President Gordon B. Hinckley leaves behind not only the legacy of many temples blessing the lives of members throughout the world, but also the legacy of the massive Conference Center to accommodate members from around the world in Salt Lake City.

Photo by Keith Johnson/Deseret Morning News

Mostly underground, Conference Center is understated in appearance to complement pioneer buildings of Salt Lake Temple and Tabernacle.

Photo by August Miller/Deseret Morning News

With room for 21,000 people, new Conference Center created a new forum for Church leaders and sense of community for members, who travel from around the world to attend. As in October 2003, the Center is often filled to capacity.

During the April 1996 general conference, he announced the then-nameless assembly building for general conferences and other large Church gatherings. Ground was broken on the southeast corner of the block across the street, north of Temple Square, on July 24, 1997. By then named the Conference Center, the building opened for the first time on April 1, 2000, for general conference. President Hinckley dedicated the Conference Center, its little theater and other facilities on October 8, during the following general conference.

At the groundbreaking ceremony during the Pioneer Sesquicentennial, President Hinckley said of the undertaking: "It will be built as well as we know how to build in this season of the history of the world, and I hope that it will stand for as long as the earth lasts and serve the purpose of the kingdom of God."

At the same event, President Hinckley said that such a building on the same block was talked about many years earlier among the highest councils of the Church.

"You may be interested to know that back in 1940 — I'm old enough to remember that, I was there in the Church Office Building at that time — the Brethren very seriously considered what we have now determined to do."

But at that time, he continued, it was decided that the Church should pursue budding electronic means to reach the members of the Church.

When in 1996 he announced that the new meeting hall would be built, he said, "We have been richly blessed with other means of communication, and the availability of satellite transmission makes it possible to carry the proceedings of the conference to hundreds of thousands throughout the world. But there are still those, in large numbers, who wish to be seated where they can see in person those who are speaking, and participating in other ways."

So now the 21,000-seat Conference Center is the venue for general conferences, regional conferences, pageants, Christmas programs and other events. It is not just an austere shell, either. It is richly decorated in its interior, and the exterior is surrounded by streams, pools and open plazas. The massive roof of the building is landscaped with trees, flowers and grasses, with fountains and a stream that pours down the front of the center in a cascading waterfall.

The Conference Center stands today as a tribute to the vision of President Hinckley.