Organs and Organists on Temple Square

Pipes: 2,484
Voices: 42
Ranks: 45

Detailed specification

On March 12, 1987, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced plans to close the Church-owned 76-year-old Hotel Utah at the corner of Main and South Temple Streets.  Two years later, Church officials announced that the building would be preserved and renovated to accommodate a chapel, restaurants, a theater and numerous other public spaces, along with some Church departmental offices. The renovation project was completed in June 1993. As part of the renovation, the Lafayette Ballroom was transformed into a chapel that would serve as a place of worship for Church members living in the downtown area. The area that formerly served as a bandstand for the ballroom, now houses a two-manual pipe organ of 45 ranks and 2,484 pipes spread across three divisions, built by Casavant Frères of Ste. Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada. The organ speaks with a French accent, yet, like all the organs on Temple Square, it has the versatility to render a wide range of repertoire convincingly. View the current specification of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building Chapel organ.