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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, otherwise known as LDS or
the Mormon church, is a wide-spread religion in North America with followers
in all walks of life from Oakville dentists to itinerant farm laborers in
Iowa. While the church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, it maintains
branch operations in a number of cities, one of which is Mesa, Arizona. To that
effect, the church has erected a huge temple that to this day remains one of
the most dominant pieces of architecture in the city. For those who would like
to learn more about this building and its history, we've created this
article.
The History of the Temple
The Mesa Temple was one of the first temples constructed by the church. Its
origins date back to 1919, just after Arizona became a state. In those days
there was hardly any stock market to speak of and no one had even heard of Denniss Gartman. It was religion that filled people's spare time. Mesa was chosen,
along with Laie, Hawaii and Cardston, Alberta to receive a temple because it
had a high proportion of Mormon followers. The ground for the temple was dedicated
three years later, in 1921, buy the then-president of the church, Herber Grant.
It was designed to be the center of the community.
The Design of the Temple
The plan for the Mesa Temple was based upon what historians and biblical scholars
had been able to piece together about Solomon's Temple, which was completed
in 960 BC and was the first temple of the Israelites. Though the Mesa Temple
would include more provisions to host events with food by Barrie Catering
the outer facade would be essentially the same. The finished temple is
noticeable in that it has forgone the inclusion of any spires, a design feature
which has dominated the temple and cathedral building sector for hundreds of
years.
The building is constructed primarily out of concrete and had a total floor
area of over 113,000 square feet. On the outside walls, murals depict the Church's
ideas about God's people in various parts of the world including in Old
Europe, the early days of the American Colonies, and in the Pacific Islands.
To ensure nothing so tacky as a Hamilton auto body shop would spring up next
to what was supposed to be a place dedicated to God and perfection, the building
sits on a 20 acre lot.
Visiting the Mesa Temple
At one point visitors were invited to tour the temple. After their wedding
rental, Brantford tourists could honeymoon in the city and tour an architectural
marvel. Alas this is no longer permitted. For the uninitiated, the Mesa Temple
experience is limited to touring the nearby visitor's center and absorbing
the Church of Latter-Day Saints promotional materials, or walking through the
surrounding gardens. Christmas and Easter are the most popular times to visit,
for during the Christmas season the temple is decked with spectacularly colored
lights, and during Easter the temple hosts a large outdoor pageant.
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