Assembly Hall

Assembly HallBrigham Young announced the plans to build Assembly Hall, the second permanent structure built in Temple Square after the Tabernacle, at a priesthood meeting on August 11, 1877, eighteen days before he died. The Assembly Hall on Temple Square was then built between 1877 and 1880, though it was not officially opened until 1882. To defer costs, every member of Church of Latter-Day Saints was asked to contribute at least one-days’ work towards the completion of the Hall. Eighteen days before Brigham Young's death, in 1877, he announced plans to replace the Old Tabernacle (built 1851-52) with a new Assembly Hall in Temple Square to accommodate overflow from conferences in the Tabernacle. Despite Young's passing, construction quickly commenced. Obed Taylor designed the 12 x 68-foot Gothic-Victorian style hall, and William Folson managed the project. Irregularly shaped granite blocks used in the building arrived from the same quarry used in the construction of the Salt Lake Temple.

The entire undertaking took three years to complete (1877 - 1880), helped in part by a call to all Church of Latter-Day Saints' (LDS) members to dedicate at least one day of work towards the project. However, the building's dedication did not occur until two years later, in 1882, under the direction of LDS President Joseph F. Smith. The Assembly Hall became the second permanent structure still standing on Temple Square after the Tabernacle, completed in 1867. It served as an alternate location for many Church meetings including General Conference of the Church.
Structural weaknesses of the building's tower and roof trusses forced the LDS church to engage in a comprehensive renovation project of the Hall between 1979 to 1983. As well, the project including the addition of a new 3,489 pipe organ and hundreds of small speakers; the refinishing of all the pews and floors; and the replacement of the twenty-four spires with fiberglass moldings.
Today, the Assembly Hall serves as an overflow facility for General Conference of the Church, held twice per year. It also serves as the primary location for the Temple Square Concert Series held on Friday and Saturday nights throughout the year, featuring local and international artists.