Bishop Burton said the choir will use the Tabernacle for its weekly Sunday broadcast "most of the year" but will likely perform in the Conference Center during the summer tourist season to accommodate all the visitors who wish to attend.

David Hall, director of temples and special projects for the church, told reporters the 14 coats of paint that were removed from the Tabernacle ceiling during the refurbishing included one that was "robin's egg blue." The angle of the seating in the balcony has been improved and more legroom added there as well, he said.

Two additional staircases were added to ease access to the balcony, he said, and the earlier staircases were reconfigured so patrons don't have to exit the building and enter those stairwells from an outside entrance as they had before.

General authorities have larger chairs and more elbow room on the rostrum, Hall said, and each of their seats as well as the choir seats has a heating and air-conditioning vent beneath. In years past, audiences were often seen fanning themselves with paper programs during spring and summer events because the building had no air conditioning.

Windows that had been previously covered or painted over have been restored, allowing more natural light into all areas of the building. The refurbished blower for the huge organ has a new home in the center of the sub-basement, and heating, wiring and plumbing systems have all been replaced, Hall said.

Structured steel supports have been added alongside the original wooden trusses inside the roof for added seismic durability, and the 44 stone pillars on which the roof rests have been reinforced with steel bars, while their foundations were reinforced with concrete.

Reporters have their media space at the east end of the Tabernacle, as does a new audiovisual center. Both are housed in what was formerly known as the "cry room," though no one mentioned any hidden meaning in locating the press room there.

Elder Marlin K. Jensen, church historian, said he's been inside the roof since the refurbishing was completed. Those who struggle with dusting at home will appreciate one observation made about the accumulation inside the dome after nearly 150 years of use.

"Someone said they took vacuums up there and came out with about 3,000 pounds of dust. But it's as spotless up there now as it is down here," he said, reclining on a new oak bench.

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E-mail: carrie@desnews.com