Just as Paris is recognized by its Eiffel Tower, Egypt the Great Pyramids and Rome by the Colosseum, Salt Lake City can easily be identified by a picture of Temple Square. The temple in particular has become iconic. For tourists, the temple is a must-see. In fact, when I typed Salt Lake City into the Google search engine, the first hit, after the map, was a picture of the Salt Lake temple. For tourists, What many tourists don't realize, however, is exactly what the temple symbolizes and the deeper identity it gives Salt Lake City.
True, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has 134 currently operating temples with 21 others being built, spread out over 46 countries around the world, but this temple stands apart from the rest. Yes, like others it is a sacred place of worship where worthy members go to perform sacred ordinances, but the Salt Lake temple has come to mean something even to those who are not permitted to enter its hallowed halls. It is a symbol of rich history and the beauty of hard work.
Utah, more specifically Salt Lake City, was founded by the Mormon pioneers in the mid 1800s. Led by Brigham Young, the faithful saints were looking for a refuge from the stroms of persecution they experienced from the United States government and their fellow Americans. The Salt Lake Valley was protected by the majestic mountains surrounding it and the fact that it was several hundred miles west of so-called civilization. Here, the group settled. (Utah now celebrates Pioneer Day each year on the 24th of July in remembrance of their pioneer heritage, showing gratitude that "This is the place.")
Prophet and then Governor, Brigham Young wanted his people to learn the value of working hard and working together. To remind them of these principles, he chose the symbol of the Deseret honey bee. Honey bees not only labor individually, but as a hive they work together extensively for the benefit of all. (When the Mormon settlers applied for statehood, they suggested the name Deseret, but when Utah later became a state it was named instead for the local Ute Indian tribe.) The Mormon settlers worked hard building up their city. The city's grid system itself is designed around the temple, which serves as its center point.
It took forty years to build the temple. At its completion, the people had a magnificent visual representation of their labor and sacrifice. Today Salt Lake City remains the headquarters for the Church. Surrounding the temple are the grounds and plaza area, Visitors' Centers, the Tabernacle, Assembly Hall, Joseph Smith Memorial Building, and the Conference Center. Brigham Young's two houses, the Beehive House and the Lion House, are just up the road. History is an integral part of Salt Lake City's identity, and the temple perfectly captures the values and beauty at the core of the city.
There are probably twenty truly iconographic buildings in the United States and the Salt Lake Temple is one of them. Its distinctive spires and shapes are recognizable across the world as the centerplace of a religious organization. A few years ago I wrote a paper analyzing the three blocks (and Main Street Plaza) that contain the sacred spaces and organizational structures of the LDS Church and the particular message or identity they tried to project. The order of the way they buildings are placed on the site, the statuary or landscaping, the sacred symbols on the temple or even the images of the globe on the base of the church office building communicate a very particular message about the world wide nature of the church and its missionary program, the way religious permeates the lives of its members, and the hierarchy of religious structures suggests different types of instruction or gathering that takes place there. Great example of identity. Temple Square is the equivalent of the Vatican and St. Peters in Rome, or the Mother Church of the Church o f Christ Scientists in Boston. More than simply architecture, it is the physical embodiment of religious belief and practice.
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