By Jerry Johnston
Deseret News staff writer

      If the Salt Lake Valley were an oyster, Temple Square would be the pearl. The hopes and history of many Utahns have been shaped there.
      Once an example of progressive architecture and trendy turn-of-the-century landscaping, Temple Square stands today as a tribute to several eras of the culture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — including the modern one.
      At the heart of the square is the Salt Lake Temple itself with its Gothic spires and unique Mormon touches — such as artwork carved into the granite stone depicting the earth, moon, stars and sun.
      Work on the temple began in 1853 — six years after Brigham Young and the Mormon pioneers first entered the valley. It was finished 40 years later, long after the church's colonizer and the temple architect, Truman O. Angell, had passed on. Granite blocks were hauled from canyons 22 miles away by teams of oxen, then later by rail. As a final touch, Cyrus E. Dallin sculpted a statue of the Book of Mormon prophet Moroni to stand at the pinnacle.
      Once the defining feature of Salt Lake City's skyline, the temple today is dwarfed by office buildings; yet its vital role as a holy place for marriages, baptisms and sealings is undiminished.
      Beside the jutting, granite spires of the temple stands the Tabernacle — a faithful companion. With its smooth, silver dome and softer contours, the building offers a pleasant contrast. The Tabernacle has been a gathering place for both true believers and tourists since 1867. The building seats 6,500, with the church's most recognizable image — the massive pipe organ with its 11,623 pipes — dominating the interior. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs regularly in the building.
      Nearby the temple and Tabernacle, the Assembly Hall stands like a dutiful child. Described in some texts as a ''miniature cathedral,'' the hall was made from materials from the other two buildings. Its array of spires on the outside and fine woodwork and acoustics on the inside make The Assembly Hall a favorite concert and lecture venue.
      After viewing the major buildings, including two modern visitors centers, visitors may want to turn their attention to the many monuments and statues.
      Each monument tends to embody a virtue the LDS people hold dear.
      The Handcart Monument, for instance, is a tribute to perseverance. In 1850, many members of the church unable to afford teams and wagons came West tugging their worldly possessions behind them in small carts. Handcarters were allowed 17 pounds each for the 1,300-mile journey. Many of the journeyers died. But the pluck of these self-sufficient pioneers has been immortalized in bronze on Temple Square.
      The Seagull Monument is a reminder of the power of faith and the goodness of God. In 1848, hordes of crickets were devouring the local crops when the early settlers prayed for divine intervention. Soon, thousands of gulls descended to devour the crickets. Today, the California seagull is Utah's state bird.
      The bronze bell from the temple built earlier in Nauvoo, Illinois now hangs in Temple Square. It rings on the hour, almost in remembrance of the afflictions early Mormons suffered. Plaques at the base of the bell tell of ''Pioneers,'' ''Education'' and ''Benevolence'' — three popular Mormon themes.
      Other monuments also dot the landscape. Life-size statues of the church's first latter-day prophet, Joseph Smith, and his brother Hyrum stand near one of the fountains.
      One contribution of the modern era is the enormous Christus that presides over the Square from the upper windows of the north visitors center. It is a marble replica of the Christus statue by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen.
      And overlaying the grounds — like nature's patchwork quilt — are the famous Temple Square gardens. Lovely and right for the region, the plants and trees have a history of their own — ranging from the ''bride's trees'' near the south-east corner of the Temple, where newlyweds often pose for pictures, to the popular ''grand lawn'' running north from the south visitors center.
      The gardens pull various elements of the grounds together, giving visitors the impression of unity and cooperation — two more important Mormon virtues.