After two years being closed for renovations, the St George Tabernacle is open once again to the public. A recent tour revealed a variety of interesting St George Tabernacle facts, as well as a great deal of beauty.
St George Tabernacle history
In 1861 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often known as Mormon Pioneers, moved to southern Utah. They were sent by Brigham Young, the president of their church, to grow cotton. This is how the area earned its nickname as Utah’s Dixie. The first group of pioneers to be part of the Cotton Mission numbered 309.
As was the case with many early settlements, the pioneers felt it was important to have a community meeting place where they could worship and fellowship with one another. Discussions for the future St George Tabernacle began in Feb. 1862. Then, in May 1863 Brigham Young visited the area and gave general dimensions for what would become the St George Tabernacle. By June 1, 1863 the first cornerstone was laid. However, it wasn’t until Dec. 30, 1871 that the final shingle was placed on the roof of the St George Tabernacle. Interior construction continued after that until the St George Tabernacle was dedicated on May 14, 1876.
St George Tabernacle purpose
According to historical references on www.lds.org, the St George Tabernacle has been in almost continual use since its dedication. It has only closed briefly for repairs. The St George Tabernacle has been used for a wide range of community gatherings, as well as larger church meetings. The pioneers were so anxious to have a building such as this to meet in, they started using the basement for community gatherings even before the entire structure was complete.
The purpose of the St George Tabernacle has always been as a community building. It’s a place for choir concerts, non-denominational religious meetings, instrumental performances and more. For example, The Southern Utah Heritage Choir typically has its concerts in the St George Tabernacle.
Although the building was built by and is maintained by the LDS Church, it is not a meeting house for regular weekly church services. Occasionally larger church gatherings have taken place there.
In fact, over the years, 8 of the 17 LDS prophets have spoken at the pulpit in the St George Tabernacle.
The need to renovate
The main purpose in the recent two-year closure was to renovate the building and bring it up to code in certain areas. For example, making it earthquake proof. Or nearly.
Holes were drilled in the sandstone walls and steel rebar now runs inside the walls. Original hand-hewn timbers inside the St George Tabernacle needed to be more secure. But they didn’t want to remove the original wood, which was collected from Pine Valley. Instead, steel and concrete has been layered alongside the timber.
Even after the renovation, the building is nearly all original except the flooring, according to J. Ralph Atkin, the LDS Church public affairs director for Washington County. The pillars are original, although the wood was removed and steel was placed inside to ensure a more stable structure. Then, the wood was wrapped around the pillars again.
Amazingly enough, the entire balcony in the St George Tabernacle was brought down during the construction project and then rebuilt with the same original materials.
Over the years there have been other renovations, but according to the tour guide, the look and feel of the building is back to its original pioneer style. That includes the green pain as part of the exterior of the steeple portion of the St George Tabernacle.
Emily Utt, historic sites curator for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, says the building now looks the way it looked when it was dedicated in 1876.
There were several coats of paint found on this exterior portion of the building. Shades of white and cream. But the tower was light green originally. Utt says most people living in the area likely wouldn’t remember the St George Tabernacle looking this way because it was painted all white about 60 years ago.
A local tale
Local stories about regarding the green paint use. One is that there was a request for white paint shipment back during pioneer times, but green paint was sent instead. Unable to afford to send it back, Brigham Young encouraged the pioneer saints to use the green paint. Thus the nickname for Green Gate Village downtown. And possibly the green paint on the St George Tabernacle.
St George Tabernacle tour
Tours of the St George Tabernacle are open to the public 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays.
During the tour patrons learn interesting facts including the following:
* Pine was used exclusively in the construction of the St George Tabernalce. However, the builders longed for another look in the construction so they painted the pine to appear to have grain and color similar to oak, cherry and other wood.
* Many of the windows in the St George Tabernacle are original. You can see the bubbly glass denoting the original panes. 
* Elements in the decorated interior appear like marble. They are also pine painted to look like something else.
* The chandeliers can be lowered via a pulley system to clean and replace bulbs.
* The two spiral staircases located in the east entrance of the building could stand on their own even if the walls were stripped away. Such an engineering feat is particularly remarkable without the use of modern technology and tools. 
The St George Tabernacle is located at 18 S. Main, St. George, Utah. If you are interested in homes in an area so dedicated to preserving its history, there are many great options available here.