Joseph Smith Memorial Building Tours and Activities

This impressive edifice on Temple Square was built in 1911 as the Utah Hotel. Its striking Italian Renaissance façade was a Salt Lake City landmark for almost 80 years. Renovated in 1993, the building was renamed in memory of Joseph Smith Junior, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is enjoying a revival in popularity as a wedding, banqueting and conference venue.From morning to evening the venue hums with activity. It’s a favourite place for breakfast, with an on-site bakery serving up tasty cakes and pastries as well as a café on the ground floor where you can grab a sandwich or a snack before exploring the rest of the building. The elegant staircase in the entrance is of particular note, set off by marble pillars and crystal chandeliers and topped with an ornate glass ceiling.Many people visit the Joseph Smith Memorial Building to trace their family tree. The Family Search Center on the fourth floor has helped thousands of members of the Mormon Church in particular to research their family history, but the facility is available for anyone to use.The tenth floor houses two restaurants which offer panoramic views of the historic buildings around Temple Square. Families and friends regularly meet up in the gourmet buffet of the Roof Restaurant to eat their fill of simple but delicious home-cooked dishes, while the Garden Restaurant specialises in American cuisine and features a retractable ceiling that opens up in the summer months for an al-fresco take on fine dining.The Joseph Smith Memorial Building is located to the east of Salt Lake Temple, and there is on-site parking for patrons. The building is closed on Sundays.