The Trumpet Stone

The Jordan River Utah Temple

2012-01-08T17:39:00.001-07:00

Jordan River Utah Temple Today I'd like to give some of my feelings about the Jordan River Utah Temple. This temple was the first I ever attended. I went there most often to do baptisms for the dead as a teenager. I was also endowed in this temple, and witnessed the sealing ordinance for the first time there. I currently live in th Jordan River Utah Temple district. I also worked there as

Christmas at LDS Temples

2011-12-11T14:00:00.001-07:00

With Christmas approaching, I thought I'd write a little bit about LDS temples that have Christmas displays. This list is not exhaustive, but should highlight some of the great Christmas displays at Mormon temples. The Salt Lake Temple has the most prominent Christmas displays. Massive amounts of intricately placed tasteful Christmas lights fill Temple Square, the Conference Center Plaza,

The Fortaleza Brazil Temple Rendering

2011-11-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, the church recently broke ground on, and released the rendering of, the Fortaleza Brazil Temple. It is another of the two towered temple style. Here is the rendering, followed by the renderings of the other new two towered temples for reference. Fortaleza Brazil Temple Rendering Brigham City Temple Rendering Kansas City Temple Rendering Rome Italy Temple Rendering

The Washington D.C. LDS Temple

2011-11-05T14:24:00.000-06:00

I love the Washington D.C. Temple. I have been inside once and outside two other times. The Washington D.C. Temple (actually in Maryland, right next to the Capitol Beltway) is a huge temple. It is 288 ft tall, taller than the Salt Lake Temple. It is the third largest temple by square footage, but I believe it is the largest in overall dimensions (100 ft wide by 247 feet long by 288 ft tall).

LDS Temple Celestial Room Domes

2011-10-09T16:56:00.000-06:00

I really like the use of domes in LDS Temple celestial rooms. Many recent temples have included them, in addition to some older temples. Both the St. Louis Missouri and Preston England Temples have domes in their celestial rooms. The temples share the same floor plan, so this isn't too surprising. Other temples with this style likely have domes. I know that Boston has a small dome at the end

New Temple Announcements

2011-10-02T18:29:00.000-06:00

So new temples were announced in General Conference for Kinshasa, Congo; Barranquilla, Columbia; Durban, South Africa; Star Valley, Wyoming; and Provo, Utah (which already has a temple, and will get a new one with the recently burned Tabernacle being rebuilt as a temple). We were also reminded that the church is building a temple in Paris, France (which was announced about 2 months ago). I'm

The New Two-Spire Temple Style

2011-09-18T19:18:00.000-06:00

I love seeing the new renderings for LDS Temples. This week the press leaked the rendering of the Payson Utah Temple (the church confirmed that this is indeed the temple rendering, but that it wasn't supposed to be released until next month). The church also broke ground on the Trujillo Peru Temple and Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple this week. Pictures can be seen here, or later in this post

LDS Temple Glass - Trees

2011-09-04T19:54:00.000-06:00

Stained glass and other forms of art glass are one of my favorite features in LDS Temples. This art form was used in several early temples and then became very simple for a long period of time. In the last 15 years or so, art glass use in temples has increased. Windows are now made very unique. A lot of windows depict things and are not purely geometric. People, events, stars, suns, moons,

The St. George Utah Temple

2011-09-01T13:00:00.127-06:00

Today I'd like to write a little about the St. George Utah Temple. St. George Utah Temple (see original) This temple was the first completed after the Nauvoo Temple (the Salt Lake Temple was started before, but took 40 years to complete) making this the oldest temple owned by the LDS church (Kirtland is older but not owned by the LDS church and the Nauvoo Temple was rebuilt in 2002). The

LDS Temple Glass - Sun Moon and Star Circles

2011-08-28T11:30:00.000-06:00

Stained glass or art glass windows are diversely used in Mormon temples. I've already written about how glass has been used to depict people, usually in scriptural scenes. Now I'd like to focus on suns, moons, and stars in stained and other art glass. Historical accounts of the original Nauvoo Illinois Temple mention skylights in the attic area where the endowment and sealings were performed.

Possible New LDS Temple Locations

2011-08-21T19:37:00.001-06:00

Recently, the LDS church announced that they are trying to build a temple near Paris, France. This was an exciting development, although not too surprising as church leaders have stated that they were trying to find land for a temple for about 15 years. The only real question was when they would find the land and make the temple announcement. In the last April General Conference three new

LDS Temple Symbols - Stars - Oquirrh Mountain Temple Stars

2011-07-24T18:32:00.000-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been distracted by new nieces and nephews. Holding newborns has taken precedence over the blog. I don't think you can blame me. They are really cute. I've spent several posts discussing depictions of the sun, moon, star, earth, etc. on Mormon temples. I've already discussed 5 and 6 pointed starstones. Now I'd like to discuss the stars on the Oquirrh

Detached LDS Temple Spires

2011-07-03T19:23:00.000-06:00

The vast majority of LDS temples have their spires and/or towers attached to the main structure of the temple. There are a few that instead have a spire or spires away from the main structure. I'd like to highlight these. Most of the detached spire temples were the 6 spire sloped roof style of temple used throughout the 80s. All of these except the final two (Portland and Las Vegas)

LDS Temple Symbols - Starstones - 6 Pointed Stars

2011-06-12T20:49:00.001-06:00

I am again writing about temple symbols and this time about 6 pointed starstones. Five pointed starstones get a lot of attention because critics misinterpret the symbolism and use that misinterpretation to falsely characterize the temple and the church. Since six pointed stars are harder to interpret sinisterly, they are conveniently overlooked by critics. I am not a critic and will tell you

LDS Temple Symbols - Starstones - 5 Pointed Stars

2011-06-08T17:00:00.002-06:00

I've already written about sunstones and moonstones on temples. Now I'd like to write about starstones. I'll begin with five pointed stars and gradually progress through the various types of stars on LDS temples. Nauvoo Temple corner with various symbolic stones The Nauvoo Illinois Temple was the first to use symbolic sun, moon, and star stones. As I pointed out earlier, these were meant to

LDS Temple Symbols - Moonstones

2011-06-05T18:11:00.001-06:00

Earlier I wrote a post on LDS temple sunstones. Now I want to discuss a related symbol - moonstones. Nauvoo Temple Moonstone Symbolic moonstones are used on many Mormon Temples and first appeared on the Nauvoo Illinois Temple. These were crescent moons and you may notice that the stones include the silhouette of a face. If you read my sunstone post, you will remember that the sunstone face

LDS Temple Symbols - Sunstones

2011-05-29T18:31:00.004-06:00

The Sun has been used as a temple symbol from the second Mormon temple, the Nauvoo Temple. This symbol has a lot of meaning, and that meaning varies depending on how it is used on a particular temple. Sometimes the symbol may have multiple meanings on a given temple adding a rich depth of symbolism. I'm going to focus on sun stones mainly and skip over sun symbols in glass. The first

The Oakland California Temple Tree of Life Motif

2011-05-24T13:00:00.004-06:00

The Tree of Life is used as a symbol on many LDS temples. Sometimes the tree is realistically depicted. Other times a stylized version of the Tree of Life is used. The Oakland California Temple uses a stylized version of the Tree of Life that I really like. I have found this symbol in two prominent locations. Each of the five towers of the Oakland Temple have the stylized Tree of Life

LDS Temple Symbols - A Circle in a Square

2011-05-22T17:43:00.001-06:00

Circle in Square, Las Vegas Nevada Temple One common Mormon temple symbol is that of a circle inscribed in a square. This is a very simple symbol with a neat meaning. The circle in the square represent heaven and earth coming together (a great temple symbol). The heavens are often described as a bowl and often symbolized by a circle. In paintings, God is often depicted as laying out the

LDS Temple Baptismal Font Staircases

2011-05-19T13:00:00.000-06:00

This is another post on staircases in LDS Temples. Today I'll be briefly discussing baptismal font stairs. Above from left to right are pictures of the baptismal font stairs in the Nauvoo Illinois Temple, St. George Utah Temple, Logan Utah Temple (original), Salt Lake Temple, Laie Hawaii Temple, and the Cardston Alberta Canada Temple. These staircases are typical of many temple stairs where

The Las Vegas Nevada Temple

2011-05-16T13:00:00.000-06:00

I really like the Las Vegas Nevada Temple. It shares the impressive floor plan of the Portland Oregon Temple and is therefore a highly modified form of the six spire sloped roof style of temple. The details that went into this particular temple are impressive. Members donated large amounts of money to build the temple beyond their tithing. In fact, they raised $11 million, 428% of what they

LDS Temple Symbols - Ursa Major (The Big Dipper) and Polaris

2011-05-14T11:25:00.000-06:00

The constellation Ursa Major (The Big Dipper) is carved onto the Salt Lake Temple's west central tower. This symbol has a lot of meaning and is used in a few other temples. I'd like to highlight the symbol's meaning and how and where it is used. The first temple to have this symbol was the Salt Lake Temple. The west central tower lacks windows on the top story allowing for the big dipper

The Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple

2011-05-14T11:19:00.000-06:00

The Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple (in a suburb of Omaha) is a wonderful temple that I'd like to highlight today. Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple The temple is one of the first style of small temples with some notable differences. It is two stories tall and is built into a hill. It actually shares a floor plan with the Snowflake Arizona Temple. In this case, the hill is actually the

Temple Materials - Brick

2011-05-13T13:00:00.003-06:00

This is another installment on temple materials. This time we are discussing brick. You might ask what my opinion is on brick. As a building material I hate it. As an architectural material, I often like it. I hate it as a building material because it is brittle, heavy, and hard to reinforce (sometimes impossible). This is really bad if you are in an area with seismic concerns. Brick also

Making Temples Local - Flowers

2011-05-10T20:20:00.000-06:00

I'll probably do multiple posts on making temples fit in locally. I'll start with flowers. One way the church has (especially recently) helped temples feel unique and built for a given state or nation is to use locally significant flowers. Many of the first types of small temples included the state flower in carpets, upholstery, and elsewhere. This was one of a few changes to help these

Temple Materials - Precast Concrete

2011-05-08T17:58:00.000-06:00

This post will start a series of posts that I intend to write from time to time about temple materials. Oddly enough, instead of starting with stone or plaster (the earliest materials) I am starting with precast concrete (the most modern material in my opinion). As an engineer, I respect concrete as a building material. It is essentially a combination of coarse aggregate (stone chips, gravel,

Alternatives to Angel Moroni Statues

2011-05-07T18:43:00.028-06:00

I've already written a lengthy post about Angel Moroni statues on LDS temples. This post is about other notable temple toppers. The original and rebuilt Nauvoo Illinois Temple had(have) a bell tower on the top. Yes, the original temple had a flying Angel Moroni weather vane and the rebuilt one has a statue of Moroni. In addition to this, both temples contain(ed) a bell as the tower is a bell

Crenelated Mormon Temples

2011-05-05T13:00:00.002-06:00

Perhaps you are wondering what a crenelation is. It is a parapet with short segments cut out. They are used in castles and fortress walls. So I could have also labeled this post "Battlements on LDS Temples" or "The Castellated Temple Style". But crenelation is a fun word, so I'm going to use it. A major feature of the temples Brigham Young built are the crenelations and other castle style

Colorful Temple Exteriors

2011-05-04T13:00:00.011-06:00

White has become so synonymous with the temple that we seem to forget the examples of temples that aren't white or any color remotely close to white. The Kirtland Ohio TempleCurrently the Kirtland Ohio Temple is white (and not owned by the church). Originally it had sparkling blue walls, a red roof, and green doors (the doors are still green). Our first temple was clearly not white, but

Celestial Room Staircases

2011-05-03T13:00:00.002-06:00

Here is another installment on Temple Staircases. This time I'll be discussing celestial room staircases. In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];Doctrine and Covenants 131:1-2 Putting a staircase in the celestial room in a temple is

LDS Temple Grand Staircases

2011-05-02T13:00:00.005-06:00

This is another installment in my LDS Temple staircase series of posts. Today I want to show some grand staircases. I'll start with the Salt Lake Temple where the endowment ceremony uses the grand staircase well. You see it before entering the creation room. When you leave the garden room you step onto the staircase, already a few steps up it on a small landing. This emphasizes our choice in

Holy of Holies in Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

2011-05-01T16:09:00.001-06:00

The Holy of Holies is the most sacred part of a temple and is only really in one temple today - the Salt Lake Temple. Little known is the fact that several temples have had Holy of Holies. To start out I should point out that the term "Holy of Holies" comes from the Bible and referred to the most sacred part of the Tabernacle, Solomon's Temple, Zerrubbabel's Temple, and the Temple of Herod.

LDS Temple Murals - Part 7 - The Rebuilt Nauvoo Temple Murals

2011-04-30T21:54:00.001-06:00

In recent years (the last decade or so) the church has begun using painted murals in temple endowment rooms. The rebuilt Nauvoo Temple is an excellent example. I suspect that gathering the artists for this project and having murals painted in a new temple was a catalyst that got the church to use murals in all new temples again. I can't confirm it, but a lot of the details required for the

Exterior Temple Staircases

2011-04-24T15:22:00.000-06:00

This is another installment on Latter-day Saint Temple staircases. This time I'm focusing on exterior temple staircases. There are a lot of simple exterior staircases. The Kirtland Temple had a few steps leading to each door. The Nauvoo Temple was built with a more grand entry with a large set of front steps. Three of the pioneer temples included exterior staircases. Here are the stairs

Temple Spiral Staircases

2011-04-18T13:00:00.002-06:00

When The Tolmans suggested that I write a post on LDS temple staircases, I don't think they considered how broad of a topic that really is. There are internal and external staircases. There are multiple configurations of staircases. I've been organizing what to write on staircases for the last week or two and have decided that the topic will require multiple posts. I'm going to start with

The Portland Oregon Temple

2011-04-17T16:25:00.000-06:00

For any of you who didn't notice, I've updated some of my earlier posts with new images. Portland Oregon Temple The Portland Oregon Temple is one of my absolute favorite temples. This LDS Temple was completed in 1989. I've been to the grounds twice and inside once (the other time was a Sunday so it was closed). The Portland Temple is modern, detailed, ornate, sleek, bright, rich, original,

Updated Posts

2011-04-16T18:08:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd let you know that the following posts have been updated with new pictures: LDS Temple Assembly Halls - Now includes a picture of the Portland Oregon Temple Assembly Hall The Logan Temple - Then and Now - Now includes more photos including the original endowment rooms. LDS Temple Murals - Pt 1 - The Beginnings of Temple Murals - Now includes pictures of the original Logan Temple

Metal Clad Temple Towers, Domes, and Spires

2011-04-12T21:46:00.001-06:00

Temple towers, spires, and domes have occasionally been clad in metal. I want to talk a little about these. Many historic Christian churches have metal clad spires. Lead, Aluminum, Copper, Gold, and other metals have been used throughout history. The metals serve a practical function of protecting the spire as they weather well. Placing metals on churches was also a a way to make the church

LDS Temple Murals - Pt 6 - Baptistery Murals

2011-04-09T14:59:00.001-06:00

To see my other posts on Latter-day Saint temple murals click on the following links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Celestial room murals. Some of those original posts have been updated. For instance, baptistery murals are now included in the Laie Temple discussion and the Logan and Vernal Utah Temples' celestial room murals are also added to the celestial room murals post. As a quick

LDS Temple Murals - Pt 5 - Miscellaneous Murals

2011-04-09T13:06:00.000-06:00

This is a continuation of my posts on Latter-day Saint Temple murals. You can read the earlier posts by clicking on the links below: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Celestial Room Murals After the LA Temple was completed, the endowment began to be presented on film, eliminating the need for murals in endowment rooms. Because of this, murals stopped being used in endowment rooms until the 2000s

Bees and Beehives as Temple Symbols

2011-04-08T23:21:00.002-06:00

One interesting symbol occasionally used in LDS temples is the beehive (or bee). Bees and beehives have become a temple symbol for several reasons. Some early members were masons and apparently the masons like the symbol. In addition, bees are seen as a symbol of industry and working together. They are a wonderful symbol of the Law of Consecration. Bees also are used because The Book of

LDS Temple Historical Artifacts

2011-04-08T20:51:00.000-06:00

While most Mormon temples have historical artifacts placed in their cornerstones, several LDS Temples have historical artifacts on display. I was walking through the Ogden Temple one day and right by the clothing rental I noticed a copy of The Book of Mormon on display. I believe it was a first edition, although it may have been a few years newer. I assume they will keep it on display once the

Temple Additions

2011-04-06T21:13:00.001-06:00

At the request of The Tolmans who commented on my last post, I'm going to talk a little about temple additions. The St. George Utah Temple had a stair addition on the rear of the temple. This didn't alter the symmetry (as other temple additions have) and blends in fairly well with the temple. It isn't a perfect addition. Details such as window style give away that it is a 1970s addition.

Words as Temple Decoration

2011-04-05T21:56:00.001-06:00

Several temples use words to decorate the temple. For example, at the entrance to the Cardston Alberta Temple there is this verse by Orson Whitney that I found here. Here is the verse: Where spreads a feast unknown to festive halls. Freely partake, for freely God hath given And taste the holy joys that tell of heaven.Here learn of Him who triumphed o’er the grave, And unto men the keys, the

3 New Temples Announced

2011-04-03T20:44:00.000-06:00

At General Conference yesterday, President Thomas S. Monson announced that the church will be building temples in Fort Collins, Colorado; Meridian, Idaho; and Winnipeg, Canada. I was glad to hear about these temples, although a little surprised at the announcement as President Monson had been developing a pattern of announcing 5 temples each year in the October General Conference and none in

Distinctively Mormon Temples

2011-04-03T20:30:00.000-06:00

While researching about the Cardston Alberta Canada Temple I cam across this article. In it, the author praises the Cardston Temple as his favorite temple; however, he adds this statement:Despite my Prairie-School love, I am not even completely comfortable with the Cardston temple. After all, it is a fine work derivative of a larger tradition. Its primary aesthetic is not distinctively Mormon.

LDS Temple Murals - Pt 4 - The Idaho Falls and LA Temple Murals

2011-03-30T21:09:00.007-06:00

This is a continuation of my discussion on LDS Temple Murals. You can find the other parts by clicking on the respective links:Part 1: The Beginnings of Temple Murals Part 2: The Manti and Salt Lake Temple Murals Part 3: The Spireless Temple Murals Celestial Room Murals So far I have discussed murals through the Mesa Arizona Temple. Today I will discuss the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple and the

LDS Temple Murals - Pt 3 - The Spireless Temple Murals

2011-03-29T22:15:00.004-06:00

This is a continuation of my posts on LDS Temple Murals. Part 1 can be found here and part 2 can be found here. It took 20 years after the Salt Lake Temple was completed for another temple to start construction. Ten years after that, the Cardston Alberta Canada Temple was finally completed. In the meantime the Laie Hawaii Temple had been started and completed. Four years later, the Mesa

LDS Temple Murals - Pt 2 - The Manti and Salt Lake Temple Murals

2011-03-27T20:54:00.000-06:00

In my last post I talked about how the first temple murals developed. With the Logan Temple built with progressive endowment rooms and murals, plans for the Salt Lake Temple and Manti Temple were updated to include progressive endowment rooms and murals. The Manti Temple originally had murals painted by the pioneers. These were painted directly on the plastered walls and the murals in the

LDS Temple Murals - Pt 1 - The Beginnings of Temple Murals

2011-03-20T16:26:00.006-06:00

Many LDS temples have murals painted on the walls of the endowment rooms and occasionally in other areas of the temple such as the baptistery. I'm going to discuss the development of temple murals in a series of posts, beginning with this one. The first Mormon temples didn't have murals. The Kirtland Ohio Temple was mainly a place for revelation to be received and heavenly messengers (angels

LDS Temple Architecture Myths

2011-03-13T18:30:00.000-06:00

As members of the church we often get a certain picture of what a temple should be like. The architecture can be limited by preconceived notions of how a temple should be. I wanted to dispel some temple architecture myths and highlight temples that are different. (By the way, a commenter on this blog was mentioning some of these and his comments led me to write this post. Please comment, you

Kirtland Temple Symbols - Explanation part 1

2011-03-09T19:55:00.000-07:00

In my last post I showed a few symbols from the Kirtland Temple. Now I am going to explain some of them with a huge disclaimer. Here is the disclaimer: In my research I discovered that the symbols were taken from 2 architectural books (dated 30 years apart) and are decorative details. Okay, so what do I mean by that and why does it effect the symbol interpretation. Well, this means

Kirtland Temple Symbols - Overview

2011-02-27T21:34:00.000-07:00

I am trying to find the meanings for each of the symbols used in the Kirtland Temple. Many of the decorative carvings used in the Kirtland Temple look like they are just decorative, and I suspect many are purely decorative. I also know that many of the symbols have added meaning. Here are some symbols. I will rIt is true that merely having more decoration on the main floor and in

Salt Lake Temple Inverted Arches

2011-02-21T21:48:00.000-07:00

I'll make this a quick post. I work as a structural engineer and know a bit about the Salt Lake Temple from an engineering standpoint. Back in 1993 President Boyd K. Packer gave a talk on the Salt Lake Temple and he said this: They counted on the principle of the arch on each window distributing the immense weight of the stone above it. When the foundation was replaced with shaped granite

Salt Lake Temple Symbolic Progression

2011-02-20T16:55:00.000-07:00

One of the best parts of the older temples is the use of symbolic progression as one moves through the temple. When you move from endowment room to endowment room the architecture of each room can be designed to compliment the endowment ceremony in meaningful ways. I want to explain how some of this is achieved in the Salt Lake Temple. Each room in the Salt Lake Temple is more than the

Wheat as a Temple Symbol

2011-02-18T23:24:00.003-07:00

When you think of LDS temple architectural symbols you usually think of the sun, moon and star stones. Perhaps you think of the Angel Moroni. One symbol you might overlook is wheat. Several temples are adorned with wheat designs. These can represent many things, including: - Christ is the bread of life. We need to be constantly nourished spiritually by him. - A reminder about the parable of

Unique Sealing Rooms

2011-02-13T15:12:00.000-07:00

Today I'm just going to show some pictures and short commentary about what I consider are the most unique or interesting sealing rooms in LDS Temples. These rooms are used for temple marriages where a man and woman are married for time and all eternity and where children can be sealed to them for eternity. The pioneer temple sealing rooms: The St. George Utah Temple has a number of unique

Mormon Temple Stained Glass - Scenes with People

2011-02-12T12:06:00.002-07:00

The topic of temple stained glass windows is so large that I have avoided writing about it. This is unfortunate, because LDS temples have a rich history of using stained (and art) glass windows in various styles and ways. To make the topic manageable, today I'll just talk about scriptural scenes (with one exception). This post is limited to stained glass scenes of people so it does not

Original Salt Lake Temple Annex Building

2011-02-06T20:53:00.000-07:00