On June 23, 2014 Rose and I took all our kids to Temple Square in Salt Lake City. There are many wonderful things to view at Temple Square. Check Temple Square Link to learn more.
Touching the walls of Temple Square.
The Assembly Hall. The Assembly Hall was built by members of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints between 1877 and 1882.
Photography was not allowed inside, but it is a congregation hall open
to the public and has beautiful stained glass windows. This link here will give you more information about the Assembly Hall.
This Seagull Monument was in the middle if the fountain in front of the Assembly Hall. I get the majority of the following story from This article
These insects, now called "Mormon crickets" because of this incident, are not true crickets, but instead belong to the katydid family and can travel in huge swarms. Mormon crickets eat all plant material in their path. These insects threatened the livelihood of the Mormon pioneers; stomping on the pests did not dissuade them from entering farms as others would advance. This is a reproductive strategy similar to mast reproduction in oaks, overwhelming predators with sheer numbers allowing a percentage of the population to survive to reproduce. LDS, prolific journal writers, often cast this disaster in Biblical terms like the 8th plague of locusts.
The Latter-Day Saints prayed for help. According to traditional accounts,[1] legions of gulls appeared by June 9, 1848. It is said that these birds, native to the Great Salt Lake, ate mass quantities of crickets, drank some water, regurgitated, and continued eating more crickets over a two-week period. The pioneers saw the gulls' arrival as a miracle, and the story was recounted from the pulpit by church leaders such as Orson Pratt and George A. Smith (Pratt 1880, p. 275; Smith 1869, p. 83). The traditional story is that the seagulls annihilated the insects, ensuring the survival of some 4,000 Mormon pioneers who had traveled to Utah. For this reason, Seagull Monument was erected and the California gull is the state bird of Utah.
The Relief Society Centennial Memorial and Nauvoo Bell. Unfortunately I don't know much about the memorial and can't find much online.
According to this link "The Nauvoo Bell, weighing over 1,500 pounds, was originally donated by the British Saints for the Nauvoo Temple and brought to the United States by Wilford Woodruff. When pressure from mobs forced the Saints to evacuate the city, the bell was left behind and placed in a local Protestant church. It was recovered by members of the Lamoreaux family before they left Nauvoo to head west."
This is the Tabernacle on Temple Square.
"Legend has it that Brigham Young originated the unusual design of the
now-famous Tabernacle on Temple Square after contemplating a
hollowed-out egg shell cracked lengthwise. Young wanted the Tabernacle
roof to be self-supporting, without pillars or posts to obstruct
audience views, so bridge-building techniques of the day were employed.
The domed roof was created by using steam to bend the massive beams and
weighing them at both ends. Construction of the Tabernacle lasted 12
years, from 1863 to 1875." (http://www.utah.com/mormon/tabernacle.htm)
(I did not take this photo, but got it from this link.)
The inside of the Tabernacle.
"Red sandstone for the Tabernacle's 46 supporting piers was quarried from Red Butte Canyon, east of Salt Lake City. Nearly 1.5 million feet of lumber was hauled from the Wasatch Mountains to complete the project. The 11,623-pipe Tabernacle Organ features prominent golden pipes made of round wood staves, hand-carved from Utah timber. Ten pipes from the original organ still work. The organ is one of the largest (and is considered one of the best sounding) organs in the world.
Today, tours of Temple Square feature a demonstration of the Tabernacle's remarkable acoustics. Visitors may sit in the rear of the building as the tour guide drops a pin on the floor close to the podium. The sound rings clearly throughout the hall. The Tabernacle's acoustics are also the reason the Grammy-award winning Mormon Tabernacle Choir calls it home." (http://www.utah.com/mormon/tabernacle.htm)
The organ pipes in the Tabernacle are spectacular! Wikipedia says, "The Tabernacle organ is considered to be one of the finest examples of the American Classic style of organ building.[2][3] Inspired by the design of the Boston Music Hall organ, the original organ was built in 1867 by an Englishman, Joseph Ridges. Ridges' instrument contained some 700 pipes and was constructed of locally derived materials as much as possible. The pipes are constructed of wood, zinc, and various alloys of tin and lead. When it was initially constructed, the organ had a tracker action and was powered by hand-pumped bellows; later it was powered by water from City Creek. Today it is powered by electricity and has an electro-pneumatic action."
Across the street from Temple Square is the Conference Center. This building houses the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and events of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Twice a year leaders and member of the LDS church gather together for a general conference to speak to everyone all over the world. It is a time I look forward to and enjoy hearing the Prophet and Apostles speak from that building to all who will hear. Info can be read here.
The inside of the Conference Center is amazing. If you notice, there are no pillars or columns anywhere. No seat has an obstructed view. The organ is Read more here about this remarkable building. Look at the pipe organ with 7,667 pipes.
The End :)
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