Wallgren’s Commision

A Life-sized Statue

President Hinckley introduced the world to the idea of smaller temples during the closing Sunday session of Conference in April of 1998.^[1] Hinckley, Gordon B. “New Temples to Provide “Crowning Blessings” of the Gospel, Ensign, April 1998″ His plan, initially would be comprised of a building featuring a celestial room, an endowment room, a sealing room, a baptistry and the appropriate changing rooms in a modern day take on the small scale serviceability of Brigham Young’s Endowment House. (After the first 3 of these temples were completed, the plan was expanded slightly, with a second endowment room, a second sealing room, and a waiting area for non-patrons.) But as these new small temples were initially an experiment in determining how small a serviceable temple could be built, there was another experiment in their design that was very short lived.

This new statue was designed and sculpted by LaVar Wallgren. LaVar, who to this point had been the one creating the fiberglass shells, now had the chance to design one himself. His first ‘inspiration,’ as he would relate it to a reporter^[2] Cala Byram “A Life-size Moroni” Deseret News, 23 May 1998. , was immediately accepted by the church for inclusion on the new temples, despite LaVar having no formal art training.

The Commission

President Hinckley envisioned a new statue, white rather than gold, to be used upon these small temples. While still allowing these new mini temples to be identified at a glance as a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they would be a bit cheaper, due to the lack of the ubiquitous gilding used for the previous 106 years.

Design

This angel stands at 5’ 11 inches tall and has two features that make it very unique. First and most obvious is the scroll the statue holds in its left hand. The second identifying feature is that the Moroni Wallgren created is far younger than any other Moroni statue. The face is that of a more youthful prophet, rather than an older and wiser one.

First Placement

Three of President Hinckley’s small, one endowment room temples, were begun almost immediately. As the first of these, in Monticello Utah neared completion, the first of Brother Wallgrens new white angel statues was lowered into place atop its 70 foot high spire on 14 May of 1998. Hopes were high for this new statue, and with a promise of at least 30 new small temples being built,^[3] Hinckley, Gordon B. “New Temples to Provide “Crowning Blessings” of the Gospel, Ensign, April 1998″ Wallgren had already begun the next five statues.^[4] Cala Byram “A Life-size Moroni” Deseret News, 23 May 1998.

The construction of the temple had not even finished when it was determined that the white statues were going to be an issue. Only slightly lighter in color than the cream colored stone of the temple exterior, the statue was beautiful on clear sunny days. However, anytime a cloud moved behind the statue it practically vanished from view. It turned out the statue was just too difficult to see.

Second Placement

The second of President Hinckley’s’ single endowment room temples neared completion. Seven months after the placement of Wallgren’s first statue, the second statue was placed atop the Anchorage Alaska Temple on 17 December 1998. Unlike the first, this statue was gold leafed from the day it arrived on site.

While the second statue was successfully gilded and placed without issue, other events speak of problems with the “Life-size Moroni” program. The same day that the Anchorage statue was placed, the Colonia Juarez Mexico temple, the third and last of the one endowment room mini temples, was receiving a Moroni statue atop it’s spire as well.

Unlike its sister temples, it received a replica of Karl Quilter’s larger 7 foot statue instead. Already the life size Moroni program was on its way out. The five additional statues Wallgren had started would be the last of that model his shop or any other would cast.

Removal

Two of the statues had now been placed, but before the third would go atop a spire, the first would come down.

One year and 11 days after it was to grace the spire at Monticello, the one and only white Angel Moroni was removed from the tower and replaced with a 7 foot Quilter statue. The white statue was shipped to Salt Lake never to be used again.^[5] Personal observation of this statue in storage January 2017 by Marvin Quist.

The remaining four statues would be gold leafed and placed on temples before another year would pass. The first was placed just ten days later, at Columbus, Ohio.

Bismarck North Dakota, and Kona Hawaii Temples would receive numbers four and five that year, and Caracas Venezuela Temple would receive number 6 the following March. No other copies of this statue have since been completed for use upon additional temples

Identification Guide