The Zion Plat, Kirtland Vision, and Their Enduring Architectural Legacy (1829–1877)  

I. Introduction and Methodology 

This paper presents a detailed reconstruction of the events from the 1829 translation of the Book of Mormon through the construction and dedication of the St. George Temple in 1877, focusing on the architectural revelations of the early Latter-day Saint movement

Drawing on newly correlated primary sources, including D&C sections 42, 94, and 95, and integrating details from the Plat of Zion, the “House of the Lord” designs, and early church administrative records, the study demonstrates that the Saints never abandoned the 24-temple urban design ideal. Rather, the loss and late rediscovery of critical documents contributed to its temporary eclipse in LDS planning. 

We examine key texts and events in chronological order, with interpretive commentary, architectural analysis, and technical comparisons to modern modular systems. Special attention is given to the work of Frederick G. Williams, the 1833 Kirtland visionary experience, and the rediscovery of documents in 1865 by Lydia Partridge. The analysis concludes with a call to reexamine the structural logic and symbolic theology of the Zion blueprint using modern engineering. 

II. Scriptural and Doctrinal Foundations (1829–1831) 

• Spring 1829: During the translation of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith introduces themes of Zion, New Jerusalem, and sacred urbanism (Ether 13; 3 Nephi 20–22). 

• Mid-1830 – Early 1831: While translating the Book of Genesis (JST), Joseph renders Enoch’s city and its ascension (Moses 6–7), directly influencing his concept of Zion. 

III. Administrative Changes and the Plat’s Emergence (1832–1833) 

• 8 March 1832: A Presidency is organized even though there are only a few hundred members. Jesse Gause is called but soon becomes inactive because he cannot convince his congregation to join the movement. He needs their support because being a Baptist preacher was his profession and his livelihood, and the struggling early LDS church was not able to support him as he expected. 

• December 1832: Jesse Gause becomes critical of the LDS church and is excommunicated. 

• 15 March 1833: Frederick G. Williams, who was already a clerk for Joseph Smith is called into the presidency. Williams is one of the biggest landowners in the area and was also older and more experienced than Joseph. As a trained surveyor, he begins working with Joseph Smith on community layouts. 

• April 1833: Likely period when Joseph and Williams begin drafting the Zion Plat. It is completed prior to 4 May 1833 because it is mentioned in the revelation recorded as section 94. 

IV. The May–June 1833 Revelatory Sequence 

• 4–6 May 1833 (Saturday–Monday): Section 94 received, instructing the building of two “Houses of the Lord” a “House for the existing Presidency” and a “printing house” (also with a presidency, as each building is for a public agency with its own presidency) after a pattern “which shall be given.” The Plat is clearly already in view and before them when section 94 was received. 

• 1 June 1833 (Saturday): Section 95 revealed, chastising leaders for delay and once again commanding the selection of three men to receive the house’s design which was to be “not after the manner of men”. 

• 2 June 1833 (Sunday): council meeting held; candidates considered, and Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Federick G. Williams were chosen as the “three”. 

• 3 June 1833 (Monday): Vision to Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams, as later recalled by Williams’ son. A large original drawing is produced but lost sometime prior to the saints going west. 

• Truman O. Angell, later in Salt Lake City recalls that Frederick G. Williams had personally shared with him details of the vision, including the floor plan shown to the three in 3D clarity. 

•  “About this time Frederick G. Williams, one of President Smith’s counselors, came into the Temple when the following dialogue took place in my presence: Carpenter Rolph said, ‘Doctor, what do you think of the House?’ He answered, ‘It looks to me like the pattern precisely.’ He then related the following: ‘Joseph received the word of the Lord for him to take his two counselors, [Frederick G. Williams and] [Sidney] Rigdon, and come before the Lord and He would show them the plan or model of the House to be built.  

• We went upon our knees, called on the Lord, and the building [Kirtland Temple] appeared within viewing distance, I being the first to discover it. Then all of us viewed it together. After we had taken a good look at the exterior, the building seemed to come right over us, and the Makeup of this Hall seemed to coincide with what I there saw to a minutia.’” The dialogue and its context can be found here.  

• Wednesday): Groundbreaking by Hyrum Smith; a wheat field is cleared in Kirtland. 

• 20–25 June 1833: Williams records the text of the Plat in Joseph Smith’s Letterbook. 

• 25 June 1833 (Tuesday): Drawings (likely smaller versions) and the Plat are sent to Missouri along with a letter that must have included a copy of the text for the Plat as recorded by Williams in the letter book. 

V. The Transmission, Loss, and Preservation (1833–1865) 

• 29 July 1833: John Whitmer acknowledges receipt in Independence. The Plat itself had no text when first sent; however, handwriting analysis confirms that the marginal explanatory text on the surviving Plat is in Whitmer’s hand, not Williams’s. This suggests that after receiving the drawings, Whitmer used the accompanying letter and Letterbook text (authored by Williams) to annotate the Plat for clarity prior to Lydia hiding the documents. 

• Early August 1833: Mob action in Independence destroys the press; Lydia Clisbee Partridge, wife of Bishop Edward Partridge, hides the documents in the bottom of a chest to protect them. Her action preserves them, but they are forgotten. 

• 1835: The Doctrine and Covenants is compiled. These critical architectural and urban design documents are absent due to being misplaced and so even though they were revelations they were not included. 

• 27 May 1840: Edward Partridge dies and his wife Lydia retains his documents. 

• b: Kirtland Temple dedicated. 

• 6 April 1841: Cornerstone for the Nauvoo Temple is laid with ceremony. 

• 30 April 1846: A private dedication service for the Nauvoo Temple is held before the Saints depart west. 

• Circa 1865: Lydia Partridge, now elderly and reflecting on earlier struggles, rediscovers the hidden documents. She gives them to Brigham Young, who had known of the original vision but never possessed the actual drawings. 

VI. Brigham Young’s Shift from Salt Lake to St. George 

• 1865: Lydia Partridge, wife of Bishop Edward Partridge, rediscovers the long-hidden architectural documents in the bottom of a chest and gifts them to Brigham Young. This moment proves pivotal in shifting temple planning efforts. 

• Early 1870s: Brigham Young, familiar with Kirtland events but long without the documents, changes focus from the Salt Lake Temple to St. George. He does a bit better at following earlier architectural patterns but still misses many of the great functionalities prescribed in the original design. Planning for the St. George Temple begins soon after, with construction officially starting in November 1871. 

• 1 January 1877: The St. George Temple is dedicated—the first temple completed in the Utah territory. 

• Brigham Young initiates similar temple projects in Logan and Manti, intending to replicate the multipurpose model. However, after his death, architectural plans are modified. The lower assembly halls originally designed for educational and civic purposes are converted into ordinance rooms for endowment rituals. The upper assembly halls remain as open congregational spaces, preserving only part of the original Plat’s intent. 

VII. Challenges with the Salt Lake Temple 

• Brigham Young encountered significant engineering and logistical difficulties in attempting to construct the Salt Lake Temple. 

• The design was based on large granite blocks hauled from 20 miles away, which slowed construction. 

• Foundational issues required tearing out early sandstone and replacing them with more durable granite. 

• The project was begun in 1853 but was not completed until 6 April 1893. 

• Brigham Young and John Taylor both died before the temple’s completion. 

VIII. Architectural Comparisons: Kirtland, Nauvoo, and St. George 

• Kirtland Temple (1833–1836): Built according to their understanding of part of the vision of 3 June. It includes dual pulpits, two main courts (lower and upper), but lacks facilities for invitatories or baptisms and lacks the schools as the higher part of the inner court and primarily lacks the capability of adapting to multifunctional community events so that it is useful to the community 24/7. 

• Nauvoo Temple (1841–1846): Larger and includes a first-floor baptismal font, suggesting Joseph gained over time more of the details of the original design that he missed in Kirtland. Features like an outer court space rather than just the inner court begin to be used and increased functionality begins to be understood but not as much as the original design offers. 

• St. George Temple (1871–1877): Begins to realize just a bit more of the Plat vision. Mimics Nauvoo but adapted for ordinances and education. Still lacked plumbing, elevators, and outer court amenities now common and lacked the ability to transform into multifunctional use so that the building would be able to be used by the community 24/7 instead of just for church functions. 

IX. Comparative Engineering Commentary: Modern Feasibility 

Modern materials—steel, modular concrete, and embedded HVAC—now make it practical to build multi-purpose sacred buildings exactly as prescribed. Outer courts can contain bathrooms, hallways, and elevators. Modular tiles can structure inner courts. Glass curtain walls with energy control and radiant flooring allow for integration with natural light and sustainability. The 24-structure model is plausible today with NewVistas or similar community infrastructure. 

X. Conclusion and Call for Further Research 

The 1833 Plat of Zion and the “House of the Lord” vision were not abandoned but deferred due to loss and logistical challenges. The rediscovery by Lydia Partridge enabled Brigham Young to begin again, though only partially realized. Scholars should revisit these sources for their theological, social, and architectural significance. 

Appendix A: Timeline of Key Events (1829–1877) 

• 1829 – Book of Mormon themes of Zion 

• 1830–1831 – Book of Moses: City of Enoch 

• 8 Mar 1832 – First Presidency formed 

• Dec 1832 – Jesse Gause excommunicated 

• 15 Mar 1833 – Frederick G. Williams called 

• Apr 1833 – Plat of Zion begins 

• 4–6 May 1833 – Section 94 

• 1 Jun 1833 – Section 95 

• 2 Jun 1833 – Three selected 

• 3 Jun 1833 – Vision of the House of the Lord 

• 5 Jun 1833 – Groundbreaking in Kirtland 

• 20–25 Jun 1833 – Letterbook text recorded 

• 25 Jun 1833 – Plat sent to Independence 

• 29 Jul 1833 – Whitmer receipt; text added 

• Aug 1833 – Documents hidden 

• 1835 – D&C published without Plat 

• 27 May 1840 – Edward Partridge dies 

• 6 Apr 1836 – Kirtland Temple dedicated 

• 6 Apr 1841 – Nauvoo Temple cornerstone laid 

• 30 Apr 1846 – Nauvoo Temple privately dedicated 

• c.1865 – Lydia Partridge rediscovers documents 

• 1853–1893 – Salt Lake Temple construction 

• Nov 1871 – St. George Temple construction begins 

• 1 Jan 1877 – St. George Temple dedicated 

Appendix B: References and Footnotes 

1. Book of Mormon, Ether 13; 3 Nephi 20–22. 

2. Doctrine and Covenants 42, 94, 95. 

3. Moses 6–7, JST. 

4. Joseph Smith, Letterbook 1. 

5. Dean C. Jessee, “The Plat of Zion,” BYU Studies. 

6. Handwriting analysis attributing Plat margin text to John Whitmer, Church History Library (CHL). 

7. Edward Partridge Family Papers, CHL. 

8. Lydia Clisbee Partridge timeline and oral histories. 

9. Journal of Discourses, vol. 11. 

10. www.newvistas.com. 

11. Historical introductions in the Joseph Smith Papers Project. 

12. Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and T. Jeffrey Cottle, Old Mormon Kirtland and Missouri: Historic Photographs and Guide, Deseret Book, 1991. 

13. Alexander L. Baugh, A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri, BYU Studies. 

14. William G. Hartley, “Edward Partridge,” in Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History, ed. Garr et al., Deseret Book. 

15. “The Architecture of Zion,” in Sacred Space, Sacred Thread, edited by R. Bushman and D. Holland.