Now a historic building on Temple Square, the Salt Lake Tabernacle is still used for overflow crowds during general conference.

Henry Grow, a civil engineer, oversaw the initial construction of the Tabernacle, where the domed roof was the most innovative portion of the building.

Brigham Young, church president at the time, wanted the Tabernacle roof constructed in an elongated dome shape with no interior pillars or posts to obstruct the view for the audience[9] (the gallery was added later).

[11] The roof structure was nine feet thick, formed by a "Remington lattice truss" of timbers pinned together with wooden pegs.

[13] The original benches and columns supporting the balcony were made from the native "white pine" (Engelmann Spruce) that the Mormon pioneers found in the area.

[14][15][16] During the renovations completed in 2007, the original benches were replaced with new oak pews, and legroom was increased from nine to 14 inches, causing an overall loss of capacity of 1000 seats.

The structure was an architectural wonder in its day, prompting a writer for Scientific American to comment on "the mechanical difficulties of attending the construction of so ponderous a roof.

[19] Some visitors around the beginning of the 20th century criticized it as "a prodigious tortoise that has lost its way" or "the Church of the Holy Turtle," but Frank Lloyd Wright dubbed the tabernacle "one of the architectural masterpieces of the country and perhaps the world.

[11] Some examples include a blue banner with a gold beehive on the rear wall (1875), a star with the word Utah, a banner that read "Under the everlasting covenant God must and shall be glorified," American flags (one of the largest measured 75 ft by 160 ft), bunting, garland, festoons, and flowers.

Built at a time before electronics and audio amplifiers, the Tabernacle was constructed with remarkable acoustic qualities so the entire congregation could hear sermons given there.

The elliptical concept came from church president Brigham Young, who reportedly said that the design was inspired by "the best sounding board in the world ... the roof of my mouth.

New gold leafing was applied to the visible organ pipes, the ceiling was repaired and repainted, new dressing rooms and a music library for choir members were created, three recording studios were built underneath the main floor, the rostrum was remodeled to accommodate a secondary seating arrangement or a stage for performances, and all plumbing was replaced.

Twelve presidents of the United States have spoken from the Tabernacle pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt (1903), William Howard Taft (1909 and 1911), Woodrow Wilson (1919), Warren G. Harding (1923), Franklin D. Roosevelt (1932, then Governor of New York), Herbert Hoover (1932), Harry S. Truman (1948), Dwight D. Eisenhower (1952), John F. Kennedy (1963), Lyndon B. Johnson (1964), Richard Nixon (1970), and Jimmy Carter (1978).

[23] Along with praising the decision to allow women equal voting rights in Utah Territory, Anthony praised the Tabernacle itself: "It is just about twenty-four years ago that I was present in this great Tabernacle on the day upon which you dedicated it to the service of the Lord, and every nook and corner, of this great building was packed on the occasion with people from every part of the Territory, many being unable to gain admittance.

"[24] In 1980, James Stewart guest-conducted the Tabernacle Choir in the building as part of the filming of Mr. Krueger's Christmas, a television special broadcast on NBC.

[27] It is common for LDS Church missionaries tour guides to demonstrate the acoustic properties of the Tabernacle by dropping a pin on the pulpit or tearing a newspaper there, which can be heard throughout the building.