Utah opened for business. While the LDS church was the primary stockholder, many Mormon and non-Mormon community and business leaders also purchased stock in the effort to provide the city with a first-class hotel.
"The largest and finest bar in the West [was built] in the basement of the Hotel" to pay off a $2M construction loan. The financing was secured by Presiding Bishop
Presiding Bishop (LDS Church)
The Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a priesthood calling with church-wide authority. The Presiding Bishop is the highest leadership position within the church's Aaronic priesthood.-Presiding Bishopric:...
Charles W. Nibley
Charles W. Nibley
Charles Wilson Nibley was the fifth presiding bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1907 and 1925 and a member of the church's First Presidency from 1925 until his death....
, from New York financier Charles Baruch. But the scheme obviously required the sales of hard liquor. When informed of building a bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
, “President [Joseph F.] Smith went through the ceiling; which was it to be, the word of Wisdom or fiscal soundness?" In the end, President Smith
Joseph F. Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
capitulated.
The ten-story building has a concrete and steel structure and is covered with white glazed terra cotta
Glazed architectural terra-cotta
Glazed architectural terra-cotta is a ceramic masonry building material popular in the United States from the late 19th century until the 1930s, and still one of the most common building materials found in U.S. urban environments...
and brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
. Various additions and remodelings have occurred throughout the years, including a substantial expansion to the north and modifications to the roof-top dining facilities.
The building ceased operations as a hotel in August 1987. A major remodeling and adaptive reuse
Adaptive reuse
Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than which it was built or designed for. Along with brownfield reclamation, adaptive reuse is seen by many as a key factor in land conservation and the reduction of urban sprawl...
project to accommodate both community and church functions was completed in 1993. Church leader Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death...
chose the name when he observed that there were many monuments to pioneer leader and Utah founder Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
, but none to Joseph Smith.
2011 marks the celebration of 100 years since initial construction was completed on the Hotel Utah. Historical displays are currently on display in the lobby.
Current use
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints now uses this building as follows:- A large, historical, ornately decorated multi-story lobby, featuring a large white statue of Joseph Smith, Jr, and an enormous crystal chandelier. Live classical music is often performed here as background.
- The FamilySearchFamilySearchFamilySearch is a genealogy organization established and run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch consists of a collection of records, resources, and services designed to help people learn more about their family...
center, where the public can use the provided computers and materials to do family historyFamily historyFamily history is the systematic narrative and research of past events relating to a specific family, or specific families.- Introduction :...
research and genealogyGenealogyGenealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
. - The Legacy TheaterLegacy: A Mormon JourneyLegacy: A Mormon Journey is a 53-minute film produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Legacy depicts the life of two recent converts from the 1830s to the 1890s...
, where the public can enjoy inspirational regularly scheduled free showings of various church-produced movies, including Joseph Smith: Prophet of the RestorationJoseph Smith: Prophet of the RestorationJoseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration is a 2005 film that focuses on some of the events during the life of Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, which was both filmed and distributed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
. - Two restaurants, The Roof and The Garden, on the top floor, provide views of downtown Salt Lake City.
- Interior levels of the building are devoted to ongoing work on various Church software projects, supporting the worldwide family history centersFamily History Center (LDS Church)Family History Centers are units of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, and various other activities. - Many rooms on the ground level, and on the ninth and tenth floors, can be rented out for wedding receptions or dinners.
- There is a chapel used for the Sunday services of various downtown wards.
- A pair of peregrine falcons returns yearly to nest in a nest boxNest boxA nest box, also spelled nestbox is a man-made box provided for animals to nest in. Nest boxes are most frequently utilized for wild and domesticated birds, in which case they are also called birdhouses, but some mammalian species may also use them. Birdhouses are the most common types of nest...
at the top of the building, which has two webcams installed in it, viewable to the public.
External links
- Official Joseph Smith Memorial Building Web Page
- An on-line tour of Temple Square, including the Joseph Smith Memorial Building
- History of the Hotel Utah, Old Post Cards
- Falcon Homepage, Utah Division of Wildlife ResourcesUtah Division of Wildlife ResourcesThe Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is part of the Utah Department of Natural Resources for the state of Utah in the United States. The mission of the Division of Wildlife Resources is to serve the people of Utah as trustee and guardian of the state's wildlife, and to ensure its future and...
- The Roof and The Garden Restaurants, located on the top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building