On Saturday, May 18, 1912, the doors of the Alberta Stake Tabernacle opened to the public for the first time. The morning meeting “was appreciated by nearly 600 people." Over the coming months, additional finishing touches were added to the building.

The plans for the tabernacle called for a baptismal font in the basement. The font was completed prior to the fall of 1913 but did not have adequate drainage and was remedied by the next year.

An important addition to the tabernacle was a balcony at the northeast end of the main assembly room. It added about 200 additional seats and brought the total seating capacity to roughly 1,200.

The hall was known for its acoustic quality. In addition to electric lighting, the room was illuminated during the day through colorful glass windows. Final cost estimates for the building ranged from $55,000 to $65,000.

The tabernacle was the civic center of Cardston as well as a religious structure. It was host to several visiting dignitaries including three Governor Generals of Canada. One memorable meeting held in the tabernacle was a memorial service for King George V of England. Brigham Y. Card called it “one of the most colorful meetings yet held in the Alberta Stake Tabernacle."

As Cardston had outgrown the old log meetinghouse and assembly hall, so it eventually outgrew the tabernacle. In 1953, local authorities, in consultation with Presiding Bishop Joseph L. Wirthlin, decided to raze the building even though it was still structurally sound and locally controversial. This decision was made just years before nationwide historic preservation movements swept the U.S. and Canada, which may have changed the decision to take down the hall. The removal of the tabernacle would also make room for an annex to the temple and additional improvements to the temple block.