Conference Center opened a decade ago

During the April 1996 general conference, President Gordon B. Hinckley outlined a vision of a church building "that would accommodate three or four times the number who can be seated in (the Tabernacle on Temple Square)."That vision was realized a decade ago. On April 1, 2000, President Hinckley stood at the pulpit and opened the first general conference in the new Conference Center just north of Temple Square. Since then, all of the LDS Church's general conferences have been held in the 21,000-seat auditorium of the massive structure.Recognizing the 10th anniversary of the Conference Center's opening, Presiding Bishop H. David Burton released a statement: "On July 24, 1997, President Hinckley broke ground for the Conference Center. In describing this building in the October 1998 general conference, he said the following: 'It will be primarily a house of worship. But it will also be a place of art. There will be concerts and other public offerings that will be uplifting and wholesome and spiritual. …It will be a gift to the Master' (Ensign, Nov. 1998, p. 4). Since the opening of this magnificent building we have stayed true to President Hinckley's prophetic direction. The Conference Center is a blessing to this community and to the world."The Conference Center, which was dedicated during the Sunday morning session of the October 2000 general conference, has also been the venue for Young Women and Relief Society general meetings, First Presidency Christmas devotionals, Mormon Tabernacle Choir concerts, firesides, regional conferences and other church-related events.

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