Making a Sacred Place in Utah Valley
When firefighters arrived at the burning Provo Tabernacle on December 17, 2010, their first impulse was to demolish the exterior walls with a blast of water, which would be standard procedure in such a situation. But when a crew member readied his water cannon, the fire chief instructed him to back down. That quick decision preserved more than the shell of a building—it preserved a legacy of worship in Provo’s city center.
The temple is the fourth building of worship on Provo’s central city block. Since the 1850s, Latter-day Saints have gathered on a central city block in Provo, Utah. There they have learned the gospel of Jesus Christ, made sacred covenants, and served and celebrated together. Early gatherings took place in a meetinghouse and a baptistry. A grand tabernacle later replaced those meeting places. Today, the tabernacle has been transformed into a temple of the Lord.
Brigham Young moved Provo’s city center in 1855.
The Provo Meetinghouse
Provo meetinghouse, 1867–1919 Provo’s meetinghouse was among the first of its kind in Utah. Brigham Young chose the location in 1849, and Church architect Truman O. Angell designed the building in 1851. Construction began in 1856 and was completed in 1867.
The Provo Meetinghouse
1856 Construction began on the meetinghouse 1867 Meetinghouse dedicated 1875 Baptistry built adjacent to meetinghouse 1912 Baptistry demolished 1919 Meetinghouse razed 
Truman O. Angell’s plan for the Provo meetinghouse, circa 1851 The Saints used local materials to build the meetinghouse. Stone and timber came from nearby canyons, and Provo’s brickyards supplied thousands of hand-shaped adobe bricks. A large bell in the tower completed the building.
Meetinghouse tower with Provo Canyon and Rock Canyon in the distance, circa 1900 
One of the two meetinghouse bells still rings on BYU campus in Provo. 
The meetinghouse lintel stone
Although no photographs of the building’s interior survive, written accounts suggest that it was comfortable and impressive. The large main hall had a ceiling 24 feet high; pillars supported a U-shaped balcony and choir lofts; the rostrum, benches, and rails were finely carved; the seats were upholstered with red velvet; and every room was carpeted.
Thomas Allman and John Watkins were among those who helped finish the tabernacle. 
John Taylor, circa 1860–70 John Taylor dedicated the meetinghouse on Saturday, August 24, 1867. In the prayer, President Taylor consecrated the entire structure, “from the foundation to the topstone,” unto the Lord and blessed the land on which the tabernacle was built as well as the entire valley connected with it.
The Saints were grateful to start using the building for weekly Church meetings as well as special conferences and social events. One of the first gatherings in the new meetinghouse was a special day of fasting and prayer held in behalf of children suffering from a deadly sickness that was sweeping through Provo.
Wooden organ pipe 
Silver sacrament cups used in Provo’s old meetinghouse
Baptistry in the Foreground, Meetinghouse Behind A baptistry was built next to the meetinghouse in 1875 to provide a setting for baptisms that would be more comfortable than a river or millrace. Hundreds of Saints were baptized there until 1912. By then, other meetinghouses in the valley had their own fonts, and the baptistry was no longer needed.
Artifacts found during the excavation of the baptistry and meetinghouse 
Archaeologists uncovered the floor of the wooden baptismal font during excavations in 2012.
The foundations of the meetinghouse and baptistry were uncovered during excavations in 2012. The meetinghouse served the Saints until 1918. When it was torn down, the foundation was buried under what became the north lawn of the larger Utah Stake Tabernacle.
Original Provo tabernacle and Provo tabernacle side by side
The Utah Stake Tabernacle
When the meetinghouse was dedicated in 1867, it was already too small. Construction began on a larger tabernacle in 1882 and ended 16 years later. The building served the entire Utah Stake, which at the time spanned the entire Utah Valley. It stood as a landmark in the community for more than 100 years.
The Utah Stake Tabernacle was among the largest and finest tabernacles the Saints built in the 19th century.
The Provo Tabernacle
1882 Ground broken for construction of tabernacle 1886 April general conference held in tabernacle 1887 April general conference held in tabernacle 1907 Spire removed from central tower 1917 Base of tower removed 2010 Tabernacle destroyed by fire 
Church leaders logged the names of many Saints who helped build the tabernacle. 
Funding for the tabernacle came mostly from small contributions of local members.
Church architect William Folsom designed the Utah Stake Tabernacle. The building’s basic pattern resembled the Assembly Hall on Temple Square.
When George Q. Cannon dedicated the building on April 17, 1898, he chose faith as his topic. He called the tabernacle an example of the “practical results of faith and unity.”
This photo shows the tabernacle decorated for a celebration. It was taken before the building’s original frosted windows were replaced with stained glass in 1917.
President Heber J. Grant hands diplomas to graduates from Brigham Young University during graduation exercises at the tabernacle. Even before it was completely finished, the tabernacle was put to use. Sessions of general conferences of the Church were held here in 1886 and 1887. In 1896, two years before it was dedicated, the building hosted a gala celebration of Utah’s statehood. Other gatherings over the years included funerals, lectures, graduation ceremonies, and concerts.
“No other public space in Provo has ever had such valued and varied use, and no other structure in this county has been such an integral part of the religious and civic life here.”
—Jeffrey R. Holland 
A stake children’s choir
Funeral services like this one occurred throughout the tabernacle’s lifetime. 
Gordon B. Hinckley recounts the impact of one sermon delivered in the Utah Stake Tabernacle. As the population in Utah County grew and the Utah Stake divided, the tabernacle remained a gathering place for stake conferences. To extend its usefulness, it underwent several renovations during its lifetime. Church leaders rededicated the building after major renovations.
President Thomas S. Monson rededicates the tabernacle in 1986 after it was renovated.
On the night of December 17, 2010, the tabernacle caught fire. Although firefighters responded quickly, they were unable to save the interior of the building. Only the outer brick walls remained intact.
Most of the building’s interior was destroyed in the fire. 
One firefighter went against standard procedures and helped save the exterior walls.
From Tabernacle to Temple
During the October 2011 general conference, President Thomas S. Monson announced that the tabernacle walls would be preserved and the building would be rebuilt to become a holy temple.
Watch President Monson’s announcement of the Provo City Center Temple.
President Monson announcing the Provo City Center Temple, October 2011
Provo City Center Temple
2011 Plans for Provo City Center Temple announced 2012 Archaeological excavations of the tabernacle block; ground broken for construction of the temple 2016 Provo City Center Temple dedicated 
More than 6,000 people gathered for the temple groundbreaking ceremony. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland presided at the groundbreaking ceremony held on May 12, 2012, and offered the dedicatory prayer.
Before construction began, archaeologists excavated the foundations of the old meetinghouse and the baptistry. Then, in a remarkable feat of engineering, the tabernacle walls were reinforced with concrete and suspended on more than 300 metal stilts while crews dug down 40 feet to lay a new foundation and basement level.
The temple’s construction from groundbreaking to capstone took almost three years to complete. 
The tabernacle’s pulpit was salvaged from the fire, restored, and returned to the temple chapel. Architects, historians, and designers used old photographs and salvaged materials from the tabernacle as inspiration for the design of the Provo City Center Temple.
The tabernacle’s salvaged newel post inspired some of the woodwork in the temple. 
The tabernacle’s salvaged newel post inspired some of the woodwork in the temple. 
Stenciling from the tabernacle walls inspired designs in the bride’s dressing room of the temple. 
Stenciling from the tabernacle walls inspired designs in the bride’s dressing room of the temple.
The finished temple will serve as a place where Latter-day Saints can participate in sacred ordinances that will bless them and their kindred dead. It continues the legacy of worship that has taken place on this block over many generations.
The tabernacle’s stained-glass windows inspired designs within the temple. 
The tabernacle’s stained-glass windows inspired designs within the temple. “We can all now pass the spiritual heritage of these acres on to our children and grandchildren—on the very soil, with the same priesthood significance, and still surrounded by the marvelous Saints of this valley who mean so much to each other. ”
—Jeffrey R. Holland
Books
- N. La Verl Christensen, Provo’s Two Tabernacles and the People Who Built Them (Provo: Provo Utah East Stake, 1983).
- D. Robert Carter, Troubled Times: Provo, Utah, 1855–1856 (Provo: Provo City, 2015).
- Ryan W. Saltzgiver, "Prototype for Zion: The Original Provo Tabernacle and the Construction of Mormon Zion in the American West.” Master’s Thesis. (Provo: Brigham Young University, 2015).”
Articles
- Brad Westwood, “Historic Tabernacles,” Ensign, Oct. 1997, 32–37.
- “Fire Damages Historic Provo Tabernacle,” Church Newsroom, Dec. 17, 2010.
- “Engineering Feat Puts Future Provo City Center Temple on ‘Stilts,’” Church Newsroom, Apr. 18, 2013.
Other Resources
- “Why Latter-day Saints Build Temples”
- Do you have an artifact or photograph of the Provo Tabernacle or Provo Meetinghouse you would like to donate to the Church History Museum or Church History Library?
Special thanks to the staff and students at the BYU Museum of Peoples and Cultures who contributed to the content and design of this exhibit.
