Church Administration Building

Church Administration Building
Basic information
Location Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Geographic coordinates 40°46′11″N 111°53′22″W / 40.76972°N 111.88944°W / 40.76972; -111.88944Coordinates: 40°46′11″N 111°53′22″W / 40.76972°N 111.88944°W / 40.76972; -111.88944
Affiliation The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Architectural description
Architect(s) Joseph Don Carlos Young
Architectural style Neoclassical
Groundbreaking 1914
Completed 1917
Specifications
Direction of façade North
Length 140 feet (43 m)
Width 75 feet (23 m)
Height (max) 5 stories
Materials (Exterior) Quartz monzonite
(Interior) Marble, travertine, and onyx

The Church Administration Building (CAB) is an administrative office building in Salt Lake City, Utah, serving as the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the fourth-largest Christian denomination in the United States.[1][2] Completed in 1917, the building is adjacent to Temple Square, between the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and the Lion House, on South Temple Drive. It differs from the Church Office Building in that it is much smaller and furnishes offices for the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It also houses offices for other general authorities and their personal staff.

Only church officials and their guests are permitted to enter. The CAB has been used for meetings between church leaders and political and community leaders.

Use and special events

Initially, the Church Administration Building housed all administrative offices of the LDS Church, but as membership grew and leadership and staff expanded, the workers were scattered in office buildings throughout downtown Salt Lake City—some as far away as the Granite Mountain Vaults in Little Cottonwood Canyon and at Brigham Young University, forty miles to the south in Provo. With construction of the Church Office Building to the east, the Church Administration Building was freed up for offices exclusively for general authorities,[3] and it continues to serve as the church's headquarters.[4]

The Church Administration Building furnishes offices for the president of the LDS Church, as well as for his counselors in the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and other general authorities, along with their staff.[5][6][7] The building is overseen by the Church Security Department,[8] with only certain employees, church officers and their guests are permitted to enter.[9]

A variety of events have been held at the CAB, as well as receiving distinguished visitors. As part of the festivities for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, the Olympic torch was passed through the hands of members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on the steps of the CAB.[10] It is also a tradition that funeral processions of past LDS Church presidents pass in front of the Church Administration Building.[11] The building has hosted visitors including Michelle Obama and George W. Bush.[12][13][14]

George W. Bush (right) meets with church president, Gordon B. Hinckley (left), and his colleagues on August 31, 2006, in the Church Administration Building.

Construction

Constructed between 1914 and 1917, the building is built of quartz monzonite from the same quarry in Little Cottonwood Canyon as the stone used for the Utah State Capitol and the nearby Salt Lake Temple.[15] The Mt. Nebo Marble Company supplied marble and travertine for the interior of the CAB. According to the Utah Geological Survey, "the company quarried Birdseye marble in the Thistle area of Utah County, and travertine and onyx at Pelican Point near Utah Lake in Utah County and in the Cedar Mountains of Tooele County."[15]

Twenty-four ionic columns form a colonnade around the structure, each weighing eight tons. The building's exterior is constructed from 4,517 granite blocks.[15]

References

  1. "The NCC's 2008 Yearbook of Churches reports wide range of health care ministries". National Council of Churches. 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  2. Ballard, M. Russell (November 2007). "Faith, Family, Facts, and Fruits". Ensign. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
  3. "The new general Church Office Building". Ensign. 1973-01-01. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  4. Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Intellectual Reserve, Inc. 1996. p. 105.
  5. Woolley, John T.; Peters, Gerhard (2002-02-08). "Remarks following a meeting with President Gordon B. Hinckley of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and an exchange with reporters in Salt Lake City". The American Presidency Project. University of California, Santa Barbara. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  6. Shephard, Burl (1971-06-01). "Church Administration Building". Ensign. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  7. Perry, L. Tom (2002-02-02). "Special Witness: Family Traditions". The Friend. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  8. Bingham, Kelly (2006-09-30). "Security staffed by full-timers and volunteers". moroni10.com. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  9. "Temple Square ... where visitors will find peace and serenity". Deseret News. 2008-06-14. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  10. Avant, Gerry; Lloyd, R. Scott (2002-02-09). "Olympic torch arrives in Salt Lake City". Deseret News. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  11. Penrod, Sam (2008-02-02). "Traditions set during funerals for past LDS Church presidents". KSL. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  12. "Michelle Obama meets with Mormon officials". Associated Press. 2008-02-04. Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  13. "Michelle Obama Visits Church HQ". LDS Church. 2008-02-04. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  14. Fletcher Stack, Peggy (2006-09-01). "Bush and Hinckley meet for a fourth time". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  15. 1 2 3 "LDS Administration Building". Utah Geological Survey. Archived from the original on August 26, 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2009.

Further reading

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