He also dispelled the notion that Brigham Young got the idea for the Tabernacle's unique dome shape one morning while eating breakfast when he cut an egg in half length-wise. "We like to make myths and think that was inspiration, with him cutting an egg at breakfast."

Though the story appears in a book written by Young's daughter, in reality the early church leader had been thinking about building such a structure "for more than a decade," Henrichsen said, adding Young's inspiration for construction came "line upon line" as he experimented with a variety of different ideas.

"He coordinated the plans with a multitude of people who worked on the predecessor to the Tabernacle," studying the acoustical qualities of the former structure to build the one that stands today, he said.

The exhibit also includes a replica of the original Tabernacle pulpit, which was re-created with recycled wood from the Tabernacle. The pulpit display faces several of the Tabernacle's famed pine-wood benches, painted to look like oak, which were removed from the building permanently during renovation.

Elder Jensen said most of the original benches in the Tabernacle have been removed and replaced with real oak replicas, "which is what Brigham Young wanted and didn't ever get." During the restoration project, news that the original benches might not return to the Tabernacle drew mixed public reaction, with some preservationists lamenting their possible removal.

Many other patrons simply hoped the replacement pews would provide more comfort and expanded leg room.

"I hope you will let people know those (original) benches are never going to get us into heaven," Elder Jensen said, adding that a few of the original pews remain inside the Tabernacle. Those that were removed "are in storage ... in a church warehouse." He said it is possible they could be recycled, "but I don't know what the final disposition will be."

Elder Jensen has personal ties to the Tabernacle because the man who directed construction of its roof, architect Henry Grow, was his great-great-grandfather. "To have his work acknowledged is a special thing," he said, adding that family legend has "pushed the truth a bit" in crediting him as being "the architect" of the Tabernacle.

Grow doesn't get that singular distinction from the church, "but he does within our family," he said. The exhibit honors two other Tabernacle architects, Truman Angell and William Folsom, noting the different and critical roles all three men played in its construction.

The Tabernacle was "one of the first buildings where form followed function," Elder Jensen said, noting many people of the time were unhappy with its design. "It was sort of lamentable to some, but over the course of the years it's gotten a lot more respect."

Hours at the museum, 45 N. West Temple, are weekdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday and most holidays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is free. The exhibit runs through mid-January 2009.

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E-mail: carrie@desnews.com