In my view, the centuryold Provo Tabernacle – to be rededicated Sunday capping a threeyear improvement and restoration proiect – is an elegant and reverential link with the pioneer past. Certamly if adds character and dignity to the downtown area and serves as a reminder of Utah Valleys religious and cultural heritage. I say Utah Valley because the edifice was built at great toil and sacrifice by members of the old Utah Stake which at that time embraced the entire valley. It was knovim at first as Utah Stake Tabernaele. The rededication by LDS Church President Ezra Taft Benson will take place at special services sponsored by the seven stakes of t.he Provo Region. according to President Harold L. Miller Jr. of Provo Stake. With the proceedings to be televised to some ll chapels within tbue stakes. the ova–all audience could double or triple the crowd present for the tabernacle’s original dedication April 17. 1898. George Q. Cannon. first counselor in the First Prsiderrcy. dedicated the building then. One newspaper said “fully 4,000” anendel that “largest and most interesting conference ever held in Provo.” Many stood throughout the service and the overflow filled the Provo Meeting House 40ld Tabernacle) which stood at that time on the central part of the block facing Center Street. Visiting authorities addressed both congregations. It should be remembered that while final completion and dedication didntt take place until I5 years after ground-breaking in l883, the unfinished tabernacle was in use much of that time once the basic building had been erected. In its very first use. 2.000 people assembled on temporary seats Aug. 8, 185 for memorial services for Ulysses S. Grant. Civil War general and 18th U.S. president who had died July Z3. At that juncture the building had no permanent floor nor doors and windows. Stake President A.O. Smoot, prime mover in the tabernacle project. conducted the rites, Among other historic events in the tab ernacle before its final completion were the 56th and 57th annual general conferences of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tlHB6 and 18871 and a rousing statehood celebration in 1896. Considering the present affection for the Provo Tabernacle. imagine the pride and satisfaction its builders must have felt in their day! These wwe pioneers struggling for an existence only decades after the first settlers had arrived on the banks of the Provo River in 1849. But with high aspirations and generous hearts they built an edifice future generations would recognize as a masterwork to be preserved. Their contribution looms even larger when you consider that at the time construction started, some building tools. equipment and materials for the undertaking were in scarce supply, Provo had no waterworks system nor paved roads. Electricity didn’t make its debut here until 1880 and the “horseless carriage” was still a long way down the road. Today, following this newest of a number of renovations through the years, the tabernacle is especially impressive. inside and out. Special focus has been given to restoring the interior decor to its original style insofar as possible. On the outside, the new roof. restored spires on the towers, and grounds beautification are eye-catching. May I suggest. in visiting the tabernacle, that you take special note of the 20 24 inch enlargemenu of historical photos prepared by photographer Ephraim Hatch and displayed in the front foyer, And. aside from the splendor of the returbishing, observe as you can the pioneer craftsmanship evident in such work as the woodcarving back of the podium, the balcony paneling, spiral staircases and banisters at the stand. A final note. In case you are wondering. these are the seven stakes involved in the tabernacle rededication; Provo. Bonneville, Provo Central, Provo East, Provo South. Sunset and Provo West.