This Independence building was in the works for nearly a century before it was completed

Inside Look is a Star series that takes our readers behind the scenes of some of the most well-known and not-so-well-known places and events in Kansas City. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email our journalists at InsideLook@kcstar.com.

The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Auditorium in Independence was a long time in the making.

This postcard, published in the 1920s, was actually an architect’s rendering of the proposed structure.

But the idea for it originated in 1831, when Mormon leader Joseph Smith picked the site for a temple in the area he called “Zion.”

And though construction on the 6,000 seat auditorium did finally began in 1927, the Great Depression and World War II slowed its completion.

During the decades-long process the congregation was able to use parts of the building. But it wasn’t officially dedicated (and pronounced debt-free) until 1952.

As the world headquarters for the church, the auditorium housed officials, hosted conferences and banquets, while serving as a performance venue for organizations like the Independence Symphony Orchestra and the Messiah Choir. High school graduation ceremonies were often held there as well.

Along with the copper dome atop it, the building’s most notable feature is the massive Aeolian Skinner pipe organ inside it—regarded as one of the world’s finest. For more than twenty years, John Obetz played it on the syndicated radio program, “Auditorium Organ.”

Since the church’s name was changed in 2000, the still-busy facility has been officially known as the Community of Christ Auditorium.

Having trouble seeing the video? Watch it here.

Looking for more Kansas City history?

Before the arrival of the T-Mobile Center, Municipal Auditorium was KC’s big downtown arena

It’s always fun to talk about beer. This early KC brewer brought his German heritage with him.

The Ruskin Heights tornado of 1957 was one of the metro’s worst storms ever