Assembly Hall
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Brigham 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.
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Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
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.
Sources
"Assembly Hall." Temple Square. Accessed February 25, 2018. https://www.templesquare.com/explore/assembly-hall/.
"Assembly Hall." Utah.com. Accessed February 25, 2018. https://utah.com/mormon/assembly-hall
Johnson, Lottie Peterson. "37 years of Temple Square Performances has been 'a consecrated effort." Desert News(Salt Lake City), September 01, 2017, Faith sec. https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865687973/37-years-of-Temple-Square-Performances-has-been-a-cons...
Lissandrello, Stephan. "Nomination Form: Temple Square." National Register of Historic Places. November 15, 1975. https://npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/66000738.pdf
Photo Sources
1912 Temple Square: Hollard, L., photographer via the Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2007662832/
Assembly Hall Interior: LDS Website: https://www.lds.org/locations/assembly-hall?lang=eng&_r=1#d
Assembly Hall, 1880: Photo provided by the LDS Historian's Office to Desert News, https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865687973/37-years-of-Temple-Square-Performances-has-been-a-cons...
Salt Lake Assembly Hall Exterior: LDS Architecture: Discovering Great Mormon Buildings, https://ldsarchitecture.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/salt-lake-assembly-hall-exterior/