Church Office Building

Skyscraper in Salt Lake City

40°46′16″N 111°53′22″W / 40.77111°N 111.88944°W / 40.77111; -111.88944Construction started1962Completed1972Cost$31 millionOwnerThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsHeightAntenna spire435 ft (133 m)Roof420 ft (130 m)Technical detailsFloor count28Design and constructionArchitect(s)George Cannon Young

The Church Office Building is a 28-story building in Salt Lake City, Utah, which houses the administrative support staff for the lay ministry of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) throughout the world.^[1]

The building is 420 ft (128 m) tall at roof level and is located within the Temple Square complex on the corner of North Temple and State Street.^[2] From 1973 until 1998 the office building was the state's tallest structure.^[3]

History

The building was designed by George Cannon Young at a cost of US$31 million to build.^[1] Construction took place from 1962 to 1972. It was officially dedicated on 24 July 1975^[4] though it was in partial use by 1972.^[1] Upon its completion, LDS Church leadership centralized its offices in this location, which has facilitated the direction of the expanding religious organization. Work performed within the building includes the production of church-related magazines, translation of church materials into numerous languages, regulation of missionary efforts, production of church films, and matters relating to the construction of temples, and more.

The Church Office Building from the LDS Conference Center

In 1985, the Genealogical Society was moved to another building across the street.^[5] During the 2002 Winter Olympics, the west side of the building was draped with the image of a female figure skater.

The lobby of the building is dominated by a massive mural depicting the Great Commission. The lobby also features a statue honoring Mormon pioneer sacrifices, which depicts a husband and wife burying an infant child. The inscription reads, "That the struggles, sacrifices and the sufferings of the faithful pioneers and the cause they represented shall never be forgotten."

The first four floors of the building expand outward, to the west and east, to form wings. The north side of each of these wings are without windows, each having stone facades, with large ovals containing relief maps of the two hemispheres of the earth. On the tower itself, the southern, western, and eastern facades all feature a closely spaced vertical pinstripe pattern of cast quartzite columns flanking the narrow windows, visually reminiscent of the former World Trade Center in New York City, a contemporary structure. The building's northern facade is marked by a narrow blank wall in the center, indicating the building's elevator and service core, with the regular pinstripe pattern on either side. This central part of the tower rises two floors above the observation deck at the 26th floor, and protrudes outward slightly on the southern side.

The observation deck is open to the public for free, and provides a good view of Antelope Island and the Great Salt Lake to the northwest, the Wasatch Mountains to the north and east, the skyline of the city to the south, the Oquirrh Mountains to the west, and Temple Square to the immediate west. Visitors can also take a free tour of the gardens surrounding the building. The gardens are completely redesigned every six months, and feature an array of exotic plants and flowers.^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Taylor, Scott. "For 35 years, Church Office Building has been symbolic Mormon headquarters, operational center for church growth", Deseret News, 1 April 2010. Retrieved on 15 March 2020.
^ "Salt Lake City | Buildings | EMPORIS". www.emporis.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2015. Retrieved Oct 10, 2019.
^ Raine, George. "What's Doing in Salt Lake City", The New York Times, 12 July 1981. Retrieved on 15 March 2020.
^ Deseret News, 24 July 1975 p. B1 https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Aul-kAQHnToC&dat=19750724&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
^ Reid, T.T. "The Streets of Salt Lake City", The Washington Post, 29 September 1985. Retrieved on 15 March 2020.
^ "LDS CHURCH OFFICE BUILDING". Utah.com. Retrieved Oct 10, 2019.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Church Office Building.

Church Office Building website

Preceded by

Utah State Capitol

Tallest Building in Salt Lake City
1973–1998
128m

Succeeded by

Wells Fargo Center

Historic sites of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Northeast

Palmyra	Book of Mormon Historic Publication Site Hill Cumorah Smith Family Farm (Sacred Grove)
Kirtland	Historic Kirtland Village (Newel K. Whitney Store) Kirtland Temple
Other	Priesthood Restoration Site John Johnson Farm Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial Peter Whitmer log home Washington D.C. Temple Visitors' Center

Midwest

Nauvoo	Joseph Smith Mansion House Nauvoo Visitors' Center Nauvoo Temple Nauvoo Historic District Red Brick Store
Missouri	Far West Temple Site Adam-ondi-Ahman Liberty Jail Independence (Zion) Temple Lot Independence Visitors' Center Hawn's Mill
Other	Carthage Jail Kanesville Tabernacle Winter Quarters (Mormon Trail Center Mormon Pioneer Cemetery)

West

Salt Lake City	Temple Square (Salt Lake Temple Tabernacle Tabernacle Organ Assembly Hall Gardens) Conference Center (Organ) Church Office Building Joseph Smith Memorial Building Church Administration Building Relief Society Building Brigham Young Complex (Beehive House Lion House) Family History Library Church History Museum Church History Library Granite Mountain Records Vault Mormon Pioneer Memorial Monument This is the Place Monument Brigham Young Monument
Other	Cove Fort Farmington Rock Chapel Laie Hawaii Temple Visitors' Center Martin's Cove Mormon Battalion Historic Site Mormon Corridor Pipe Spring National Monument Polynesian Cultural Center St. George Temple Visitors' Center

Salt Lake City