Rough Beginnings for the Seattle Statue
The Risks of Showing off
In Bellevue Washington around 1979, a new temple was under construction. The framework for the spire was in, and project managers decided the time had come for the placement of the statue. A call was made to Richard Young to request the statue that he and Dr. Fairbanks had made for the Seattle Temple. Excited about the coming statue, due to arrive on Tuesday 23 October,[1]Hansen, Lynne Hollstein, “Much publicity given Seattle Temple events,” Church News, 3 November 1979, p. 12. States the statue was scheduled to arrive October 18, and was ready to be placed October 19, but earlier states placement on October 25. they then contacted the local press and let them now of the imminent arrival of the statue.
On the appointed day, many members of the press arrived on site and waited all day long for the statue. It never arrived.[2]Sherry Grindland, “Angel Delayed in Traffic,” Journal American, 18 October 1979.; “Angel Ascends: Statue overcomes delay,” The Seattle Times,20 October 1979 On the next day, the press members arrived again, and again they waited all day. Again, the statue failed to arrive.
Later that night, one reporter happened to be to be traveling past the temple. She noticed that a large wooden framework had been erected in front of the temple and covered with plastic. Behind the framework were bright lights, and as the wind pushed the plastic around, a large golden angel could clearly be seen inside the structure. For a moment, she would later recall, I thought it was the second coming itself.” The statue had finally arrived. The next day, the press arrived again. The statue, they were told, had been held up in traffic. Officially, the delay was because shipping was “slowed down by rain.”[3]Hansen, Lynne Hollstein. Then, after arrival, the wind had blown a piece of wood into it, requiring some quick repairs to it.
Such might be the case.
But the story the press was given is not the story that others tell.
According to David O. Dance, then a Stake President, the driver for Richard young was so excited to have the new angel statue on the back of the truck, he spent the first day driving all over Salt Lake Valley showing it off to his friends. In the process, the trumpet of the Statue caught on a low-lying branch. President Dance reported that the trumpet broke off at that time, while Richard Young believes that the trumpet bent, and the vibration of the road during the trip from Salt Lake to Bellevue caused the damaged portion to vibrate and separate completely. Additionally, President Dance reports that, as the driver had been concerned that any tarp over the statue would scratch and damage the gold leafing, he had made the decision to not cover it during shipment. The end result is that the wind and dust and bugs encountered on the trip to Seattle had, apparently, scoured the leaf off the statue.[4]Dance, David O 1922-. Seattle Temple files, 1975-1986 , (accessed: August 2019)
However it happened, photos of the arrival of the statue show that the horn and all the trumpet past the hand were missing when the statue arrived on site, presumably lying in the bed of the truck. Other photos show the gold on the statue dull and lifeless, missing the traditional bright luster that new gold leafing displays for years to come. Richard Young was contacted about the damaged arrival of the statue. He relates that he and Earnest Demke, the gilder for the statue, caught an immediate flight to Bellevue. He arrived to find that the statue had been placed into a concrete socket made for the eventual flagpole, and a temporary scaffold erected around it. He and another contractor welded the trumpet back onto the hand, then used an angle grinder to smooth the welds. Then the scaffold was closed and lights and heat set up. Earnest Demke spent all night re-leafing the whole statue in order to have it ready for placement the next day, 25 October 1979.[5]Young, Richard, Personal Interview with Brian Olson and Marvin Quist, 10 July 2018.
Damaged in Protest
After the statues rough trip to the temple, it was now safely placed upon the 180-foot spire, and that was the end of the story for this Statue. Except, of course, it wasn’t. The Seattle temple was constructed during a period of time when the push for the Equal Rights amendment was front and center of public discussion. The amendment, to date, has never passed, and a resurgence of the discussion is being seen today. It was well known in the public forums that the LDS Church was opposed to the amendment. The opposition stemmed from multiple points, such as equality laws already not being enforced, and a concern that passing of the law would legitimize behaviors the Church teaches as immoral, such as abortion. The temple became a point of focus for those who opposed the Church’s opposition to the amendment. Protesters would frequently chain themselves to the fences or gates of the Construction site.[6]Dance, David O 1922-. Seattle Temple files, 1975-1986 , (accessed: August 2019)
Amidst all this clamor, on the 3rd of November, just 9 days after the Moroni was placed, those arriving on the site found a large banner hanging from the Angel. The banner, comprised of words painted on a bedsheet, read “Galatians 1:8.”[7]Steve Miletich, “Bible-quoting banner draped atop temple,” Journal American, 26 November 1979 The verse thus referenced reads “but though we or an angel preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached, let him be accursed.” The banner had a loop of wire on the top of it that was used to hang the statue from the arm and trumpet of the angel.
According to the newspapers, the Police believed it to have been related to the ERA protests, but had no suspects.[8]“Defacing symbols exceeds bound of religious debate,” Journal American., 28 November 1979 According to President Dance, the stunt had been pulled by several “evangelical youngsters, all women” who climbed the unfinished spire in the middle of the night to hang the banner. The wire and the act of hanging the banner caused damage to the Gold leafing, again requiring repairs.[9]Dance, David O 1922-. Seattle Temple files, 1975-1986 , (accessed: August 2019)
Public reaction to the banner was unsurprisingly mixed, running the range from support to outrage. One supporter of the ERA decried the act, saying that regardless of politics the Church was still entitled to its opinion and lawbreaking crossed the line of appropriate protest. No arrests were ever made in the incident.[10]“Defacing symbols exceeds bound of religious debate,” Journal American., 28 November 1979
Chapter 5 Navigation
References
| ↑1 | Hansen, Lynne Hollstein, “Much publicity given Seattle Temple events,” Church News, 3 November 1979, p. 12. States the statue was scheduled to arrive October 18, and was ready to be placed October 19, but earlier states placement on October 25. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Sherry Grindland, “Angel Delayed in Traffic,” Journal American, 18 October 1979.; “Angel Ascends: Statue overcomes delay,” The Seattle Times,20 October 1979 |
| ↑3 | Hansen, Lynne Hollstein. |
| ↑4, ↑6, ↑9 | Dance, David O 1922-. Seattle Temple files, 1975-1986 , (accessed: August 2019) |
| ↑5 | Young, Richard, Personal Interview with Brian Olson and Marvin Quist, 10 July 2018. |
| ↑7 | Steve Miletich, “Bible-quoting banner draped atop temple,” Journal American, 26 November 1979 |
| ↑8, ↑10 | “Defacing symbols exceeds bound of religious debate,” Journal American., 28 November 1979 |