Auditorium – Temple Tour

With the volume to comfortably hold a three-story house, and a seating capacity of 900, the Auditorium is not just the largest room, but also the most inspiring room in the whole Temple. Commonly used for the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, and for Grand Lodge functions, this room is as much a Lodge room as it is a fully functioning stage. The size, shape, and dome of the room, all combine to create a dizzying, though magnificent effect, as if the room were expanding and collapsing upon the observer simultaneously. No camera or lens will ever faithfully capture the essence of this space.

The cap of the room is capable mimicking the sunrise, the sunset, the twilight, and the night sky and nnlaid against the back of the dome-cop are several groups of lights, which are organized and arranged as the major constellations visible in the Utah sky. These lights have been adjusted to be perceptually equivalent in brightness and brilliance to their celestial counterparts, and the whole scene is properly aligned to terrestrial east.

The scenes or backdrops on the stage are priceless and should have some mention. There are a total of 97 drops, most of which are used during the ceremonies and rituals of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. Many of them are designed to be used in conjunction with three or more drops to give a three-dimensional perspective and to create myriad scenes and atmospheres.

Hidden behind the facade and trestlework is a pipe organ, which has been installed into the superstructure of the Auditorium. Rarely used anymore, the pipe organ is an impressive piece to an impressive room, in one of Salt Lake City’s most impressive buildings.

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