The Auditorium (formerly the RLDS Auditorium) is a house of worship and office building located on the greater

Temple Lot The Temple Lot, located in Independence, Missouri, is the first site to be dedicated for the construction of a temple in the Latter Day Saint movement. The area was dedicated on August 3, 1831, by the movement's founder, Joseph Smith Jr., and p ...

Independence, Missouri Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. In 2020 ...

. The Auditorium is part of the headquarters complex of

Community of Christ The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based international church, and is the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. The churc ...

which also includes the Independence Temple.

Construction

Construction of the Auditorium was a major undertaking, illustrating the vision of church Prophet/President Frederick M. Smith who provided the building's inspiration. Ground was broken in 1926 and the building was finally completed in 1958. Smith's plans for the Conference chamber were originally about 66% larger than when it was finished. Construction was virtually halted during the Great Depression when the church struggled under a massive debt.

Auditorium pipe organ

The Auditorium houses an Aeolian-Skinner

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''rank ...

with 113 ranks and 6,334 pipes.Levings, Darryl
"Famed Kansas City organist John Obetz dies at 81"
''

The Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and as ...

'', February 12, 2015 (accessed Jan. 15, 2018). The Auditorium Organ includes an

antiphonal An antiphonary or antiphonal is one of the liturgical books intended for use (i.e. in the liturgical choir), and originally characterized, as its name implies, by the assignment to it principally of the antiphons used in various parts of the ...

console and pipes in the rear balcony of the oval chamber. It is listed as one of the 75 largest pipe organs in the world.TheatreOrgans.com
Famed organist John Obetz (1933–2015) originated his ''Auditorium Organ'' weekly radio program from the Auditorium between 1968–1993, playing the Aeolian-Skinner organ for a national audience.

Children's Peace Pavilion

The Children's Peace Pavilion, located in the Auditorium, was established in 1995 to pursue its mission of "Enriching the lives of children through the pursuit of peace for all." It attracts visitors each year to a number of exhibits designed to teach concepts of personal peace, social peace, international peace, and environmental peace to children ages 5 through 11. It is a frequent destination for elementary school field trips in the greater Kansas City area. Local Girl Scouts may earn

Girl Scouts of the USA Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as simply Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. Founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, it was organized ...

insignia through a partnership with Children's Peace Pavilion. As a 501(c)3 charitable organization, Children's Peace Pavilion is governed by an independent board of directors.

Events

World Conferences

World Conferences of the church are held every three years in the World Conference chamber, which seats 5,800 people. The Conference chamber is and it is from the floor to ceiling of the dome's interior. The exterior of the dome rises above street level. The original plan for the Auditorium included two balconies, but due to limited finances only one was built.

Performances

The Auditorium hosts an annual performance and broadcast of Handel's Messiah by the

Kansas City Symphony The Kansas City Symphony (KCS) is a United States symphony orchestra based in Kansas City, Missouri. The current music director is conductor Michael Stern. The Symphony performs at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, located at 1601 Bro ...

and the Independence Messiah Choir. The Community of Christ International Peace Award has been awarded in ceremonies at the Auditorium.

Other Events

In addition to religious use, the Auditorium is available for high school and college graduations and cultural events in the Independence and Kansas City area. Numerous dignitaries have spoken in the Auditorium. On June 27, 1945, Independence native Harry S. Truman gave a speech at the Auditorium on his first return trip to Independence during his presidency. During his remarks, which were also attended by First Lady

Bess Truman Elizabeth Virginia Truman (''née'' Wallace; February 13, 1885October 18, 1982) was the wife of President Harry S. Truman and the first lady of the United States from 1945 to 1953. She also served as the second lady of the United States from Ja ...

and their daughter Margaret Truman, President Truman announced that the United States had become a signatory to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

treaty. Former Secretary of State

Colin Powell Colin Luther Powell ( ; April 5, 1937 – October 18, 2021) was an American politician, statesman, diplomat, and United States Army officer who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African ...

delivered an address at the Auditorium on July 24, 1998, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the executive order that led to the desegregation of the United States military. Primate researcher and environmentalist

Jane Goodall Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best kn ...

spoke at the Auditorium in 1999. On July 5, 2007, former United States President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (Birth name, né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 ...

gave the keynote address at the Auditorium commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Truman Presidential Library.

References

External links

Auditorium pipe organOfficial website of the Children's Peace PavilionCommunity of Christ, official website
{{Authority control Peace museums in the United States Museums in Jackson County, Missouri Children's museums in Missouri Latter Day Saint movement in Missouri Museums established in 1995 Religious buildings and structures of the Community of Christ Religious buildings and structures in Missouri Significant places in Mormonism Temple Lot 20th-century Latter Day Saint church buildings Religious buildings and structures completed in 1958