An atmosphere of peace and tranquility is often sensed by visitors to Temple Square who come to tour its many historic buildings and monuments. What often goes unnoticed, however, are the artistic touches painstakingly created by hundreds of skilled artisans over the decades since the dedication of "Temple Block" in 1853.
Those devoted artisans, many participants in the Mormon Exodus, sought to depict Latter-day Saint beliefs and create a sacred atmosphere through intricate hand-carved wood, cast-bronze monuments, and symbolically-cut stone, said Paul Anderson, senior designer at the Museum of Church History and Art."Temple Square contains some of the greatest monuments of our pioneer legacy mixed with the buildings and fine works of art from other periods of our history. It collects our heritage in one place," Anderson said. "It represents some of the finest work that has been done by members of our Church. The artisans did their best because on Temple Square their work represented their faith."
These artisans also wanted to create a place "where the saints could come and hear the word of the prophet in an environment that nurtures the soul," added Robert O. Davis, senior curator of art at the museum.
This desire to portray Church belief and legacy resulted in decades of creating and preserving meaningful embellishments to the buildings and grounds of Temple Square. This is especially true for the historic buildings, which include the Salt Lake Temple, Tabernacle and the Assembly Hall.
Looking up at the western wall of the temple, visitors see stone-carved stars in the shape of the Big Dipper. Anderson explained that Truman O. Angell, the original architect of the temple, said these stars were directed toward the North Star because "just as the Big Dipper points us to the North Star, so does the gospel of Jesus Christ point us to eternal life."
"The sun, moon, star and earth stones are symbolic of the degrees of glory and the resurrection," Anderson added. These can be seen on each side of the temple.
The woodwork in all three buildings was accomplished by skilled carpenters using a variety of wood planes and carving tools, Anderson said.
These hand-held planes, some of which are on display in the museum across the street to the west of Temple Square, aided craftsmen in creating the curves found in window and door frames, the balconies in the Tabernacle and the Assembly Hall, and the many other locations where decorative wood is seen, he explained.
Early craftsmen "didn't have some things that we have, such as gasoline or electric-powered engines to run their tools, but they had tools that were well-made and capable of doing as fine of work as we do today - but it required more muscle energy," Anderson said.
Some of the more detailed woodwork was done within the past decade during restoration procedures, Anderson noted. Skilled carpenters used chisels, special carving knives, and power tools. These decorative touches can especially be viewed in the organ case in the Assembly Hall or on the pulpit in the Tabernacle, he added.
A further touch to much of the wood in the Tabernacle and the Assembly Hall is decorative painting used to depict more precious material. For instance, the columns in the Tabernacle simulate marble, but are actually made of pine. The benches, which look like oak, are also pine.
More decorative painting is seen on the ceiling of the Assembly Hall, which includes gold-leafing. Davis said this was renewed when that edifice was restored and reinforced about 10 years ago.
Visitors to the Assembly Hall enjoy the beauty of stained glass windows, designed and assembled locally after the dedication of the building. Pieces of glass were purchased from eastern and mid-western companies, then fit together with strips of lead, Anderson explained. The late-Victorian colors - typically bright red, blue, gold, and green - display flower and sunburst patterns.
Monuments portraying events or persons in Church history are located in various places around Temple Square. These include the statues of Joseph and Hyrum Smith; the Seagull Monument; the Relief Society monument, which contains the original bell from the Nauvoo Temple; and monuments commemorating the handcart pioneers and the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood.
"These monuments, created by Church members, are some of the finest and most significant works of sculpture in the Church," Davis noted.
Although it's difficult to estimate the number of artisans who offered their time and talents on Temple Square over the years, Anderson said: "At times, hundreds of people were at work at the same time. Some worked almost their whole lives on their projects."
