UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-2005 The buildings at the center: Latter-Day Saint tabernacles in the Mormon Culture Region Aaron James McArthur University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation McArthur, Aaron James, "The buildings at the center: Latter-Day Saint tabernacles in the Mormon Culture Region" (2005). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 1841. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/17k1-zull This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE BUILDINGS AT THE CENTER: LATTER- DAY SAINT TABERNACLES IN THE MORMON CULTURE REGION by Aaron James McArthur Associate of Science North Idaho College 1997 Bachelor of Arts Idaho State University 2003 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in History Department of History College of Liberal Arts Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas August 2005 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1429715 Copyright 2005 by McArthur, Aaron James All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform 1429715 Copyright 2006 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Copyright by Aaron James McArthur 2005 All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Thesis Approval The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas July 19 2^05 The Thesis prepared by Aaron-McArthur Entitled The Buildings at the Center; Latter-Day Saint Tabernacles in the Mormon Culture Region is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Examination Committee Chair Dean of the Graduate College '.herExamimitioi0^ommittee Examination Committee Member Graduate College Faculty Representative PR/1017-53/1-00 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT The Buildings at the Center: Latter- day Saint Tabernacles in the Mormon Culture Region by Aaron James McArthur Dr. David Wrobel, Examination Committee Chair Professor of History University of Nevada, Las Vegas Tabernacles are a largely overlooked feature of communities in the Mormon Culture Region. Though the tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City has world-wide recognition, very little has been written about the other 78 that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built between 1847 and 1953. This thesis discusses the religious, cultural, and social motivations behind the planning and construction of tabernacles, as evidenced by developments such as the Plat of the City of Zion and the Priesthood Reorganization of 1877, as well as the numerous uses of these buildings. The significance of the buildings in the development of communities is investigated using an interdisciplinary approach, utilizing the work of historians, geographers, and sociologists.. The study also addresses why tabernacles are no longer built and the significance that they have in the communities where they still stand. Ill Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................ iii LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................................vi ACKNOWLEGEMENTS.................................................................................................... viii PREFACE.................................................................................................................................X INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................1 Purpose of This Study ........................................................................................................3 Historiography................................................................................................................... 4 Thesis Structure ............................................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER 1 A Shadow, A Refuge, A Covert From Storm and From Rain ................. 14 Defining the Tabernacle ...................................................................................................14 Architectural Styles ..........................................................................................................20 Early Tabernacle Construction .......................................................................................23 CHAPTER 2 In the Great Basin .......................................................................................27 The Plat of the City of Zion ............................................................................................ 27 A Place to Grow Saints ....................................................................................................31 CHAPTER 3 Buildings at the Center ...............................................................................41 Reasons for Building Tabernacles ..................................................................................41 Boosterism....................................................................................................................... 43 The United Order .............................................................................................................47 The Priesthood Reorganization of 1877 ........................................................................ 48 Community Maturity .......................................................................................................54 Financing Construction ....................................................................................................55 Location ............................................................................................................................57 Vernacular Elements ........................................................................................................61 Non-Mormon Involvement ............................................................................................. 64 Works in Progress............................................................................................................66 Almost Every Use Imaginable........................................................................................ 72 CHAPTER 4 Symbols and Significance .......................................................................... 78 History...............................................................................................................................79 Geography.........................................................................................................................80 IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Sociology..........................................................................................................................81 Identity Formation: Place ............................................................................................... 83 Identity Formation: Community ....................................................................................85 Communication of Symbols ........................................................................................... 90 The Agency of Buildings ................................................................................................ 98 CHAPTER 5....... The End of an Era ................................................................................. 100 Reasons for Decline .......................................................................................................101 The Fight to Preserve.....................................................................................................114 How to Make a Building Invisible ................................................................................119