Visitors will be able to enter downtown Salt Lake City’s Conference Center on Temple Square next week for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began 15 months earlier — and more attractions around the square will be reopening in July and August.
The Conference Center will reopen Monday, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Tuesday. Tours, both guided and self-guided, will be available daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The center features a replica of Bertel Thorvaldsen’s famous Christus statue, a cutaway model of the Salt Lake Temple, and views of the iconic temple and square’s four-year renovation.
People can call 801-240-8945, or email TempleSquare@ChurchofJesusChrist.org to schedule a tour. Impromptu tours are also available; just visit missionaries in the center or inside the west gate of Temple Square.
On July 6, the church plans to reopen the Assembly Hall and historic Tabernacle, daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Organ concerts, rehearsals and other performances remain on hold, though.
Also on July 6, the Family History Library will reopen from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Hours will be extended sometime after that, according to the church’s news release.
On July 6, the Church History Library’s reading room will be open, by appointment — with a limited number of appointments available between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. The library will also resume presentations for groups of 25 people or fewer.
The Church History Library will fully reopen to the public on Aug. 2. So will the Beehive House (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday), and the Church History Museum and store (9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays).
Opening dates for other church-owned buildings — the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, the Relief Society Building and the Lion House — have yet to be announced.
The release notes that masks are recommended for individuals who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Before the ongoing pandemic and renovation work, Temple Square ranked as one of Utah’s most popular tourist attractions, traditionally drawing millions of visitors each year.
