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A public open house
will be held from 4-6 p.m. following the dedication of the new Gordon B.
Hinckley Building at Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg on Tuesday,
Oct. 22.
Community
and campus members are invited to tour to new ecclesiastical and academic
building located along South Second East Street on the southeast edge of
campus.
Earlier
in the day the building will be dedicated as part of the regular Tuesday
devotional at 2 p.m. In
attendance at the dedication will be the building’s namesake, Gordon
B. Hinckley, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He will be accompanied by President Thomas S. Monson, who serves as first
counselor in the First Presidency of the Church.
The
dedication service will originate from the new campus building and be
carried live to many overflow locations across
campus. The service will also be carried live over KBYI, 100.5 FM.
Tickets
are required to attend the dedication inside the Hinckley
Building. However, tickets will
not be required for overflow. Overflow locations for students and employees
are listed on the BYU-Idaho Website.
BYU-Idaho
President David Bednar says the building is a perfect tribute to President
Hinckley, who will “have a legacy and impact on this campus that will
last forever.”
That
legacy includes a decision two years ago by the Board of Education of the
Church, chaired by President Hinckley to change Ricks
College to a four-year
university and rename it Brigham Young University-Idaho.
The
54,000 square foot building was constructed primarily to create meeting
space for student congregations. Aside from Sunday worship, the building is
used during the week for academic classes. The building houses faculty
offices of the Health Science Department and part of the Religion
Department. The entire Secondary Education Department is also temporarily
located in the building along with some faculty from other departments.
Local Institute classes are held in the building in the evenings.
There
is room for 12 student wards to meet in the building, with a capability of
holding three sacrament meetings at one time. The chapel and adjoining
cultural hall seat approximately 1,350 people.
The
building includes a chapel, gymnasium, multipurpose area, two full
kitchens, 18 classrooms and 34 offices. The building also contains large
lobby-like areas and a vestibule with large windows overlooking the Thomas
E. Ricks Gardens.
The
contractor was Jacobsen Construction of Salt Lake City and the architect
was Jensen Haslem Architects of Logan, Utah. The
basic design for the building is similar to institute buildings on campuses
at Idaho State
University in Pocatello,
Dixie State College in St. George, and the University
of Utah in Salt
Lake City.
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