Salt Lake Temple - Salt Lake City
A can’t-miss sight in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake Temple is the centerpiece of a 35-acre square owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The world’s largest Mormon temple, which took some 40 years to build and opened in 1893, soars 210 feet into the Utah sky. Said to be an “acoustic and architectural wonder,” the famed Mormon Tabernacle is home to the world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Touro Synagogue - Newport, Rhode Island
Billed as America’s oldest synagogue and a National Historic Site, Touro Synagogue was built in response to the need of the area’s mid-18th century Jewish population for a house of worship. The congregation hired Peter Harrison,a local British-American merchant, sea captain and self-taught architect (whose work already included Newport’s Redwood Library and the King’s Chapel in Boston). He would create an elegant design, drawing from Palladian architecture. It’s said Harrison relied on the advice of the congregation, including prayer leader Isaac Touro, for the interior, with the building dedicated in 1763.
