Meridian Idaho Temple Wiki

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The Meridian Idaho Temple is a temple in Meridian, Idaho.^[1]“Church Announces New Temples in Canada, Colorado and Idaho”, MormonNewsroom.org (News Release), LDS Church, April 2, 2011, retrieved January 5, 2015 There are approximately 426,000 Latter-day Saints in Idaho. Meridian, the third largest and fastest-growing city in the state, is located about eleven miles west of Boise. From 2000 to 2010, the city experienced 115 percent increase in population. During this time of rapid expansion, three additional stakes were organized in Meridian and four more in the surrounding communities of Nampa (the second largest city in the state), Kuna, and Middleton.

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History

The Church was first established in Idaho in 1855 after Brigham Young asked 26 Latter-day Saints to settle along the Salmon River. They remained there for about three years. More members of the Church arrived in 1860 and helped the Native Americans in the area learn about agriculture and the gospel of Jesus Christ. By 1890, when Idaho became a state, about one-fifth of the population was made up of Latter-day Saints.

Meridian was the third largest city and fastest-growing city in the state with a 115 percent increase in population from 2000 to 2010. During this time of rapid expansion, three additional stakes were organized in Meridian and four more in the surrounding communities of Nampa (the second largest city in the state), Kuna, and Middleton. It is located about 11 miles west of the capital city of Boise (the largest city in the state).

Announcement

A new temple for Meridian, Idaho, was announced on 2 April 2011, during the Saturday morning session of the 181st Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by President Thomas S. Monson on 2 April 2011.^[2]The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, “Church Announces New Temples in Canada, Colorado and Idaho,” 2 Apr. 2011. The temple was announced in conjunction with the Fort Collins, and Winnipeg Manitoba Temples.  He declared, “[The new temples] will certainly be a blessing to our members in those areas.”^[3]Thomas S. Monson, “It’s Conference Once Again,” Ensign, May 2011, https://www.lds.org/ensign/2011/05/its-conference-once-again?lang=eng. President Monsond declared, “[The new temples] will certainly be a blessing to our members in those areas.” The Meridian Idaho Temple was built to help alleviate some of the strain on the Boise Idaho Temple by serving a growing number of members in the area. Prior to the dedication of the Meridian Temple it was not uncommon to see the rooms at the Boise Idaho Temple filled to capacity.

Location Announced

On December 19, 2011, it was announced that the Meridian Idaho Temple would be constructed at 7345 North Linder Road, north of the intersection of North Linder Road and Chinden Blvd.^[4]“Site Announced for Meridian Idaho Temple”, MormonNewsroom.org (News Release), LDS Church, December 19, 2011, retrieved January 5, 2015

Render Released

On May 14, 2013, the official rendering of the Meridian Idaho Temple and site plan were released to the public in conjunction with a neighborhood meeting held as part of the government approval process.^[5]The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, “Rendering of Meridian Idaho Temple released to the public,” 14 May 2013. The design was a departure from the traditional towers and steeples of other temples, reminiscent of the Cardston Alberta Temple—the faith’s first temple to be designed without a steeple or spire, though the Laie Hawaii Temple (based on the Cardston design) was dedicated earlier. The multi-level temple would be topped with a beautiful gold dome-like structure supporting a gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni.

Government Approval

On August 8, 2013, the Ada County Planning and Zoning Commission approved the application for conditional use, master site plan, hillside development, private road, property boundary adjustment, landscaping, lighting, and signage approval for the Meridian Idaho Temple, an adjoining meetinghouse, and a utility building. The public hearing, which lasted four and a half hours, drew standing-room-only crowds and culminated in a 3-2 vote in favor of the plans with a restriction that nighttime lighting be limited to ground level after 10:00 p.m. The hearing first began on July 11, but it was tabled until the next meeting so that additional visuals representing the bulk, mass, and height of the temple as seen from the west and southwest could be produced.

On October 23, 2013, following a four-hour public hearing, the Ada County commissioners voted 2-0 to uphold the approval granted by the Planning and Zoning Commission for the Meridian Idaho Temple project. The hearing was scheduled after a resident appealed the commission’s August 8 decision, saying that the temple would have an adverse impact on the continued enjoyment of her property. Nearly 60 people gave testimony, about 80 percent in favor of the temple.^[6]Cynthia Sewell, “Ada commissioners uphold Meridian LDS temple approval,” Idaho Statesman, 24 Oct. 2013.

Groundbreaking

Elder David A. Bednar of The Quorum of the Twelve presided at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Meridian Idaho Temple on Saturday, August 23, 2014. He was accompanied by Elder Kent F. Richards, executive director of the Temple Department. Among the attending community and civic leaders were Meridian Mayor Tammy deWeerd, Eagle Mayor James Reynolds, and Ada County Commissioner Dave Cases. They all joined Elder Bednar to turn the first shovels of dirt on the project.

Elder Bednar encouraged those in attendance saying, “Let your gratitude continue long beyond this day, beyond the day of dedication, into the years when this temple will be a beacon and a light of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.”^[7]”Ground Broken for Meridian Idaho Temple,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 23 Aug. 2014.

During his remarks, Elder Bednar said, “What I pray you will remember is to have gratitude not just today as we assemble here, but gratitude when the way is easy. When attending the temple becomes easy, when it no longer requires much travel to get to a temple, the natural man and the natural woman in each of us often forgets to be grateful.” After the ceremony, those in attendance were invited to shovel some of the dirt on the site as part of the groundbreaking.

Construction

While there was some public opposition to the temple, it had primarily died down by the time temple construction began. There were reports of theft of tools from the site.

Additionally, there was a vandalism incident. Someone broke into the construction area on a weekend and used black spray paint to cover walls with graffiti — including racist symbols and anti-religious messages. The vandals also emptied tubes of construction adhesive on the walls and floors of the building, causing at least $500 worth of damage.^[8]Nate Eaton, “LDS temple construction site vandalized in Idaho,” KSL.com. Local Latter-day Saints expressed their appreciation to those building the temple by providing treats and lunches to the construction workers. “The Primary children will write notes to the workers, and that touches them more than you could imagine. And it just shows the excitement through the valley for this new temple that they get in their backyard,” Lindhart said.

Angel Moroni

The 13-foot-6-inch statue of the angel Moroni was hoisted by crane to the top of the Meridian Idaho Temple on July 20, 2016. Once work began, a small crowd of onlookers gathered to watch and cheer.^[9]”Angel Moroni Statue Tops Meridian Idaho Temple,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 20 Jul. 2016.

Open House

The free public open house for the Meridian Idaho Temple was held on Saturday, 21 October 2017, through 11 November 2017, except for the Sundays of 22 and 29 October and 5 November 2017. More than 200,000 people toured the interior and grounds of the temple during the public open house.

J. Craig Rowe, the coordinator of the Meridian temple committee, commented, “We feel the Meridian temple open house was very successful. We opened the doors of the temple and allowed people from all walks of life here in the Treasure Valley and the western part of Idaho to feel the Spirit and see the beauty of the Meridian temple.” He continued: We have watched our members grow [their] excitement in anticipation of its [the temple’s] opening. During the past three years of construction, there has been an anticipation about the future, and an excitement to have another house of the Lord in the valley. . . .We had people from all walks of life, a number of people from other faiths and those with no faith tradition at all. We enjoyed the company of many national and local political leaders, as well as everyday families and youth from the valley. It was a wonderful occasion and honor to have so many people come and enjoy a tour of the temple.”

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and his wife, Lori Otter, Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, and his wife, Rebecca Johnson Labrador, and Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, and his wife, Vicki Risch, toured the temple along with other state and local leaders.

More than 5,000 volunteers — composed of members from the 16 stakes in the temple district — helped make the open house a success.

Cultural Celebration

Nearly 6,000 youth from the 16 stakes of the Meridian Idaho Temple district gathered to Taco Bell Arena on the campus of Boise State University to celebrate the dedication of the temple through a musical cultural celebration, entitled “Be Strong, Steadfast, and Immovable” on Saturday, November 18, 2017. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “Here in the wonderful Treasure Valley is a great treasure of young people of faith.” The story goes that at the end of every rainbow is a pot of gold. “You are a much greater treasure than any treasure at any rainbow,” he said. “You are the future of this community, of this area. You are the treasure of all those who live here: your own families, your own generations who passed before and who will follow, and for those who live in this beautiful area.”^[10]Marianne Holman Prescott and Rachel Sterzer, “LDS Youth Celebrate New Meridian Idaho Temple,” Church News 19 Nov. 2017.

Hudson Roberts, one of the performers in the cultural celebration, commented, “I think it’s really cool that this is able to bring so many youths close together. I think it helps us learn to love each other more and love our culture and Idaho and Meridian.” Their performance titled “Be strong, Steadfast and Immovable” showed their commitment to following Christ and the history of the Gem State.

While the youths practiced for months all for this day, many older LDS members in the community are happy to see Meridian be home to a new temple. Former pro-baseball player Vernon Law commented, “It means a lot to the city of Meridian and the surrounding area. I know people have looked forward to something like this for years and years.”

Dedication

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the Meridian Idaho Temple in three sessions on November 19, 2017. He said in his dedicatory prayer, “Bless all who attend this temple as patrons, workers, or in any other capacity that Thy sacred covenants and ordinances may be deeply anchored in their minds and hearts. May they know that the service they give is service unto Thee and may they find joy therein.”

he dedication was broadcast to members of the Church in Idaho and the temple district. The three-hour block of meetings was canceled for those congregations to enable members of the Church to participate and focus on this sacred event.

Dedication Order

The Meridian Idaho Temple was the fifth temple built in the state of Idaho, following the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple (1945), the Boise Idaho Temple (1984), the Rexburg Idaho Temple (2008), and the Twin Falls Idaho Temple (2008).

The Meridian Idaho Temple is the Church’s 158th operating temple around the world.

Under Construction	Awaiting Groundbreaking	Under Renovation
Rome Italy	Urdaneta Philippines	Frankfurt Germany
Concepcion Chile	Abidjan Ivory Coast	Jordan River Utah
Fortaleza Brazil	Port-au-Prince	Tokyo Japan
Lisbon Portugal	Bangkok Thailand	Memphis Tennessee
Winnipeg Manitoba	Quito Ecuador	Oklahoma City Oklahoma
Barranquilla Columbia	Harare Zimbabwe
Durban South Africa	Belem Brazil
Kinshasa D. R. C.	Lima Peru Los Olivos
Tucson Arizona	Brasilia Brazil
Arequipa Peru	Greater Manila Philippines
Cedar City Utah	Nairobi Kenya
Rio De Janeiro Brazil	Pocatello Idaho
	Saratoga Springs Utah

Presidents and Matrons

Temple President	Years Served
President James R. McCauley	2017–

Details

Location

The beautiful Meridian Idaho Temple sits on the north end of the city along the Boise River and North Linder Road. The exterior design draws inspiration from the early temples of the Church including the Cardston Alberta Temple. A meetinghouse shares the temple site with a joint parking lot. The ample and well-manicured grounds are beautified by two large ponds and an expansive east lawn.

The Meridian Idaho Temple stands on the Boise River at 7345 North Linder Road in Meridian, approximately a 12-mile (or 20-minute) drive from the Boise Idaho Temple, a few blocks north of the intersection of North Linder Road and Chinden Boulevard. The two temples serve together to meet the needs of the Saints of the Treasure Valley and its surrounding region.

Tom Lindhardt, the project manager of the temple, said, “It’s on a bluff that overlooks the Boise River. It’s just a beautiful setting. As you look to the views of the north and the east, you start to see the foothills of the Sawtooth Mountains.”

Exterior

The temple has a precast white exterior and is topped with an Angel Moroni statue that stands 13 feet tall. The temple’s design incorporates seismic standards above the code requirements, including its exterior cladding. The cladding is connected to the steel frame so that it discharges energy through a rocking motion and acts like a buffer in the event of an earthquake.^[11]“ENR Mountain States 2018 Best Projects Cultural/Worship: Award of Merit: Meridian Idaho LDS Temple”. Engineering News-Record. October 19, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2019.

Cladding

Exterior design themes include agriculture and mountains. The temple’s primary exterior color palette features creamy white, gold, turquoise and bronze.

Windows

The exterior colors are re-used in the art-glass designs. Many windows feature a floral theme, starting with seed elements at the base, then long stems reaching upward, and rising to blossoming lily-like flowers at the top.

Symbolism

Inscriptions

There are 2 inscriptions on the Meridian Idaho Temple. The first is on the east side of the temple at the top of the temple. The inscription is engraved in the precast concrete and painted black.

HOLINESS TO THE LORD
THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

The second inscription is above the entrance to the temple. Like the inscription on the east side, it is engraved into the concrete and painted black.

HOLINESS TO THE LORD
THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

Cornerstone

The cornerstone on the Meridian Idaho Temple is on the south east corner of the temple facing east. The text is engraved into the concrete panel and painted black.

ERECTED
2017

Spires and Moroni

Spire

The temple has no traditional spire, instead featuring a very prominent central tower, topped with an 8 sided dome.

Moroni

The Angel Moroni Statue was added to the top of the Meridian Idaho Temple on 20 July 2016. A small crowd of onlookers gathered to watch the event. The statue is a fiberglass casting of a statue carved in 1985 by Karl Quilter and was placed on the temple to face south.

Interior

The 67,331-square-foot temple is made of structural steel and concrete. The temple interior includes marble quarried from Egypt, Italy, and Spain.^[12]“ENR Mountain States 2018 Best Projects Cultural/Worship: Award of Merit: Meridian Idaho LDS Temple”. Engineering News-Record. October 19, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2019.; Caldwell, Tiffany (November 19, 2017). “Mormon church dedicates fifth temple in Idaho”. The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved November 20, 2017. According to the church, the temple’s design includes the syringa (Idaho’ state flower) and golds, blues and greens in the wool rugs and stained glass, reflecting Idaho harvest and nature.^[13]Beech, Holly (October 16, 2017), “‘Sacred,’ not secret: New Meridian temple to open for public tours”, Meridian Press, retrieved January 16, 2019

There are more than 100 paintings inside the temple, including 10 original pieces of art. Two original murals reflect the Idaho mountains and wilderness.

Motif

Other floral designs are used throughout the temple; the camas flowers and the white syringa, Idaho’s state flower. They are used in the stained-glass windows to the carpet carvings in the celestial and sealing rooms.

Stonework

The Interior of the temple was constructed with marble quarried from Sunny Vinato marble from Egypt, Italy, and Spain.

^[14]Caldwell, Tiffany (November 19, 2017). “Mormon church dedicates fifth temple in Idaho”. The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved November 20, 2017.

Woodwork

The woodwork in the Meridian Idaho Temple is Sapele wood from Africa.

Instruction Rooms

The temple has three instruction rooms, 2 two featuring wrap-around murals of regional landscapes and a third with ornate willwork. The endowment is presented in a progressive style, with patrons starting in one of the two muraled rooms then moving to the to the Third room to finish the presentation.

Sealing Rooms

The temple has five sealing rooms.

Individuals and Contractors

Architect	The Richardson Design Partnership
Project Manager	Tom Lindhardt
Contractor	Jacobsen Construction
Engineering Review	Morrison Hershfield
Interior stone	Global Stone