LDS Church Office Building
Encyclopedia
The Church Office Building (COB) is a 28-story
building in Salt Lake City, Utah
, which houses the administrative support staff for the lay ministry of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world.
The building is 420 ft (128 m) tall at roof level and is located within the Temple Square
complex on the corner of North Temple and State Street.
31 million to build. Construction took place from 1962 to 1972. Upon its completion, the Latter-day Saint leadership centralized the offices of the church in this location, which has facilitated the direction of their constantly expanding religious organization. Work performed within the building includes the production of church-related magazines, translation of church materials into numerous languages, regulation of missionary efforts, production of church films, and matters relating to the construction of temples, and more.
The lobby of the building is dominated by a massive mural depicting the Great Commission
. The lobby also features a statue honoring pioneer sacrifices, which depicts a husband and wife burying an infant child. The inscription reads "That the struggles, sacrifices and the sufferings of the faithful pioneers and the cause they represented shall never be forgotten."
The first four floors of the building expand outward, to the west and east, to form wings. The north side of each of these wings are without windows, each having stone facades, with large ovals containing relief maps of the two hemispheres of the earth. On the tower itself, the southern, western, and eastern facades all feature a closely spaced vertical pinstripe pattern of cast quartzite
columns flanking the narrow windows, visually reminiscent of the former World Trade Center
in New York City
, a contemporary structure. The building's northern facade is marked by a narrow blank wall in the center, indicating the building's elevator and service core, with the regular pinstripe pattern on either side. This central part of the tower rises two floors above the observation deck at the 26th floor, and protrudes outward slightly on the southern side.
The observation deck is open to the public for free, and provides a good view of Antelope Island
and the Great Salt Lake
to the northwest, the Wasatch Mountains to the north and east, the skyline of the city to the south, the Oquirrh Mountains
to the west, and Temple Square to the immediate west.
Visitors can also take a free tour of the gardens surrounding the building. The gardens are completely redesigned every six months, and feature an array of exotic plants and flowers.
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
building in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, which houses the administrative support staff for the lay ministry of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world.
The building is 420 ft (128 m) tall at roof level and is located within the Temple Square
Temple Square
Temple Square is a ten acre complex located in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . In recent years, the usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities immediately adjacent to Temple Square...
complex on the corner of North Temple and State Street.
History, use, and design features
The building was designed by George Cannon Young at a cost of $United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
31 million to build. Construction took place from 1962 to 1972. Upon its completion, the Latter-day Saint leadership centralized the offices of the church in this location, which has facilitated the direction of their constantly expanding religious organization. Work performed within the building includes the production of church-related magazines, translation of church materials into numerous languages, regulation of missionary efforts, production of church films, and matters relating to the construction of temples, and more.
The lobby of the building is dominated by a massive mural depicting the Great Commission
Great Commission
The Great Commission, in Christian tradition, is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples, that they spread his teachings to all the nations of the world. It has become a tenet in Christian theology emphasizing missionary work, evangelism, and baptism...
. The lobby also features a statue honoring pioneer sacrifices, which depicts a husband and wife burying an infant child. The inscription reads "That the struggles, sacrifices and the sufferings of the faithful pioneers and the cause they represented shall never be forgotten."
The first four floors of the building expand outward, to the west and east, to form wings. The north side of each of these wings are without windows, each having stone facades, with large ovals containing relief maps of the two hemispheres of the earth. On the tower itself, the southern, western, and eastern facades all feature a closely spaced vertical pinstripe pattern of cast quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
columns flanking the narrow windows, visually reminiscent of the former World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, a contemporary structure. The building's northern facade is marked by a narrow blank wall in the center, indicating the building's elevator and service core, with the regular pinstripe pattern on either side. This central part of the tower rises two floors above the observation deck at the 26th floor, and protrudes outward slightly on the southern side.
The observation deck is open to the public for free, and provides a good view of Antelope Island
Antelope Island
Antelope Island, with an area of , is the largest island of 10 islands located within the Great Salt Lake, Utah, United States. The island lies in the southeastern portion of the lake, near Salt Lake City and Davis County, and becomes a peninsula when the lake is at extremely low levels. Antelope...
and the Great Salt Lake
Great Salt Lake
The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere, the fourth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of around , but the lake's size fluctuates substantially due to its...
to the northwest, the Wasatch Mountains to the north and east, the skyline of the city to the south, the Oquirrh Mountains
Oquirrh Mountains
The Oquirrh Mountains is a mountain range that run north-south for approximately 30 miles to form the west side of Utah's Salt Lake Valley, separating it from Tooele Valley. The range begins in northwest Utah County and stops at the south shore of the Great Salt Lake. The highest elevation is...
to the west, and Temple Square to the immediate west.
Visitors can also take a free tour of the gardens surrounding the building. The gardens are completely redesigned every six months, and feature an array of exotic plants and flowers.