Temples in America Articles
At the 181st semi-annual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, held in October 2011, Prophet Thomas S. Monson announced the construction of a new Mormon temple in Star Valley, Wyoming. The prophet joked that he would personally dedicate the new temple, because the fishing is good nearby. This will be the first temple to be built in Wyoming.
Mormons in Wyoming had previously attended the temple in Rexburg, Idaho. The journey was considerably more difficult during the winter.
Mormon pioneers in the first westward party in 1847 made their way through Wyoming, stopping at Fort Laramie to repair their wagons. They followed the Oregon Trail along the Platte River to Fort Bridger
The pioneers used rafts and a boat to ferry themselves and their belongings across the Platte River. Nine men stayed behind to continue the profitable ferry, which found business from Oregon-bound travelers.
In Wyoming, the pioneers met Jim Bridger, who gave an optimistic opinion... Read the rest of this article »
The Provo Tabernacle was originally built between 1883 and 1898 on University Avenue between Center Street and 100 South, and was a city landmark for over 100 years. The tabernacle had been updated as the years went by, but its distinguished architecture was never changed. The building was gutted by fire in December 2010. Apparently, no arson was involved. The building was beloved and venerated by generations of residents and BYU students who worshiped and attended a variety of meetings, concerts and other events there.
During the months after the fire and the investigation that followed, residents wondered whether the historical facade of the building could be saved. There was an audible gasp of joy at the announcement in General Conference by Prophet Thomas S. Monson that the historic tabernacle would be remade into a temple. There is a precedent for this action, since the Vernal Utah Temple (dedicated in 1997) was created from the 1907 Uintah Stake Tabernacle. The new... Read the rest of this article »
By Terrie.
While visiting friends in Ohio, my husband and I suddenly realized we were only a few hours from Kirtland, Ohio, an important location in early Mormon history. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are sometimes called Mormons, settled in that town for a time and built their first temple there. Today, some of the important historic sites have been restored and are open to the public.
The first place we visited was Historic Kirtland. This site, owned by the Mormons, focuses on Newel K. Whitney and his wife, Ann. They had been searching for a church to join when they had a shared vision in which they were promised the word of the Lord would soon come to their town. A few weeks later, four Mormon missionaries arrived in town. Ann joined the church first, and her husband followed a few days later, after receiving his own witness.
The Whitneys were an important part of Mormon history in Kirtland. Newel was a successful shop owner whose store was a gathering... Read the rest of this article »
That a new temple would be built in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, was announced by Mormon Prophet Thomas S. Monson during the semi-annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in October, 2009. The temple site is located on the northeast corner of Interstate 75 and Griffin Road on SW 154th Avenue in Davie, Florida.
The temple will be the second in Florida — the first was the Orlando Florida Temple, dedicated in 1994. The temple will serve approximately 25,000 Church members from congregations in Stuart to the Florida Keys as well as members living in Ft. Myers, Naples and in the Bahamas. The gorgeous 28,000-square-foot building was described in permit application materials as “an interpretation of Neoclassicism with arches, columns and a steeple.”
The groundbreaking ceremony to initiate construction was announced for Saturday, June 18, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. Due to parking constraints, attendance at the groundbreaking was by invitation only. ... Read the rest of this article »
At the 181st general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Prophet Thomas S. Monson announced the construction of a new temple in Fort Collins, Colorado. This will be Colorado’s second temple. Fort Collins is about 57 miles north of Denver. There are approximately 140,000 Mormons in Colorado.
The Fort Collins Colorado Temple is expected to serve members living in northern Colorado, southern Wyoming, and western Nebraska who currently travel to attend the Denver Colorado Temple and the Billings Montana Temple.
The temple is expected to be about 24,000 to 28,000 square feet and similar to the Newport Beach California Temple. On July 8, 2011, the location for the future temple was announced as the southeast corner of the intersection at Trilby Road and Timberline Road. A large LDS chapel is across the street from this location.
Progress and Updates
In November 2011 a city planning board recommended land for the proposed LDS temple be annexed into the... Read the rest of this article »
A new temple for Meridian, Idaho, was announced at General Conference by Mormon Prophet Thomas S. Monson on April 2, 2011. It will be the fifth temple to be built in the state of Idaho. Meridian is the third largest city in the state and is located about eleven miles west of Boise. There are more than 400,000 Latter-day Saints in Idaho.
The new temple in Meridian will decrease the load on the Boise Temple, which is filled to overflowing at some times. The Meridian-Nampa area is experiencing fast growth and the creation of new wards and stakes.
The new temple will be constructed at 7345 North Linder Road, a few blocks north of the intersection of North Linder Road and Chinden Blvd.
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On October 2, 2010, at the commencement of the 180th general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Thomas S. Monson announced the construction of a new temple in Hartford, Connecticut.
A new temple to be built in Harford was announced 18 years ago, but the Church was unable to procure property for the construction. During the years the Church was trying to purchase a building site, membership to the north and south of Hartford burgeoned, prompting the Church to abandon the project in Hartford and build temples to the north and south of the area, namely the Boston Massachusetts Temple, and the Manhatten New York Temple.
The Hartford Connecticut Temple will be the first temple built in Connecticut and the second built in New England.
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On October 2, 2010, at the commencement of the 180th general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Thomas S. Monson announced that a new temple would be built in Indianapolis, Indiana. Early in 2011 the location for the future temple was announced: The temple will be located in the city of Carmel on the southwest corner of the intersection of W116th and Spring Mill Road.
There are eleven stakes of the Mormon Church in Indiana, and these Latter-day Saints must currently travel 130 miles to the Louisville Kentucky Temple to attend.
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Site for the planned Payson Utah Temple
On 25th January 2010, President Thomas S. Monson, prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced that a Mormon temple was planned for the city of Payson, Utah. The new temple will help relieve the pressure of use on the nearby Provo Utah Temple.
The proposed temple site is on the south-west of Payson, near the I-15 highway, and when the building is completed, the temple district will encompass an area serving almost 80,000 members of the Mormon Church.
There are currently 14 other temples in operation and announced throughout the state of Utah.
In early fall of 2011, the LDS Church released a rendering of the future temple:
The groundbreaking for the Payson Utah Temple took place on Saturday, October 8, 2011. About 6,000 people braved rain and cold to witness the event. Prayers to lift the rain for the event were answered, but the unseasonable cold remained. Elder Dallin H. Oaks presided over and offered the... Read the rest of this article »
The plan to build a new temple in Brigham City Utah was announced at the general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in October, 2009. The temple will be built on the property at 250 S. Main St., directly west of and across the street from the church’s Brigham City Tabernacle at 251 S. Main. When completed, it will be the 14th LDS temple in Utah. At the time the temple was announced, the church had 130 temples in operation worldwide, with another 21 either announced or under construction.
The city block — known to locals as Central Square — once was home to Brigham City’s Central Elementary School. After the school was razed, a professional plaza-type development was projected for the property. A recent sign on Central Square announced the property had been sold.
The block is bordered in both directions along Main Street by retail businesses and to the west by private residences. The Box Elder Tabernacle, completed in 1890, was gutted by fire in February... Read the rest of this article »
