Mesa Arizona Temple Wiki

Description

The Mesa Arizona Temple (formerly the Arizona Temple; nicknamed the Lamanite Temple)^[1]Brown, David M. (September 27, 2009), “Mesa temple is a big draw”, The Arizona Republic is the seventh operating temple. Located in the city of Mesa, Arizona, it is the first of six LDS temples built or planned in the state.

History

The LDS temple in Mesa was one of the first to be constructed by the church. Similar to the Cardston Alberta Temple, the church decided to hold a competition for the design of the temple with the exception of only inviting three Salt Lake firms to participate. The winning design was proposed by Don Carlos Young, Jr. and Ramm Hansen. Announced in 1919, only seven years after Arizona had achieved statehood, it was one of 3 temples announced and constructed to serve outlying Latter-day Saint settlements in the early part of the century, the others being constructed in Laie, Hawaii and Cardston, Alberta. While none of the three settlements were particularly large in their own right, they were considered thriving centers of largely Latter-day Saint populations. The long and arduous trip to existing temples located in the state of Utah would prove costly and even dangerous for the faithful of the era, and temple attendance was (and is) an important part of the faith. As such, it was seen as necessary to construct temples in these communities.

Announcement

Numerous colonies had been set up in Arizona by the church during the last half of the nineteenth century, and plans had been discussed for a temple in the area as early as 1908, but the start of World War I stopped these for a while. The plan to build a temple in Mesa, Arizona was finally announced on 3 October 1919 during General Conference.^[2]Heber J. Grant, in the Improvement Era of September, 1927 Most Stake Presidents presented their own stakes as being the perfect location for the temple, with sites being put forward in Snowflake Arizona and a site in California between then Los Angeles and Santa Monica. (This last location would have put the temple near the present day location of the Los Angeles Temple. )^[3]Richard O. Cowan “The Historic Arizona Temple” Journal of Mormon History, Vol. 31, No. 1, 2005. Accessed 24 June 2017.

A 20-acre (81,000 m²) site was selected and purchased in 1921.

Groundbreaking

President Heber J. Grant dedicated the site on 28 November 1921. 3,000 people attended, the outline of the temple was marked with Date Palm branches, and songs were sung by children accompanied by an orchestra.^[4]Richard O. Cowan “The Historic Arizona Temple” Journal of Mormon History, Vol. 31, No. 1, 2005. Accessed 24 June 2017.

Construction

Construction officially commenced on 25 April 1922 with excavation for the basement. Arthur Price of the Church Building Department arrived the following January to oversee the project as Construction Architect.^[5]Richard O. Cowan “The Historic Arizona Temple” Journal of Mormon History, Vol. 31, No. 1, 2005. Accessed 24 June 2017. This was the last temple that was Member Built.

Cornerstone

A Cornerstone was laid under the Direction of Elder Richard R. Lyman of the Quorum of the Twelve on 12 November 1923. A Metal box with items of local interest was placed as part of the ceremony.^[6]Richard O. Cowan “The Historic Arizona Temple” Journal of Mormon History, Vol. 31, No. 1, 2005. Accessed 24 June 2017.

Six days later the Arizona Historical Society placed a box of its own in the wall as well.^[7]Richard O. Cowan “The Historic Arizona Temple” Journal of Mormon History, Vol. 31, No. 1, 2005. Accessed 24 June 2017.

Open House

The public was able to take tours through the temple during the last 2 years of construction. Open Houses for temples were an uncommon practice at the time. Two hundred thousand people were able to take a tour through the Mesa Temple. Special high profile guests included the Governor of Illinois.^[8]Richard O. Cowan “The Historic Arizona Temple” Journal of Mormon History, Vol. 31, No. 1, 2005. Accessed 24 June 2017.

Dedication

The temple was dedicated on 23 October 1927, by Heber J. Grant over 10 sessions. The dedication services were broadcast by radio to surrounding areas, a first for temple dedications.^[9]Trent Toone, “Notable 2017 LDS Church dates and anniversaries”, Deseret News, 4 January 2017. Accessed 24 June 2017.

By that afternoon, the temple was being put to use.

City Planning

Following the earlier traditions set forth in the building of temples, such as the Salt Lake Temple, the new structure in Mesa was a centerpiece of an organized and planned community for the faithful that lived nearby. Upon its completion in 1927, it was the third largest temple in use by the church and the largest outside of Utah and remains among the largest temples constructed to this day.

Dedicatory Prayer

Dedication Order

The Mesa Arizona Temple is the 7th operating temple, The 1st in Arizona, the 6th in the United States, and the 7th in North America. There were no other temples planned or under construction at the time of its dedication.

1945

In 1945, the temple was distinguished by becoming the first to offer temple ordinances in Spanish, the first time they were offered in a language other than English.

1952

In 1952 the courtyard on the east side of the temple was enclosed and added to the baptistry area of the temple.

1953

In 1953 the courtyard on the north side of the temple was enclsoed and added to the kitchen and dining area.

1954

in 1954 the third and final courtyard on the south side of the temple was enclosed, this time being added to the laundry and clothing distribution space of the temple.

Renovation 1975

The Mesa Temple was closed in February 1974 for extensive remodeling. The Mesa Arizona Temple was originally constructed with muraled progressive-style ordinance rooms. Patrons started in a Creation Room, then moved sequentially to a Garden Room, a World Room, and Terrestrial Room (which had murals). They were designed around a grand staircase leading to the Celestial Room, occupying the highest level of the temple. During the remodel the first three ordinance rooms were equipped for motion-picture presentation of the endowment sessions. The Terrestrial Room became a veil room used by each of the other 3 rooms. The decaying burlap murals were removed from the rooms, and the salvageable pieces were shipped to Church headquarters for preservation and storage.

A new and larger entrance was added to the west side of the temple. An additional 17,000 square feet (1,600 m²) was added to the temple, mostly to the south. The addition provides larger dressing rooms and increases the number of sealing rooms.^[10] “Mesa Arizona Temple”, LDSChurchTemples.com, retrieved 2012-10-09

The new addition kept the same terra-cotta tile look as the original portion of the temple, changing only the window styles to sets of 3 taller windows.

Open House

An open house for the remodeled temple was held 19 March-3 April 1975. an estimated 205,000 people attended this open house, an average of 14,643 per each of the 14 days.^[11]<a href=”https://www.lds.org/ensign/1975/06/news-of-the-church/president-kimball-rededicates-arizona-temple”>”President Kimball Rededicates Arizona Temple,” </a><em>Ensign</em>, June 1975. Accessed 26 June 2017.

The Mesa Arizona Temple was the first temple to reopen to the public for an open house after a remodel and prior to a rededication.

Rededication

The newly remodeled temple was rededicated 15-16 April 1975 by President Spencer W. Kimball over 7 sessions. 4,600 people attended within the temple, the visitors center, and a nearby stake center for each of the dedicatory sessions. President Kimball noted that he had sung as part of the St. Joseph stake Choir at the original dedication of the temple in 1927.^[12]“News of the Church”, Ensign, June 1975^[13]“We praise Thy Holy Name, our Beloved Father”, Church News, April 19, 1975^[14]<a href=”https://www.lds.org/ensign/1975/06/news-of-the-church/president-kimball-rededicates-arizona-temple”>”President Kimball Rededicates Arizona Temple,” </a><em>Ensign</em>, June 1975. Accessed 26 June 2017.

Rededicatory Prayer

Rededication Order

At the time of the rededication of the temple, there were 17 total dedicated temples in the world, including Mesa Arizona. The St. George Temple was undergoing remodel at that time, so the number of active temples int he world was 16. Plans for a temple in Sao Paulo Brazil had recently been announced.

Temples awaiting groundbreaking	temples undergoing renovation.
St. George Utah	Sao Paulo Brazil

1980

In 1980, a fourth ordinance room was added by converting a space previously used by the female patrons. This allowed endowment sessions to begin every half hour.

1991

In 1991, the preserved sections of the original murals were sent back to the Mesa Arizona Temple for re-installation and restoration. Only one wall in each room could be restored. The new ordinance room added in 1980, which did not have a mural before, was decorated with sections from the original World Room mural.

Renovation 2020

Announcement

On 27 June 2017, the Church announced that Mesa Arizona (Along with Baton Rouge Louisiana and Raleigh North Carolina) would be closing in 2018 for renovations. The closure is intended to last from 2015 to 2020 and will include mechanical upgrades and needed repairs.^[15]“Three Mormon Temples in the US to Close for Renovation,” MormonNewsroom, 27 June 2017. Accessed 27 June 2017.

Detailed plans of major renovations for the historic Mesa Arizona Temple were released Thursday, 10 May 2018, days before the sacred edifice was scheduled to close for a two-year renovation. According to the Church Newsroom, extensive work would be done, including site improvements, exterior maintenance, interior finishes, and building system maintenance of the HVAC systems. The temple grounds would also be renovated and enhanced. The public would be invited to tour the temple before it reopens, which was expected to be in 2020.

Church Newsroom also reported that roofing and drainage systems would be replaced, and new windows would be installed to provide better temperature control and conserve energy. Improvements would also be made to make the temple more accessible to people with disabilities. The temple grounds would also undergo major changes to make them more consistent with the character of the landscape design immediately around the temple. The visitors’ center and the water feature on the temple’s north side would be replaced with a new reflection pool and side gardens, opening a more generous view toward Main Street. The reflection pool at the temple entrance would be repaired and remain in its current location.

The Mesa Arizona Temple site would also be improved to better accommodate the annual Easter pageant — a tradition in the community since 1928 — and make the area more accessible and enjoyable with new paths and walkways.

As part of the renovation, the visitors’ center was also demolished, and a new center was rebuilt across the street on the southwest corner of LeSueur and Main Street. The new visitors’ center is home to various interactive exhibits and events, historical information about the temple, and family history research, and teaching facilities.

Closure

The temple closed on 19 May of 2018.

Open House

The public open house for the Mesa Arizona Temple was held from Saturday, 16 October 2021 through Saturday, 20 November 2021, except for Sundays, including 17, 24, and 31 October, and 7 and 14 November.

Youth Devotional

A youth devotional for the Mesa temple was also held Saturday, 11 December 2021.

Rededication

After three and a half years of renovation work, the Mesa Arizona Temple was dedicated again as a House of the Lord.

On Sunday, 12 December 2021, President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presided at the three rededication sessions, offered the rededicatory prayer, and was among the day’s many speakers. President Oaks commented, “We were astonished, impressed, gratified with what has been done to hold with the pioneer ancestry of this traditional great temple and House of the Lord.”

Joining President Oaks were Sister Kristen M. Oaks, Elder Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Susan L. Gong, as well as Elder Paul B. Pieper, General Authority Seventy and president of the North America Southwest Area, and his wife, Sister Melissa Pieper, and Elder Kevin R. Duncan, General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Nancy Duncan.

President Russell M. Nelson, President of the Church, participated in the dedication services via a prerecorded video.

President Oaks said the changes made structurally and technologically in the temple are “essential for it to perform its service for decades to come.”

Elder Gong said temple dedications mark an end and a beginning – the end of important preparation with the dedication itself and the beginning of new opportunities to engage in ordinances and covenants. He further said, “A temple dedication or rededication begins new opportunities to find and serve family members waiting for saving and exalting ordinances. And as we do so, we are focusing on our Savior and the blessing of His atonement found in those ordinances and covenants.”

Sister Gong said she hopes those who attend the temple will come with the intent of learning what God wants them to learn, not just seeking for an answer to their own questions. She said, “It’s also really important to be open to what God would want us to learn. He’s trying to teach us a new way to see the world, and it takes humility and focus to begin to understand what that vision for the world and for our lives and for a purpose is.”

President Oaks added, “I hope that before our young people come to the temple they are helped by their parents and their leaders to see the temple in context of Heavenly Father’s plan — to see the end from the beginning.” He further said that with that background, they will see temple attendance, temple ordinances and temple service in the context of “our Heavenly Father’s plan to extend His choicest blessings to all of His children. We are privileged through the doctrine of proxy ordinances to be a part of that great work.”

President Oaks further commented: The temple speaks to us in contrast to the individualism of the age. It speaks to us by its ceremonies and its covenants in terms of the responsibilities that we owe to one another and how we fit into Heavenly Father’s plan as part of His family and His culture. . . . The two great commandments to love God and to love one’s neighbors help His followers to understand and feel comfortable being a part of “His family and His culture.” He has created us to associate with one another, to serve one another, and to be brought up in families, not on an individual basis.”

The rededicatory sessions and youth devotional were broadcast to congregations in the Mesa Arizona Temple district.

Public exhibits and events

History of the visitors’ center

First Visitors Center

The original visitors’ center was located near the west entrance of the temple in the late 1940s, which consisted of tables and literature racks. Across the street was the Bureau of Information and Genealogical Library.

Second Visitors Center

Due to inadequacies to meet demand, a new building was constructed north of the temple. It was dedicated by David O. McKay on December 30, 1956. The visitors’ center also housed a replica of a statue of Jesus Christ by Danish artist Bertel Thorvaldsen called the Christus.

An expansion of the building was completed in 1981 to house new exhibits and was again remodeled in 2015. ^[8]

Current Visitors’ Center

As part of a larger plan to renovate the temple, the original visitors’ center was demolished in 2018. A new 18,000 square foot visitors’ center and interactive Family History Discovery Center were built.^[16]Stephen G. Williams, “Mesa Arizona Temple Visitors’ Center,” Salt River Stories, accessed July 14, 2021.^[17]“Redevelopment Plans Announced for Area Near Mesa Arizona Temple”. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. May 31, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2021.^[18]“”Refresh” of Mesa Temple and Grounds to Include Replacement of Visitors’ Center”. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. May 17, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2021. The new visitors’ center is now open to public since its recent dedication by Ulisses Soares on August 12, 2021.^[19]“Elder Soares Dedicates New Mesa Temple Visitors’ Center”. newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. August 13, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021. It is located in the northwest side of the Mesa Temple, in the corner of Main Street and Lesueur. It includes a children’s play area, with interactive activities; a hang out room for teens; a community section, with displays explaining the city’s diverse history and spiritual heritage built by Native Americans, Hispanic migrants and Mormon pioneers. There is also a coloring wall, an interactive justserve.org screen to locate local community service opportunities, a 3D scale model of the temple, and a display where visitors learn more about God and Jesus Christ. Other areas include teaching rooms with videos and individual reflection pods.^[20]“Visitors’ Center”. MesaTemple.org. Retrieved October 21, 2021. In addition, there is also a family research area with computer work stations and helpers where guests can work at their own pace researching, adding to their family history and connecting their family tree. The new visitors’ center also houses the replica of Thorvaldsen’s Christus that was in the earlier visitor’s center.^[21]Stephen G. Williams, “Mesa Arizona Temple Visitors’ Center,” Salt River Stories, accessed July 14, 2021. The Visitors’ Centers and grounds are staffed by church missionaries and the public is welcome to walk on the temple grounds and enjoy the gardens.

During Christmas there is a light display and a nativity scene.

During late March to early April, the temple hosts the Mesa Arizona Easter Pageant Jesus the Christ, which attracts approximately 150,000 people annually and is the “largest annual outdoor Easter pageant in the world.”^[22]World’s Largest Annual Outdoor Easter Pageant Draws Crowds Topping 150,000 During 10-Day Run, Business Wire, 2005-03-09, retrieved 2012-10-09^[23]Griffiths, Lawn (2007-03-24), “Mesa Mormon temple prepares for Easter pageant”, East Valley Tribune, retrieved 2012-10-09

In October of 2018 the Church announced that most of the Pageants through out the Church would be discontinued over the next few years. It is not known at this time what will happen to the Mesa Temple Pageant.

Presidents

Temple President	Temple Matron	Years Served
Kenneth McKay Smith	Jody King Smith	2017–2017
J Brent Hatch	Renae Geddes Hatch	2014–2017
Richard Gordon Porter	Susan LaVelle Curtis Porter	2011–2014
Daryl Hodges Garn	Irene Hall Garn	2009–2011
Ezra Thompson (Tom) Clark Jr.	Virginia Meldrum Clark	2006–2009
Albert Choules Jr.	Marilyn Jeppson Lowry Choules	2003–2006
John Richard Peterson	Marcia Jorgensen Peterson	2000–2003
Lee Kenyon Udall	Leona Carpenter Udall	1997–2000
Ernest Widtsoe Shumway	Diane Blackham Shumway	1994–1997
John Henry Tanner	Bertha (Bobbie) Pratt Tanner	1991–1994
Nephi Simeon Allen	Marjorie Nell Price Allen	1988–1991
LeRoy Layton	Roberta Nash Layton	1985–1988
Lorenzo Harold Wright	Leah Thomas Wright	1980–1985
Junius Elmarion Driggs	Bernice Crouse Driggs	1975–1980
Charles Bryant Whiting	Lucie Hall Whiting	1970–1975
Jesse Marsden Smith	Marvel Etoile Bailey Smith	1963–1970
James Robert Price	Mable Alexander Price	1960–1963
Arwell Lee Pierce	Mary Brentnell Done Pierce	1953–1960
Harry Lorenzo Payne	Ethel Cholerton Done Payne	1944–1953
Charles Vestine Pugh	Ava Lou Telia Thompson Pugh	1940–1944
Charles Richens Jones	Ada Faddis Jones	1934–1940
David King Udall	Eliza Luella Stewart Udall	1927–1934

Details

Exterior

Similar to the Laie and Cardston temples before it, the Mesa Arizona Temple was built in a neoclassical style suggestive of the Temple in Jerusalem. It lacks the spires that have become a mainstay of temples built since then. Prior to the announcement of the Paris France Temple, it was the last LDS temple constructed without a spire.

The temple is a neoclassical design featuring the primary structure atop a wider base pedestal. The temple features pilasters with Corinthian capitals (12 pairs along the long side and 10 pairs along the short side) and amphorae on fluted columns on the grounds. Below the cornice of the primary structure, eight frieze panels (carved in low relief) depict the gathering of God’s people from the Old and New World, and the Pacific Islands to America.^[24]“Mesa Arizona Temple: The Gathering of Israel” Ensign, October 2003. Accessed 24 June 2017.

Cladding

 Terra Cotta Tiles over concrete walls, with a steel frame.

Windows

The windows in the Mesa Arizona temple are plane glass windows in in multi-pane configurations.

Symbolism

Inscriptions

1927-1975

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1975-2018

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2020+

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Cornerstone

The cornerstone of the Mesa Arizona Temple is on the Southeast corner of the original temple. It is engraved into the Terracotta and painted black.

1927

Friezes

Around the upper portion of the Mesa temple there are eight friezes. Alma Brockerman Wright (known chiefly for his highly colored paintings and murals) made sketches for the friezes; Torleif S. Knaphus modeled the sketches and made plaster-of-Paris models of the friezes, which were then sent to the California Faience Company, in Oakland, California. The panels are three feet, six inches tall, and each one represents part of a grand parade of converts leaving their homes to gather in Zion.

The figures represent specific nationalities and are based on scenes Wright had viewed during his travels. The artists even conceived mini-stories for some of them.

Of interest to note is that all the individuals represented are symbolically walking towards the Temple’s main west entrance. The four panels on the North half of the temple are all walking Counterclockwise, when viewed from above, journeying from the North east corner around to the west entrance. The four panels on the south side of the temple are all walking clockwise, except for the South east corner, east facing, as will be explained later.

Counterclockwise Walkers

Spires and Moroni

There is neither spire nor Statue on the Mesa Arizona Temple

Individuals and Contractors

Contractor	Member Built
Sculptor	Torlief Knaphus

References