The Joseph Smith Memorial Building celebrates its 10-year anniversary today, following its conversion from Hotel Utah, adding another piece of history to the structure's storied past.
The 92-year-old building has endured more than the passage of time, hosting millions of guests from around the world, serving hundreds of local and national leaders and surviving some public controversy.
In the mid-1980s, the owner of the building — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — said that the Hotel Utah was not economically viable and decided to change its function. Hotel Utah closed its doors in August 1987 and the making of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building began, as did a public outcry.
David Gessel, then-president of the Utah Heritage Foundation, wrote a letter to the Deseret News in 1993, outlining some of the opposition, ranging from the possibility of negative economic impact to concerns about the architectural integrity of the historic structure.
In the years since, however, public debate has been nearly nonexistent, and Gessel said his initial fears "proved to be unjustified."
"Initially, I think that a lot of people had a hard time when the church (leaders) announced that they were renovating Hotel Utah because nearly everyone had some kind of memory in there," said Dianne Theurer, the building's general manager.
When Hotel Utah's doors opened on June 9, 1911, the building was touted as one of the world's grandest hotels. It hosted every U.S. president from William Howard Taft to Ronald Reagan, in addition to distinguished guests such as Duke Ellington, Jack Dempsey, Will Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Arthur Rubinstein, Warren Burger and John Glenn.
Three presidents of the LDS Church lived in Hotel Utah, including David O. McKay, Spencer W. Kimball and Ezra Taft Benson.
But after nearly eight decades, the fate of Hotel Utah became uncertain.
"(Hotel Utah's) outdated architecture did not meet current building codes," said Deanna M. Elggren, director of LDS Church building and hosting. "Much of its natural beauty was lost. Demolition was seen as a considerably less expensive alternative to restoring the aged hotel."
But with all the history within the hotel's walls, the public was not willing to see it destroyed. As a result, the LDS Church decided to reuse, renovate and rename the structure.
After $42 million, almost five years of reconstruction and nearly being named The Utah Building, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building was dedicated on June 27, 1993 — the 149th anniversary of the martyrdom of the first president of the LDS Church, Joseph Smith, for whom the building was named.
While efforts were made by architects and artisans to remain loyal to Hotel Utah's original interior design and ornamental details, the building went through many changes.
The renovation included the addition of two formal restaurants on the top floor, creation of the 500-seat Legacy Theater and the FamilySearch Center, a genealogical research facility.
Adding to the nostalgia, the renovation provided the building with a restored art-glass ceiling, massive faux marble pillars, detailed balustrades, a grand staircase and intricate ceiling moldings. The former ballroom was refurbished to accommodate local LDS congregations, while spacious special-function rooms occupy the lobby, mezzanine and upper floors. The remainder is filled with church offices and family-history facilities.
In all, more than 6.1 million people have seen the two LDS Church films that have played in the Legacy Theater, and more than 3 million have used the FamilySearch Center. More than 3.7 million meals have been served in the building since 1993, and more than 2,500 tour and convention groups have visited.
E-mail: enelson@desnews.com