Auditorium (Community of Christ)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Auditorium is a house of worship and office building located on the greater Temple Lot in Independence, Missouri. The Auditorium is part of the headquarters complex of the Community of Christ which also includes the Independence Temple.

Construction of the Auditorium was a massive undertaking, illustrating the vision of church Prophet/President Frederick M. Smith who provided the building's inspiration. Groundbreaking began in 1926 and the building was only completed in 1962. Construction was virtually halted during the Great Depression when the church struggled under a massive debt.

World Conferences of the church are traditionally held here every two years in the World Conference Chamber, a large hall which seats nearly 6,000. The World Conference Chamber is 214' x 168' and it is 92' from the floor to the height of the dome's interior. The exterior of the dome is 114' above street level. The Auditorium houses an Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ with 113 ranks and 6,334 pipes. It includes an antiphonal console and pipes in the rear balcony of the oval chamber. It is listed in the top 75 largest pipe organs in the world at TheatreOrgans.com. The Auditorium houses the Children's Peace Pavilion.

The Auditorium is the site of an annual performance and broadcast of Handel's Messiah by the Independence Messiah Choir. The Community of Christ International Peace Award has been awarded to several recipients in ceremonies at the Auditorium as well.

In addition to its use by the church, the Auditorium is made available for high school graduations and cultural events in the Independence and Kansas City, Missouri area. Numerous dignitaries have spoken in the Auditorium — from Independence native, Harry S. Truman who spoke during his presidency, to the former Secretary of State, Colin Powell.

The building street address is: 1001 W. Walnut, Independence, MO 64050 USA