The new Conference Center, an edifice of scope and magnitude to match the dynamic expansion of the Church, will be dedicated under the direction of President Gordon B. Hinckley during the Sunday morning, Oct. 8, session of general conference. Not only will it be one of the largest dedicated religious buildings of its kind, but it also has been built to last as long as it is needed by the Church.

The interior and exterior of the center are substantially completed. However, the rooftop plaza with water features, plants and walkways will not be open for use until sometime after general conference weekend. The ground-level plaza is landscaped and ready to host another throng of conference-goers.

President Hinckley, just more than three years ago, presided over the groundbreaking for the Church's new gathering place. The building has already been opened twice for some of its intended purposes: in April for general conference and in June for a musical celebration of President Hinckley's 90th birthday.

At the groundbreaking ceremony on July 24, 1997, he expressed the desire that "the outcome of all this will be a structure of which we can be proud and of which I believe the Lord will be proud."

He continued: "His name will be spoken frequently within this hall. His name will be worshipped as will the name of His beloved Son, our Savior and our Redeemer. And the voices which speak in this hall, this enlarged hall, will be carried across the world to the nations of the earth as this Church rolls on and continues to grow from its present membership of 10 million scattered in more than 160 nations to numbers beyond our ability to calculate to places beyond our ability to guess at this time."

In the first address in the 21,000-seat Conference Center during the Saturday morning session of the April 2000 general conference, President Hinckley expressed satisfaction in what had been done. He said, "This is truly a magnificent building. I know of no other comparable structure built primarily as a hall of worship that is so large and that will seat so many. It is beautiful in its design, in its appointments, and in its wonderful utility."

The most apparent change to the building since April conference will be the rooftop which will open shortly after the conclusion of the general conference. Accessible by outside stairways or inside elevators, it will offer a park-like setting for the public to enjoy. It's primary features are a stepped, tree and water-lined walkway directly in line with the Salt Lake Temple and a meadow filled with trees, grasses and plants native to the area. There are running water, other walkways and places to sit. The water ultimately cascades from under the steeple down the front of the building.

The roof is part of what F. Keith Stepan called architecturally, "a grand statement," during a Church News interview. It is a big part of the desired goal to blend the urban building in a residential setting, said Brother Stepan, managing director of the Temple Construction Department which also oversees the building of projects such as the Conference Center.

Inside, some hallways have been finished since last April as well as some other finishing touches. Foyers are filled with statuary, art hanging on the walls and elegant furniture to provide a reverent dignity. The adjoining nearly 900-seat theater is also completed. The grand pipe organ, not yet completely finished, will be heard for the first time during the dedication weekend.

While the building has reached "substantial completion," as Brother Stepan described it, he said, "It is a living building," that will likely often see construction workers making improvements, additions, changes or adjustments.

The structure itself is built to last as long as it needs to last, said Thomas Hanson during the Church News interview. The Conference Center project manager for the Church under the direction of Brother Stepan, Brother Hanson said, "The electrical system, the sound system and things like that will no doubt change over the years. But the structure itself, there is no reason why it can't stand for hundreds of years."

The quality of the building is remarkable, especially considering the schedule under which it was built, Brother Stepan said. It opened 32 months after groundbreaking, well under the four to five years that would normally be considered the required time for such a project to reach completion.

Brother Stepan and Brother Hanson credited the more than 4,000 people working together on the undertaking — construction workers, foremen, supervisors, managers, contractors, Church personnel and others — for having it ready to open for the April 2000 general conference, the goal expressed by President Hinckley at the groundbreaking.

It wasn't done without challenges, however. Brother Stepan mentioned the August 11, 1999, tornado that stormed directly over the building but caused only slight injuries to a few workers and did minor damage to the building. He also said that the Conference Center was built during a booming construction economy in the area when workers and materials could have been scarce, but remained adequate for the project's needs.

Brother Hanson talked about two other challenges. One involved the granite that faces the exterior of the building, the other being the ceiling in the massive auditorium.

The stone was rough-cut at the Church quarry in the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon in Salt Lake County, then shipped to Idaho where it was finished and sent back to Salt Lake City. Organizing the project so that the right stones were available to fit in the right places at the right times was a potential headache, especially considering that only 25 percent of the stone shipped to Idaho was of the quality and size to be usable on the building.

After the massive ceiling was designed, how it would be built remained a question for architects and contractors. The issues were solved when a mock-up was constructed in a local warehouse, and the ceiling, which houses hundreds of lights as well as other technical and support structures, appears to the congregation to be an eye-appealing, white canopy of circular patterns.

Brother Stepan and Brother Hanson acknowledged that the hand of the Lord and the direction and help of the Holy Ghost were the keys to building the Conference Center.

"We felt the influence of the Spirit at some really specific moments when we really needed it," Brother Hanson said.

Brother Stepan said the reality of what had been accomplished was impressed upon him during general conference last April. "I thought, 'This is the work of the Lord. This is the true Church and the prophet is a true prophet.

E-Mail: ghill@desnews.com