Salt Lake City - Temple Square

The Beehive House (1854) was Brigham Young's residence as Governor of Utah and leader of the Mormons and the home of his large family of 19 wives and 56 children. On the turret of the house is a beehive, the symbol of the industriousness of the Mormons, which also appears in the state's coat of arms.

The Mormon Temple, in the so-called "Mormon style", was built between 1853 and 1893. At each end of this huge granite structure are three towers, the highest of which, at the east end, bears a 13ft/4m high gilded figure of the angel Moroni. The temple may be entered only by Mormons.

There are free concerts most weekends at the Victorian-Gothic Assembly Hall in Temple Square in Salt Lake City. The Assembly Hall, completed in 1882, is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons.

At the intersection of South Temple Street and Main Street are a bronze statue of Brigham Young and the Meridian Marker, which gives the exact geographical co-ordinates of the city. This was the point at which the original settlement was founded; the numbering of the streets starts from here.

The high-rise containing the offices of the Mormon Church is Salt Lake City's tallest building at 420ft/128m. From the observation platforms on the 26th floor there are magnificent views of the city, of the valley of the Jordan River, and of the surrounding mountains.

The Deuel Log Home in Salt Lake City is a pioneer home built in 1847. It is located between the Museum of Church History and Art and the Family History Library across from Temple Square.

The Eagle Gate was built in 1859 as the entrance to Brigham Young's farm. Originally 22ft/6.70m wide, it was several times enlarged to allow for increasing traffic and is now 75ft/23m wide. The gate is crowned by a massive eagle with a wing-span of over 20ft/6m.

The Family History Library, the largest genealogical library in the world, documents the ancestry of Mormon families, a matter of great importance in their faith.
The records date from 1550 and include all faiths and religions.

The Lion House was built in 1855 to provide additional accommodation for Brigham Young's family. It is now occupied by a restaurant.
It is a popular spot for meetings and conferences.

The Museum of Church History Art traces the history of the Mormon church and displays religious art of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The museum features a covered pioneer wagon, a log home from 1847, and children's activities.

There are two visitor centers in Salt Lake City's Temple Square. The north one displays biblical murals and a scale model of Christ's Jerusalem.

The Seagull Monument in Temple Square commemorates the seagulls which saved the Mormons by destroying a plague of locusts which threatened their crops in 1848.
The monument is located in front of the Salt Lake Assembly Hall on Temple Square in Salt Lake City.

There are two visitor centers in Salt Lake City's Temple Square. The south one shows a 45-minute presentation about the temple and the Book of Mormon.