Rexburg Idaho Mormon Temple
June 11, 2008 by admin
Filed under Temples in America
Announcement of the Rexburg Idaho Mormon Temple took place on December 20, 2003, by the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is the 129th Temple announced by the Mormon Church.
Rexburg, Idaho, has always been a small college town with the Church owned School of Ricks College being the center point. The School began in 1888 as Bannock Stake Academy; changed to Fremont Stake Academy in 1898; and then to Ricks College in 1903 (named after Thomas E. Ricks founder of Rexburg, Idaho).
Ricks College was a well-established two-year college and continued on until 2000, when the First Presidency of the Mormon Church announced that Ricks College would become four year Brigham Young University-Idaho. Consequently, the enrollment at the university increased dramatically from 8,949 in 2000 to 12,000 in 2006.
Those who wanted to attend the temple would need to travel 30 miles to the Idaho Falls Temple, and it became increasingly difficult to make the trip for many of the students attending Ricks College, due to funds and transportation. Needless to say, with the announcement of the temple, many were ecstatic and looked forward to a temple in their midst.
The 57,000 square foot, five-story edifice is now the highest building on the BYU-I’s campus. A single steeple rises 168 feet and is crowned with the gold-leafed statue of the Angel Moroni. Adorning the land between the temple and the church building, which sits to the west, is a garden plaza as well as a parking lot to the south.
As with all Mormon Temples, the need to provide easy access to the temple is a concern. The city of Rexburg requested $1.2 million from the federal government with which to build a road that would provide a direct route to campus and to the Rexburg Temple. The request was approved and was also increased to nearly $3 million.
The groundbreaking ceremony (30 July 2005 by John H. Groberg) for the Rexburg Idaho Temple was open to any and all who desired to attend. Over 8,000 people crowded on the field where the temple now stands.
The Rexburg Idaho Temple features beautiful ordinance room murals by Rexburg artist Leon Parson, reflecting the wildlife and landscapes of the Upper Snake River Valley.
A wheat motif, created by Utah artist Tom Holdman, is used throughout the Rexburg Idaho Temple including most of the 700 art-glass windowpanes. The wheat stock symbolizes the widespread agricultural industry in the area.
The finest materials were used for this House of the Lord including wood imported from Africa and stone and tile from Israel.
The exterior walls of the Rexburg Idaho Temple are made of 637 precast panels from 45 different molds, including the retaining wall. The material is called China White—a white quartz finish (mined in Washington state) on concrete panels. A water-proofing compound allows dust to wash off in the rain, keeping the temple a radiant white.
Interest in the open house of the Rexburg Idaho Temple was so high that additional early-morning and evening tours were added to each day. Over 200,000 visitors toured the temple.
The Rexburg Idaho Temple dedication was delayed one week due to the passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley on Sunday evening, January 27, 2008.
President Thomas S. Monson was installed as the 16th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, February 3, 2008—the day originally scheduled for the dedication of the Rexburg Idaho Temple. One week later, he dedicated the temple as one of his first official acts. The dedication began late, as dense fog forced President Monson’s pilot to land in Pocatello, Idaho, where the remaining 80-mile journey to Rexburg was resumed by car (LDSChurchTemples.com).
Mailing address:
750 South 2nd East
Rexburg, Idaho 83440-3570
United States
Phone: 208-656-0880
For more information about the Mormon Church or Mormon Temples, please see the following websites:
