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 (Latter Day Saints), temple in the Latter Day Saint movement. The area was dedicated on August 3, 1831, by the movement's found ...

Independence, Missouri Independence is a city in and one of two county seats of Jackson County, Missouri, United States. It 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 Unite ...

. The Auditorium is part of the headquarters complex of

Community of Christ Community of Christ, known legally and 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 ...

which also includes the

Independence Temple The Temple in Independence, Missouri, is a house of worship and education "dedicated to the pursuit of peace". It dominates the skyline of Independence and has become the focal point of the headquarters of the Community of Christ (formerly the ...

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 The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

when the church struggled under a massive debt.

Auditorium pipe organ

The Auditorium houses an

Aeolian-Skinner Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company, Inc. of Boston, Massachusetts was an American builder of a large number of pipe organs from its inception as the Skinner Organ Company in 1901 until its closure in 1972. Key figures were Ernest M. Skinner (1866–1 ...

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

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 a ...

'', 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 L ...

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.

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 ''Messiah'' ( HWV 56) is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel. The text was compiled from the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter by Charles Jennens. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742 ...

by the

Kansas City Symphony The Kansas City Symphony (KCS) is an American symphony orchestra based in Kansas City, Missouri. The orchestra is resident at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The orchestra performs a 42-week season, and is also the accompanying o ...

and the Independence Messiah Choir. The

Community of Christ International Peace Award A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

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 The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

area. Numerous dignitaries have spoken in the Auditorium. On June 27, 1945, Independence native

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

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 (; February 13, 1885October 18, 1982) was First Lady of the United States from 1945 to 1953 as the wife of President Harry S. Truman. She had previously served as Second Lady of the United States from January to April ...

and their daughter

Margaret Truman Mary Margaret Truman Daniel (February 17, 1924 – January 29, 2008) was an American classical soprano, actress, journalist, radio and television personality, writer, and New York socialite. She was the only child of President Harry S. Truman a ...

, President Truman announced that the United States had become a signatory to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

treaty. Former Secretary of State

Colin Powell Colin Luther Powell ( ; – ) was an Americans, American diplomat, and army officer who was the 65th United States secretary of state from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African-American to hold the office. He was the 15th National Security ...

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; 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English zoologist, Primatology, primatologist and Anthropology, anthropologist. She is considered the world's foremo ...

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

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

gave the keynote address at the Auditorium commemorating the 50th anniversary of the

Truman Presidential Library The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and resting place of Harry S Truman, the 33rd president of the United States (1945–1953), his wife Bess and daughter Margaret, and is located on U.S. Highw ...

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