Yesterday our family had the opportunity to travel to Rexburg, Idaho to tour the newly completed but not yet dedicated LDS Temple. 180,000 people will come to visit the temple during the month long open house. It was a blustery, snowy day, making the roads a bit treacherous and snowpacked, but it was well worth the trip.
The temple sits on a hilltop next to BYU Idaho, making it visible from miles around.
Ground was broken on July 30th, 2005, the open house began December 29th, 2007, and the dedication ceremony will be February 3rd, 2008.
The exterior consists of a quartz rock finish which was mined in Washington State. There are 700 art-glass window panes created by Utah artist Tom Holdman. The interior includes hand painted murals by Leon Parson, wood trim imported from Africa, and other stone & tile imported from Israel. Many of the stained glass windows and interior finish detail include a local flavor or agricultural motif, including local wildlife and landscapes - such as fields of wheat and the Teton Mountains. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,5143,695239429,00.html
Ground was broken on July 30th, 2005, the open house began December 29th, 2007, and the dedication ceremony will be February 3rd, 2008.
The 57,504 square foot building stands 168' 9" tall, measured to the top of the golden Angel Moroni statue - which itself is 10' 8" tall. It will be the church's 125th operating temple worldwide - the 3rd in Idaho, including the Idaho Falls, and Boise temples, and coming soon to Twin Falls.
The exterior consists of a quartz rock finish which was mined in Washington State. There are 700 art-glass window panes created by Utah artist Tom Holdman. The interior includes hand painted murals by Leon Parson, wood trim imported from Africa, and other stone & tile imported from Israel. Many of the stained glass windows and interior finish detail include a local flavor or agricultural motif, including local wildlife and landscapes - such as fields of wheat and the Teton Mountains. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,5143,695239429,00.html
The finish detail and craftsmanship inside and out is inspiring. The open house tour reminded me of when I went through the Seattle temple open house and attended the dedication ceremony as a 15 year-old. It's not every day that you get to tour nearly every room of a temple with your entire family - including three teen-age boys!
The next to the last picture in this posting is mine - the other beautiful shots are courtesy of Rick G. Wallace - Thanks Rick! http://www.pbase.com/rwallace/temples
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