DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

 

The City and Memory: Temple Square

 

 

Brigham Young and a group of pioneers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) founded Salt Lake City on July 24, 1847. Having left their homes and cities in the East and Midwest due to hostile persecution, the members of the church hoped to settle in the West where they could live in peace and practice their religion freely. In the first group of pioneers there were 143 men, 3 three women, and two children--the group began tilling the ground and laying out the city the day they arrived.

 

The design closely followed an earlier urban design by Joseph Smith that he called "The Plat of the City of Zion." Planned for an agrarian society and a people that relied on strong community relations, blocks were organized in a grid pattern. The city was organized around a central block, which would be the location for the temple and other public functions. Each square was 10 acres and separated by 132-foot wide streets with the lots alternating their orientation. These alternating blocks prevented any street from a completely "through" street. All streets were named by their distance from the temple--200 West is two blocks west, 300 South is 3 blocks south, etc. Urbanist Andre Duany praised Brigham Young and urban plans of the early church calling Young the "the Henry Ford of Urbanism." Duany pointed out that because of their logical organization, and even though they were poor, the settlers built more than 700 successful cities in a period of 100 years, which was an accomplishment not matched even by the great empires in world history.

 

It is likely that Joseph Smith was inspired by the biblical pattern of Moses who arranged the individual tribes around the tabernacle, which was the center for worship. In a community of LDS people where religion is so essential, it makes sense that development would center on the temple, which was the holiest place on Earth.

 

At the center of Temple Square lies of course the temple, which is used for sacred ordinances and instruction, at the Southwest corner is the Assembly Hall (1882), and bult on axis with the temple sits the Tabernacle (1867), which is a large meetinghouse where all the members could gather for general conferences. Church administration and office buildings were constructed over the years on the block to the east, and in the year 2000 the church bought the portion of Main Street that divided the two blocks and created Main Street Plaza.

 

The temple was built on a high point in the valley, and in the early days the temple towered over everything else. This plan and location of Temple Square reminds me of the way the Romans constucted their cities. Temples were found on hilltops, and their public squares were central to their urban plans.

 

 

http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/sltrib/politics/56386379-90/lake-salt-duany-blocks.html.csp

http://urbanplanning.library.cornell.edu/DOCS/smith.htm

http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/City_Planning

 

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.