10-acre (4.0 ha) complex, in the center of Salt Lake City, designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1964, recognizing the Mormon achievement in the settlement of Utah
From Salt Lake City: Head southwest on 400 S/University Blvd toward S Main St. Use the left 2 lanes to turn left onto S State St. Turn left onto S Temple. Slight left.
Temple Square is a 10-acre (4.0 ha) complex, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah. The usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities that are immediately adjacent to Temple Square. Contained within Temple Square are the Salt Lake Temple, Salt Lake Tabernacle, Salt Lake Assembly Hall, the Seagull Monument, and two visitors' centers. The square was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1964, recognizing the Mormon achievement in the settlement of Utah.
Tourism
Attracting 3 million to 5 million visitors a year, Temple Square is the most popular tourist attraction in Utah, bringing in more visitors than the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone National Park. By comparison, Utah's five National Parks—Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches—had a combined total of 5.3 million visitors in 2005.
The grounds, as well as the Gardens at Temple Square, often host concerts and other events. During the Christmas holiday season, approximately 100,000 Christmas lights sparkle from trees and shrubs around Temple Square each evening until 10 pm. The lighting of Temple Square is a popular event, usually attended by more than 10,000 people.
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of the LDS Church's operating temples. It is the sixth temple built by the church overall, and the fourth operating temple built following the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois.
Today, Temple Square features two visitors' centers, called the North Visitors' Center and the South Visitors' Center. The North Visitors' Center was built first and features a replica of the Christus, a statue of Jesus Christ by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. The Christus is in a domed room with large windows, painted with clouds, stars, planets, and other heavenly bodies. The visitors' centers and grounds are staffed by full-time sister missionaries and senior missionary couples exclusively; no single male missionaries are called to serve on Temple Square. The sister missionaries serving on Temple Square are from around the world, speaking enough languages to cater to the majority of visitors. Beginning with the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, the sister missionaries have been wearing tags with the national flags of their home country along with their missionary name tags.
On April 19, 2019, church leaders announced that the South Visitors' Center will be demolished as part of a massive renovation project that will begin December 29, 2019. Two smaller visitors' pavilions will take its place.
On the block west of Temple Square, the Family History Library is the largest genealogical library in the world and is open to the general public at no charge. The library holds genealogical records for over 110 countries, territories, and possessions. Its collections include over 2.4 million rolls of microfilmed genealogical records; 742,000 microfiche; 310,000 books, serials, and other formats; 4,500 periodicals; and 700 electronic resources.
On the block west of Temple Square adjacent to the Family History Library, the Church History Museum houses collections of Latter-day Saint art and artifacts. The Museum houses permanent exhibits as well as playing host to temporary exhibits throughout the year. Past exhibits have included the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America, featuring 23 paintings by Norman Rockwell; displays and artwork from artist Arnold Friberg; and themed historical displays depicting church events.
On the block northeast of Temple Square and east of the LDS Conference Center is the Church History Library, where the historical records of the LDS Church are stored. The Library is free to patrons, who can come use a large collection of books, manuscripts, and photographs. Senior missionaries provide tours of the public areas of the Library. Patrons can also view a video explaining the mission and purpose of the Library.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Temple Square", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
