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125 years ago
The Assembly Hall on Temple Square in Salt Lake City was dedicated on Sunday, Jan. 8, 1882, by President Joseph F. Smith, then second counselor to President John Taylor in the First Presidency.
The building was dedicated during the Salt Lake Stake conference, according to the Jan. 9, 1882, Deseret News.
The newspaper reported that during the morning session, "Pres. A.M. Cannon said he was gratified to announce that the building committee had succeeded in raising sufficient money to pay off the debts on this building, and it would be dedicated this afternoon."
Construction on the Assembly Hall, built with leftover granite from the Salt Lake Temple which was under construction at the time, was begun in 1877. It was the second permanent structure completed on Temple Square, after the Tabernacle.
During the dedication, President Smith prayed, "Father, wilt thou protect this building. ... Grant, O Father, that it may stand upon its foundations firm and secure, and that thy people may long have the privilege of possessing it for the purpose of worshiping thee therein."
