Individual Temple Square Blog

A very different space from the crowded, loud, and dirty city around it, Temple Square is an enigma. When you enter the clean, well lit, topiary-filled square you immediately notice the lack of noise. Calm voices and the trickle of fountains are the only sounds pervading the somber air. Smells of flowers are a refreshing change from the city stench outside the wall. Coordinated flower beds and statues relieve the eye, while decorative pathways direct visitors to the most well planned viewing locations.

The people in Temple Square also differ from those in the city around it. More formally attired, families and couples talk in hushed tones as they meander through the gardens, and large groups of tourists pause every five feet to snap pictures of every window and stepping stone, and missionaries give tours. An aura of awe and respect fill the visitors in a manner not usually found in city dwellers. No profanity or vulgarity is to be heard within the square limits, and smiles are ready on every visitor's face. The religious vibe is influential, even to non-worshiping visitors. People are courteous but introverted when around the temple, not striking up conversations with other visitors. Everyone is here for a purpose (worship, tourism, or work), and is focused on that only.

The international influence is large in the square. Having a large overseas following the LDS Church caters to virtually every language in the visitor centers, and staffs the buildings with missionaries from every corner of the globe. The foreign appeal of the space was clear through all the languages we heard spoken on the tours going on around us. This is a much more culturally varied location than much of the city around it.

The economic differences however were not so great. Based on clothing and cars, it is relatively safe to say that a majority of visitors would be considered middle class, but the foreign visitors must have had enough money to afford a trip here, and thus must be fairly well off. Around the edges of the walls however the population changes. Homeless men and women cluster around the entrances asking for money or help. The walls are a very apparent boundary. The world outside of the square is a separate one, and the church plans to keep it that way. The walls are neither inauspicious nor foreboding, the imposing height in stark contrast with the constantly open gates. Thus while the square is seemingly open to all visitors, it is truly open to only those that the church approves, and is a very isolated space within the city.

When walking through the square, touring the buildings, or even just standing next to the walls, you cans sense the conservative nature of the Temple Square, and in general people adjust their actions according to this feeling. A place of religion, the church's influence is apparent everywhere. The almost too perfect bliss that seems to enshroud the area is very hard worked for. Protesters are kept away from the area, homeless people are kept outside of the walls, and a strict dress code for the staff makes the square a very well organized example of what the church believes society should be. Anyone not complying with these standards will be escorted off the premise. This is an extremely controlled setting, posing as a public space.