The Joseph Smith Memorial Building is another historic building at Temple Square. Its original use was as a hotel, which lasted up until the late 1980s. Now it is used for a variety of things, including hosting visitors. We walked inside one day to see what we could see and do.
First, we walked through the first floor and second floor and admired the beautiful hand-carved wood throughout this building. There are a few rooms that are open for you to walk through. One conference room has an amazing ceiling, as well as murals around the walls. When we headed upstairs, we went into the room called the Presidents’ Room where they have all the paintings of the prophets of the Church. Opposite of this room is a chapel, which is still used today for church meetings. It is amazing! I really wish I could meet in such a historic building for church.
You can ride up to the top floor of the building and overlook Temple Square. Also, on the top floor are two restaurants: The Garden and The Roof. The Garden is open for lunch, and the Roof is open for dinner and requires reservations. We don’t usually eat up there, but we love the view that you can see out the window between the two restaurants.
Finally, in the Legacy Theater in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building you can watch a church movie for free, but you still need tickets. You might want to reserve them ahead of time if you are going on a busy weekend. The current show is Meet the Mormons, but it changes every few years or so. The movies show every 2 hours starting at 9 am.
Walking through the Joseph Smith Memorial Building is a rather quick activity, and gives children the chance to appreciate the beauty of this pioneer building. There is usually live classical piano music playing, as well as a large statue of Joseph Smith in the lobby. It’s a fun stop while you are exploring Temple Square. For more ideas on things to do with kids on Temple Square, click here!
